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MAD//Fest is all about bringing together the industry’s top brands + agencies in cool, creative spaces. So we’re excited to announce a bigger, better + bolder MAD//North line-up in 2026!
MAD//North will return to St John's - Manchester's new neighbourhood for the creative industries where big name brands, major agencies + innovative businesses are changing the city’s landscape - physically and metaphorically.
And when MAD//North is in town, expect St John's to be buzzing with 4,000 influential marketers, inspiring content, the best solution/service providers, DJs, parties, entertainment, food, drink + much more. Why? To connect the marketing community, inspire new thinking + crystalise what makes the north a creative + innovation powerhouse!
The 2026 programme is currently in production - subscribe here for speaker alerts + more!
Maisie Adam
// Comedian + TV Personality
Rory Sutherland
// President Emeritus, Ogilvy UK
Rory Sutherland: Alchemist and Behavioural Science Impresario
A lifetime spent working on the creative side of the advertising agency Ogilvy UK has provided Rory with the perfect environment for developing a fascination with the vagaries of human decision making – indeed he sees the world of advertising and marketing as a sort of Galapagos Island for behavioural science. An accidental TikTok star as well as a celebrated speaker and writer, Rory has found his blend of wit and behavioural insight resonates with audiences far beyond the boardroom. It’s this same passion that inspired him to found Ogilvy’s Behavioural Science Practice, a team of psychology graduates who look for unseen opportunities in consumer behaviour, and to write his Book Alchemy: the Surprising Power of Ideas that don’t quite make sense (2019). He has variously been President of the IPA, Chair of the Judges for the Direct Marketing Jury at Cannes and has spoken at TED Global. Rory has also co-written Transport for Humans (with Pete Dyson) and is the technology correspondent of the Spectator Magazine. His 12-week CPD accredited MAD//Masters course helps marketers make sense of accelerated disruption and use a tried and tested mix of creativity, innovation and behavioural science to their competitive advantage.
Jonathan Warburton
// Chairman, Warburtons
Adam Field
// VP, Brand Marketing, Berghaus
I have spent the past two decades working within and leading global marketing teams across some of the biggest brands in retail, sports, entertainment and gaming. My experience has focused around digital-first and brand marketing strategy. I have built, re-structured and led global teams to deliver transformational marketing strategies to achieve business objectives.
Trevor Robinson OBE
// Founder and Executive Creative Director, Quiet Storm
Trevor Robinson OBE is responsible for some of the most talked-about, innovative advertising of our era, including the multi-award-winning, game-changing “You’ve been Tango-ed” campaign. More recently, his business is best known for its equally humorous work on brands including Haribo, Google, On the Beach, Vimto, Yakult, and Channel 4's Black in Business. He is renowned for his contribution to society and for encouraging future creative talent. He set up Quiet Storm in 1995 – the first creative agency and production company dedicated to transforming businesses, lives, and society through creativity. He launched a not-for-profit organisation, Create Not Hate, in 2007, an initiative that gives underrepresented young people the opportunity to experience the advertising industry and help unlock their creative potential while tackling the social issues they face every day (specifically gun and knife crime). He was awarded an OBE in 2009 for services to charity and advertising.
Zoe Harris
// Chief Marketing Officer, On The Beach
Jeremy Way
// VP of Partnerships, City Football Group
Jeremy is VP of Partnerships at City Football Group & Manchester City and oversees the Partnership Strategy & Creative team and the Partnership Marketing & Operations team. Jeremy has been with the group over 11 years in a variety of positions and leads all aspects of partner management, delivery, data intelligence, and planning, developing the Club's commercial partnerships strategy.
Jeremy has over 17 years experience in sports media and partnerships, and prior to CFG Jeremy worked at Mindshare, a leading global media agency, securing partnerships, sponsorships and non-traditional media activity for blue chip and consumer brands across a variety of media and sports.
Kirsten Pugsley
// Marketing Director UK&I, Puma
Eleanor Barker
// CMO UK&I, PG Tips
Samantha Leach
// Chief Customer + Marketing Officer, boohoo
Robert Faulkner
// Chief Business & Communications Officer, Wrexham AFC
Sara Holt
// Chief Marketing Officer, Center Parcs
Sara joined Center Parcs as Chief Marketing Officer in 2025 and brings a wealth of experience in entertainment marketing, having worked for some of the UK’s best-known brands.
Prior to joining Center Parcs, she was UK and Europe Group Sales and Marketing Director at Merlin Entertainments for iconic entertainment brands such as Alton Towers, The London Eye, Thorpe Park and Sealife. She was previously Digital Marketing Director at LEGO in the global product development team and has held top roles at the BBC and Global Media.
Matt Bulcroft
// Marketing Director, Global Brands Ltd (Hooch)
Matt Bulcroft is Marketing Director at Global Brands, where he leads a 50-strong team across brand strategy, creative, digital, and activation. Since joining the business in 2008, he’s worked his way up from sales to senior leadership, giving him a rare 360° view of how brands connect with consumers.
Today, Matt is the driving force behind some of the UK’s most loved (and talked-about) drinks brands, including Hooch, VK, and Franklin & Sons. From bold, tongue-in-cheek campaigns to heritage storytelling and premium serves, he’s passionate about building brands that punch above their weight and cut through in crowded markets.
Alongside brand building, Matt spearheads workforce modernisation at Global Brands, championing new ways of working and harnessing technology to keep teams agile, creative, and future-fit.
When he’s not shaping the future of drinks marketing, you’ll find him on the golf course, at Elland Road supporting Leeds United, or out in the Peak District with his dog.
Tim Donald
// CCO, Sneak Energy
As CCO at Sneak, Tim is responsible for continuing to position Sneak as one of the most innovative and disruptive brands in the functional drinks category, through design, creative and brand strategy. Tim has over 15 years of experience, predominantly in advertising agencies, working with global brands such as Johnnie Walker, Beats by Dre and Nike.
Steve Seddon
// Chief Marketing Officer, Ice Travel Group
Cara Chambers
// Chief Marketing Officer, C&C Group
Adam Smith
// Head of Retail Media, Iceland Foods Ltd
Adam Smith is the Head of Retail Media at Iceland Foods, where he leads the Retail Media proposition. Formerly a Category Trading Manager, Adam was promoted to spearhead Iceland’s strategic expansion into digital advertising and in-store media. Adam's role involves overseeing both physical and online advertising initiatives, ensuring that Iceland delivers a best-in-class service to its clients.
His team is central to Iceland’s efforts to modernize its retail experience and compete with other major UK supermarkets in the rapidly growing retail media space.
Mark Brown
// Chief Marketing Officer, Hovis
Claire Sutton
// Cluster Marketing Director UK & I, Aunt Bessie's
Dan Rubel
// Brand and Marketing Director, Currys
Joanna Carman
// Director of Plusnet, Plusnet (BT)
Sally Barton
// Marketing Growth Strategy Director, US, Mondelez International
Sally leads Marketing Growth Strategy for Mondelez International in the US, focused on embedding the company’s ambitious growth agenda and building the capabilities required for the fast-evolving future of marketing.
A UK native, she has built an international career across a range of senior marketing roles, leading iconic global brands including Finish, Cadbury, Halls, OREO, and Triscuit. Her work sits at the intersection of brand, performance, and organizational transformation, with a track record of turning strategy into sustained commercial impact.
Sally’s contributions have been recognized by Advertising Week’s Future is Female award, The Grocer 30 Under 30, and Brand Innovators 40 Under 40, and she is a proud alumna of The Marketing Academy scholarship.
She is based in New York City. Outside of work, she runs long-distance races and believes mint is the superior OREO flavor.
Emma Thackray
// Co-Founder, Hip Pop
Antony Bradshaw
// Head of Digital Data & Analytics, Dominos Pizza UK & I
Antony joined Domino’s in 2022 and currently leads the Digital Data & Analytics function, driving data-led decision-making across the organisation.
In this role, Antony oversees a team focused on advanced analytics, AI innovation and digital performance optimisation, ensuring Domino’s remains at the forefront of technology and customer experience.
Under Antony’s leadership, Domino’s has pioneered several cutting-edge initiatives, including the development of AI-powered solutions such as pizza image recognition technology, likelihood to buy chicken modelling for paid media to support the launch of Domino’s new sub-brand CHICK ‘N’ DIP, and is leading the migration to a cloud data platform. These innovations have significantly improved operational efficiency and enhanced customer satisfaction, supporting Domino’s ambition to deliver a seamless digital journey for its 13 million active customers.
With a strong background in data strategy and digital transformation, Antony has played a key role in integrating analytics into every aspect of the business, from marketing and trading to supply chain optimisation. His work has helped Domino’s maximise the value of its data assets and accelerate growth in an increasingly competitive market.
Outside of work, Antony is passionate about fitness and adventure. He enjoys CrossFit training and climbing, often seeking new challenges that test both physical strength and mental resilience.
Honor Baldry
// Digital Marketing Director, PureGym
Digital Marketing Director at PureGym, attracting new members to our 700+ gyms around the world. Love fitness and the part my team plays in inspiring healthier nations.
Jamie Scahill
// Co-Founder, Manchester Union Brewery
Rob Edwards
// Head of Media & Digital, Arla Foods
As Head of Media and Digital activations, Rob’s department take responsibility for planning and delivering all branded digital activity in the UK for brands like Lurpak & Anchor Butter, Cravendale Milk and the Arla master brand, while working with agency partners to deliver wider campaigns.
With Arla’s global Omnichannel ambition, Rob has lead the approach to retail media and the development of full funnel planning, while pushing new thinking around measurement and performance for all media activations.
Ellie Cross
// Head of Brand Partnerships, Starling
As Head of Brand Partnerships, Ellie leads Starling Banks' partnership activity. With a career to date focussing on shaping brand community campaigns, Ellie joined Starling in 2021 and has since led key high-profile brand projects which have included National Sponsorship of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, Arsenal FC, Principle Partner of Southampton FC Women and talent relationships with the Lionesses.
Ewan Baggott
// Football Freestyler + Content Creator
Ben Kerr
// Founder, Cold Glass Productions
Dawn Paine
// CEO and Co-founder, Aurora
Dr. Jo Twist OBE
// Chief Executive Officer, BPI
Dr Jo Twist OBE (she/her) is CEO of the BPI, representing more than 500 label businesses and the UK recorded music sector. She has a 25-year background in creative industries, interactive entertainment and technology and sits on several boards and advisory groups including the UKRI AI Strategic Advisory Team, Creative PEC Board and the Mayor of London’s Cultural Leadership Board. She was Chair of the BAFTA Games Committee (2013-2022) and a BAFTA Trustee (2018-2022).
Jo is a Visiting Lecturer at Goldsmith's University, VP for accessibility charity SpecialEffect, Patron of mental health charity Safe in Our World, Wiggin Foundation Trustee, BRIT Trust Trustee and King's Appointed Trustee for Historic Royal Palaces.
In 2016 she was awarded an OBE for services to the creative industries, was named one of the Evening Standard’s Progress 1000 Most Influential People in 2019 and entered the Computer Weekly Hall of Fame in 2021.
Emily Heath
// Global Brand Director, Rexona/Sure
Jessica Myers
// Chief Customer Officer, The Very Group
As chief customer officer, Jessica oversees marketing, creative, digital customer experience, and data and analytics. She joined Very in October 2022 as chief marketing officer and since then has spearheaded the group’s new brand platform ‘Let’s make it sparkle’, featuring brand characters, Kerry, Terry and Cherry, the flamboyant flamingos. Jessica joined Very from Metro Bank, where she built and led the company’s first ever brand and marketing function and was a member of the Executive Committee. Prior to Metro Bank, Jessica spent five years heading NatWest Group’s brand team with responsibility across its 10 portfolio brands, including RBS, NatWest, Royal Bank, Coutts and Ulster Bank.
Jolyon Varley
// Co Founder / Global Head of Brand, OK COOL
Jolyon is Co-Founder at OK COOL— the world’s hottest culture marketing agency for social, HQ’d in London, New York and Melbourne. They are global Agency of record for Meta and TikTok and strategic and creative partners to Disney, Nike, Fenty x PUMA, Bose, DuoLingo, Airbnb ++ Jolyon is LinkedIn’s #1 Top Voice for culture marketing, globally.
Pardeep Duggal
// Global Marketing Director, BUPA
Richard Robinson
// Executive Director, Ingenuity+
Paul Cooper
Paul Cooper is a tech and media pioneer who has spent more than a quatre of a century shaping the North of England into one of the UK’s strongest digital and marketing regions. His career began in the late 1990s at one of the UK’s first online agencies, where he helped launch early digital brands and built one of the country’s largest online media operations. He helped launch interactive TV in the UK and went on to spend 14 years inside WPP after the sale of Brilliant Media to WPP, playing a leading role in the rise of MediaCom North and EssenceMediacom. During this period, he led the transformation of a small Manchester office into the largest media agency outside London which operated as their UK centre of excellence for digital, data, tech and D2C sale up brands. Leading them to become Essence Mediacom’s 3rd largest operation in EMEA and WPP’s global centre of excellence for Agentic intelligence.
Paul has just launched TAU North for TAU Marketing Solutions and is an non-executive director at Open Partners (the leading independent agency in the UK and fastest growing). Alongside this, Paul is an ambassador for connected TV operation Broadlab and contributes to the future of the region through several leadership positions. He sits on the IPA Council and serves on the Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s Employer Integration Board, where he helps shape the skills pipeline for one of Europe’s largest creative economies.
Neil Jones
// Head of Media, Boots
Ian Maskell
// Founder/CEO, P E C O R I N O Group
Florence Howell
// Ice Cream Marketing Director UKI, The Magnum Ice Cream Company
Hayden Clottey
// Head of Sport, InterTalent
Ben Newbury
// Head Of Brand Marketing-Yorkshire Tea, Taylors of Harrogate
Creative and brand strategist with 15+ years’ experience building distinctive, well‑loved brands.
Working in marketing on Yorkshire Tea since 2017, and part of the team that has seen the brand grow from challenger to the UK’s No.1 — driven by clear brand thinking, strong creative partnerships and a stubborn belief in doing things properly.
Known for collaborative leadership, an entrepreneurial mindset and turning sharp insight into work that people genuinely care about. Experienced in shaping brand portfolios, leading high‑performing teams and making creativity work hard commercially.
Matt Hanlon
// Director of Omnichannel & Media, Boots
Matt Hanlon is Director of Omnichannel & Media at Boots, where he leads Boots Consumer Media and Boots Media Group (BMG) in reimagining how brands connect with the UK’s health, wellness, and beauty customer.
A passionate advocate for the power of data, creativity, and customer insight, Matt is focused on building brand partnerships that matter, ones that spark growth today and earn lasting trust for the future.
His perspective is shaped by senior roles at Nike, PepsiCo, and ASOS, where he helped drive digital transformation and global campaigns for some of the world’s most recognisable brands. These experiences fuel his belief that the best brand connections happen when insight, technology, and storytelling come together.
At Boots, Matt brings that belief to life, championing new ways for brands to engage with customers through trusted, meaningful, and measurable media experiences. He is recognised for his clarity and thought-provoking perspective on the future of retail media and customer engagement.
Bridey-Rae Lipscombe
// Chief Marketing Officer, P.Louise
Dr Hanna Kinsella
// CEO, IcyBear Dental
Dr. Hanna Kinsella is a proud member of the Royal College of Surgeons and an expert in Prosthodontic and Cosmetic Dentistry. She is the founder of Kiln Lane Dental Clinic and Icy Bear Dental Care, a luxury at-home whitening brand committed to professional dental expertise, accessibility, and ethical responsibility. With a focus on trust, transparency, and education, Icy Bear products are scientifically developed, safe, and simple to use, while being palm oil free, SLS free, and cruelty free.
Dr Hanna has grown Icy Bear into an eight-figure brand in just five years, with major retail placements including Harrods and Boots. Through TikTok and her 250,000 followers on Instagram, Dr Hanna engages directly with her audience, using live sessions to educate, connect with customers, and showcase products in real time.
In addition to her entrepreneurial success, Hanna is a familiar face from ITVBe's The Real Housewives of Cheshire and continues to practice at Kiln Lane Dental Clinic, upholding the highest standards of care while inspiring confidence, health, and wellbeing in her patients and customers alike.
Charlotte Lewis
// Psychology Expert, Women’s Wellbeing Specialist & Former Global Marketing Lead
Amy Stamper
// Director, Head of Paid Social, Impression Digital
Amy leads the strategic development of Paid Social at Impression, drawing on over 10 years of experience partnering with brands from Unilever, to Wizz Air, Semrush, and Vax.
Amy's approach is all about putting evidence into action to drive profitable growth and scale through paid channels. Her current obsession is knowing when to ‘flow’, enriching campaigns with data and innovative creative to drive consistent performance, and when to ‘fight’ - pushing back on stale ‘the algorithm knows best’ assumptions to get the edge over the competition.
Sam Williams
// Head of Strategy, AMV BBDO
Rich McHardy
// Founder & Co-founder, The McHardy Collective & The BD100
The McHardy Collective is a catalyst for growth. We are the go-to connector for brands and agencies seeking to build lasting, meaningful partnerships that are mutually beneficial.
If you’re an agency leader looking to open up new business opportunities or you’re a brand wanting to connect with the best creative talent around, The McHardy Collective can help you build lasting partnerships and drive growth across all creative disciplines through a single point of contact.
Prior to launching The McHardy Collective in 2012, I spent 15 years sharpening my business development skills for several leading international agencies, including five years at WPP. I have also been the Co-founder of The BD100 since 2017 when it launched as a community, published league table and annual awards event in partnership with The Drum. I'm also proud to be a Guinness World Record holder for mental health awareness.
Dawson Roberts
// Content Creator, @DawsOnScreen
Dawson is an ambitious content creator focusing on the world of entertainment, film and TV. He creates daily videos exploring the newest releases while also curating bold ideas that push the limits of what social media is used to.
Whether it be travelling around the world playing table tennis for Marty Supreme or sitting on the sofa chatting about The Traitors, Dawson is always keeping up with the ever-changing industry. Having been creating content online for 10 years on different platforms, Dawson has finally found his passion and audience talking about the things he loves the most.
Dana Fletcher
// Brand Partnerships Manager, TikTok
Dana helps brands cut through on social. At TikTok, she works with some of Europe's fastest-growing lifestyle and beauty brands, scaling their presence and driving meaningful growth. With 11+ years experience in brand strategy, content ideation and performance marketing.
Alex Brown
// Co-founder and CCO, Campfire
Emily Rennie
// Content Creator, @whatemwatches
Emily is an entertainment creator and interviewer specialising in all things Film and TV. A member of TikTok’s exclusive Film & TV club, she has collaborated with leading networks and channels including the likes of Sky and Disney+. She shares her insights daily on what to watch and the latest happenings in the entertainment world.
Jade Beaty
// Content Creator, @livethedash
Valerie Bounds
// Co-Founder, Chief Strategy & Creative Officer, Aurora
Valerie Bounds is a big-picture strategist, creative pioneer and cultural architect with 3 decades helping brands scale from local relevance to global impact. Her career began at the birth of the digital era, shaping early UX and digital strategy at Ogilvy/WPP, before launching the first ASOS brand and leading digital innovation for organisations including Universal Music, The British Council, MSN, AMEX, Nestlé Group, Bank of America, Manchester City FC and Ford. A culture obsessive, Valerie works at the intersection of entertainment, technology and brand — from creating the first website for cult TV phenomenon Red Dwarf to collaborating with Pete Townshend on pioneering digital platforms for artists. In 2021, Valerie co-founded Aurora alongside former Nintendo CMO Dawn Paine, combining deep agency craft with senior client-side leadership. Aurora works directly with brand leaders using its proprietary People Power approach to drive growth by mobilising people, communities and fandoms. Recent work includes the launch of Everplay Group, delivering a 13% rise in share price on the day of launch, and the globally recognised #HelpUkraineSong campaign, which achieved 450 million+ reach. A Campaign, DADI and BIMA Awards judge and profiled in The Drum’s “World’s Most Creative Women”, Valerie is a passionate advocate for gender equality and DEI. She speaks about people-powered brands and how to turn local sparks into global movements.
Shelley Macintyre
// Interim CEO, Brands & Licensing, BBC Studios
Susan Finnegan
// Head of International & Placemaking, Liverpool City Council
Elliot Muscant
// CEO and Founder, Open Partners
Sedge Beswick
// Consultant
Richard Midgley
// Founder, Ponderosa
Richard Midgley founded award winning agency, Ponderosa, in 2009 and it has grown to be one of the North's most respected creative agencies with a turnover of £7m, employing over 50 people. In 2018 he co-founded Audience Collective bringing together specialist agencies to create an independent agency group with a turnover of over £20m. Richard is a brand strategist by trade and has worked on brands such as Ronseal, HSBC, Crabbie’s, Lambs Navy Rum, Hisense and Russell Hobbs.
Ben Morrison
// Creative & Strategy Managing Partner, Open Partners
Ben Morrison is the Creative & Strategy Managing Partner at Open Partners, where his work focusses on helping clients growth through culturally relevant creative platforms that drive commercial effectiveness.
With a background in journalism and now over 15-years in the marketing industry; spanning both agency and brand side, Ben has designed global strategies for giants in tech, FMCG, and government. Most notably, he served as Global Social Strategy Lead at Unilever’s U-Studio, where he was responsible for driving award-winning activations for iconic global brands including Magnum Global, Lipton, and PG Tips, by tapping into culturally relevant conversations to make them stand out.
Rachel Roberts
// Managing Director, Zeal
Nancy Sadler
// Senior Brand Manager, Essity
Will Evans
// Sales Director, Manchester Union Brewery
Dean Harris
// Head of Co-op Media Network, Co-op
Dean Harris leads Co-op Media Network, shaping the growth of Co-op’s convenience-focused retail media business. With over 15 years of experience spanning advertising, strategy, and loyalty, he’s helped brands tap into data-driven media that makes shopping faster, easier, and more relevant for customers. Since launching in 2024, Co-op Media Network has expanded its data capabilities, introduced new digital solutions, and positioned convenience media as a must-have for advertisers. A regular keynote speaker and industry commentator, Dean is passionate about making retail media simple, effective, and built for the way people really shop.
Becki Jarvis
// Research Director, Trinity McQueen
Becki is a hands-on insight consultant who never stands still. Her work takes her out of the office and often walking the floor, mapping the path to purchase, evaluating store refits, shaping category strategy, and uncovering new opportunities for growth. Behavioural science sits at the heart of everything she does, helping clients make smarter, evidence-based decisions that change behaviour and drive results.
Becki has spent thousands of hours observing, interviewing and analysing customers—both in-person and online—and can regularly be found in grocery, convenience and high-street retail environments across the UK and the US.
A proud northerner, Becki brings a no-nonsense, clear-cut approach to customer insight and consultancy for her clients. Trinity McQueen is an agency that shares this passion. An independent global insight agency known for closing the say-do gap to find clarity and growth to put the customer at the heart of decision making.
Lucia Mastromauro
// Global VP of Advertising, Deliveroo
Emma Padwick-Graham
// Head of Performance, Autotrader
Joe Procter
// Co-Founder & Executive Chair, Open Partners
Joe Procter is the Co-Founder and Executive Chair of Open Partners, which he launched in 2017 with a vision to create The Agency of Next, designed to be agile, future-focused, and client-first. With over 25 years of agency experience leading marketing transformations for national and international brands, Joe oversees Open Partners’ overall strategy and corporate governance.
Cat George
// Head of Creative Content & Social Marketing, Working Title Films
A creative and tenacious marketeer with over 20 years experience in Filmed Entertainment from production to release, leading large and small teams at a global and local level. Commercially aware with a strong ability to influence, and a track record of executing ambitious and innovative marketing campaigns and partnerships which achieved cultural relevance. A collaborative, team player who can bring together diverse groups of specialists.
Film Experience Includes: Fast,Jurassic, Bridget Jones, Despicable Me, How to Train Your Dragon, James Bond alongside documentaries such as Being James Bond and Long Live Montero.
TV Experience: Too Much, Action
KEY STRENGTHS
Outstanding Creative Vision: passionate about creative excellence, always with the audience first. Experienced in delivering at pace, always striving to innovative and execute seamlessly to drive increased awareness and engagement.
Inspirational Leadership: setting clear strategic direction & KPI’s, offering guidance when needed and standing by a ‘we and not I’ approach. Passionate about personal development, empowerment and mentoring. Seen by my commitment to being a Kings Trust mentor and for championing an initiative to encourage greater diversity in Film.
Watch ep 1 here:: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPj6nKBHfmc
Partnership/Digital Expertise: Brand, Media, Social Platforms and Influencer/Creator partnerships. Owning ideation to execution, striving to create visible and definable impact every time.
Rachel Kerrone
// Brand & Marketing Leader, Consultant
Rachel Kerrone spent eight years building Starling Bank from an unknown start-up into one of the UK's best loved and most trusted banks: 4.6M customers, 77% national brand awareness, and the first UK challenger bank to hit profitability.
Rachel is passionate about making banking better for customers. At Starling, she was a key part of launching an award-winning children's banking product and features that put vulnerable customers first. She ensured Starling was an early supporter of women's football in the UK, both professional and grassroots. She scaled the marketing budget by over 30x and built a high-performing team that delivered category-leading work.
The work earned Starling four consecutive Which? Best Banking Brand awards, and Rachel has been recognised multiple times in both Marketing Week's Top 100 and Campaign's Power 100.
Before Starling, she brought challenger energy to legacy giants including RBS, JP Morgan, and Goldman Sachs, proving fresh thinking works anywhere if you've got the conviction to push it.
Now she's advising ambitious brands on how to adopt a challenger mindset, challenge convention and unlock growth by rewriting the rules, because marketing should make customers' lives genuinely better, not just sell them things.
Juliet Simpson
// CEO, Stripe Communications
Juliet is Founder and CEO of Stripe Communications a PR, social, influencer & content agency with offices in Edinburgh and London. At Stripe Juliet is responsible for the overall strategic direction of the business, exploring growth opportunities and providing high-level strategic senior counsel to clients.
Over her 30-year career Juliet has worked both in house and in consultancy for some of the world’s leading brands in the UK, Australia, and Canada. Prior to starting Stripe, she was Head of PR, Corporate Communications and mass market campaigns for Vodafone and she also started up and ran the Edinburgh office of global PR consultancy Citigate SMARTS. She is a Fellow of the Marketing Society, a member of WACL Exec and sits on the Heriot-Watt International Business School Board.
Paul Stafford
// Head of Very Media Group, The Very Group
Daniel Lythgo
// Brand Manager, Magnum UK
Samira Brophy
// Senior Creative Excellence Director, Ipsos
Samira is an Ipsos expert on brand and communication work, with 20 years of experience spanning creative and research roles. She leads Ipsos’ early-stage campaign development offer, is a thought leader on creative effectiveness and works with clients to adopt a MISFIT mindset and make bolder, highly creative campaigns that audiences value.
Eleanor Thornton-Firkin
// Head of Creative Excellence in the UK, Ipsos
Eleanor has been obsessed with advertising ever since she saw the first Absolut bottle ads back in the late ’80s. There was no mistaking the brand in those ads, as the bottle was such an iconic presence – in other words, she loved the power of distinctive assets before the phrase was even coined. Flash forward a number of decades and the power of assets to signify the brand and reduce friction in storytelling is a core part of her day-to-day. Her passion as an advertising researcher is to find the intersection of insight and action, going beyond data to support and enable great creative.
Dominic McGregor
Kate Nightingale
// Psychologist, Chief Behavioural Officer and Founder, Humanising Brands
Don McGrath
// Executive Creative Director, Supersonic
30 years experience working in top advertising and marketing agencies, gaining fully integrated and invaluable experience. I've worked with lots of great people and a few not so great, and have learned from them all in equal measures. Founded Supersonic in 2023 with a team of brilliant people and now delivering 'ideas at the speed of right'.
Jacqui Grimsey-Jones
// Brand Director, loveholidays
Gareth Harrison
// Strategy & Innovation Director, SocialChain
Gareth is a Strategy and Innovation Director working at the intersection of culture, creativity, and commercial effectiveness. He helps brands navigate social and digital environments by turning social intelligence into clearer decisions, stronger creative work and measurable business impact.
He specialises in social-first and influencer-led brand strategy, with a particular focus on how communities and creators can shape modern brand building. Rather than treating social as a distribution channel, Gareth works with teams to design strategic systems that connect social insight to brand effectiveness principles and long-term growth.
Known for a clear point of view and a practical mindset, Gareth regularly challenges how social is planned, measured and valued inside organisations. His focus is on helping teams move beyond vanity metrics, overused tactics and short-term optimisation, toward more distinctive, community-led and effectiveness-driven approaches.
Jason Spencer
// Business Development Director, ITV
As Business Development Director for 14 years, Jason has led the growth in revenue of ITV’s commercial teams across the UK outside London, working with advertisers and agencies. He has led on new advertiser-focussed commercial initiatives including Backing Business, Alliance of Media Independents Fund, and ITV’s GenAI creative production services. Beyond his current role, Jason sits on the board for egta, the trade body for European TV businesses.
Jason started his media career at Manchester Evening News before spending more than a decade at media agencies - firstly as a media planner at Carat and PHD in London, before becoming Managing Director of PHD North.
Nicky Unsworth
// Non Executive Director, Open Partners
Fernando Desouches
// Managing Director, BBD Perfect Storm
Fernando Desouches is the Managing Director of BBD Perfect Storm New Macho based in London. He helps brands grow through positive male narratives, creating platforms for companies like Unilever, PepsiCo, Beiersdorf, The Kraft Heinz Company, Bumble, and UN Women’s HeForShe.
Fernando has become a world-leading authority in understanding how brands can effectively reach men within the current cultural shift and context surrounding masculinity and the male narrative. He believes brands and the media can play a key role in reducing the social pressure on men that often ends in frustration and is on a mission to help more brands grow through positive gender narratives.
He is a podcast regular and has spoken at events for the United Nations, The Marketing Society, Cannes Lions, Adweek EU/NY, The Times, The BBC and The Guardian. His insights are included in the curriculums at the University of Chicago and the University of Warwick.
He serves on the boards of Equimundo: Center for Masculinities and Social Justice, and the Global Boyhood Initiative. Recognised by the IPA in their 2020 iList for promoting inclusivity, he was also named one of Campaign Magazine's 40 Over 40 in 2022 and honoured by UN Women for his work with the Unstereotype Alliance.
Vicki Maguire
Vicki Maguire is a rare breed – a world-class creative, a woman leading the charge and a force for modernising our industry.
She was appointed Havas London’s first female Chief Creative Officer in January 2020 – just eight weeks before the global pandemic hit. Despite that, she helped steer the agency to its best-ever year creatively – winning its first Cannes Gold Lion in nearly a decade for the Black Plaque Project – led one of the most successful new business drives in its history, culminating in Havas being awarded the hotly-contested Asda account in May 2021, produced work that built fame and commercial resilience for clients, and drove culture which engaged and helped consumers and communities.
She was named Creative Leader of the Year in both 2020 and 2021 by Campaign Magazine, which cited the agency’s ‘creative renaissance’, as well as a Female Frontiers honouree for her ground-breaking achievements in advertising. She was also named on the IPA’s inaugural iList – recognising the industry’s 30 most outstanding diversity and inclusivity game-changers – and an IPA Fellow for ‘services to advertising’ in its New Year Honours list, plus Campaign’s 40 over 40 in 2023.
In 2021, Vicki claimed one of the highest-profile gigs in the industry: Cannes Lions jury President, where she presided over the Brand Experience & Activation Lions jury. She returned in 2022 to sit on the Sustainable Development Goals Lions jury, and again in 2023 to judge the Dan Wieden Titanium Lions. This year also saw Havas London’s ‘Me, My Autism, and I’ for Vanish clean up on the awards circuit, with the campaign winning a host of major awards including a Cannes Gold Lion (one of three) and a prestigious D&AD Yellow Pencil (one of six).
At Grey, her ‘Staying Alive’ film for the British Heart Foundation starring Vinnie Jones collected more than 45 major awards, but most importantly it's saved more than 50 lives (and counting). The Angina Monologues, also for the BHF, earned Vicki a coveted British Comedy Award. She also worked on multi-award-winning campaigns for Vodafone and M&S, as well as overseeing the creative team behind the UN’s People Seat campaign with Sir David Attenborough.
In 2016, she became the chair of the Creative Circle Awards – becoming the first woman ever to hold that position. Active within organisations such as WACL and SheSays to promote the advancement of women in advertising.
Alex Reeves
// Managing Editor, EMEA, Little Black Book
Sarah Rostron
// Brand & Product Director, Pure Pet Food
Ffion Turner
// WPP Media Analytics, WPP Media
Ffion is a senior leader within WPP Media Analytics, bringing a wealth of expertise cultivated since joining WPP Media as a graduate in 2004. Her core focus lies in translating complex data into actionable insights, establishing, and managing marketing analytics projects for clients across the UK and globally.
Ffion's specialisation is in measuring and optimising marketing investment across brands and portfolios, ensuring that financial outlays directly deliver against strategic business objectives.
Richard George
// Head of Organic Performance, Wavemaker
Richard is an experienced and focused leader with a passion for all things digital marketing and AI organic search. With over 28 years’ experience in search, he is currently a board level Managing Partner at Wavemaker a WPP Media brand based in the UK.
Tom Ridges
// CEO, Herdify
Matt Beane
// Head of FMCG - TikTok Shop UK, TikTok Shop
Matt Beane is Head of FMCG at TikTok Shop in the UK. Matt is responsible for driving growth for small businesses and big brands across the category, enabling TikTok Users to find new products through the platform's discovery commerce model. Prior to this role, Matt was pivotal in the expansion of TikTok Shop across Europe. Before TikTok, Matt was the CCO of Heroes, spent 8 years at Amazon leading the UK books business and launching Amazon Fresh, and held various commercial and operations roles at Tesco.
Alex Rogerson
// Marketing Director, Morrisons
Jessica Clerke
// Business Lead, Retail Media Commercial Strategy, John Lewis Partnership
With over 20 years of Commercial Retail Experience in both Department Stores and Grocery, I have translated this skillset into leading the commercial strategy for John Lewis Partnerships Retail Media ambition.
This role involves owning the professional development of our Retail Media team, developing processes that make our business more efficient and enabling internal business visibility and buy in to RM growth strategies.
Ellen Kirk
// Retail Media Proposition Strategy & Development Manager, John Lewis Partnership
Ellen is a marketing professional with 16 years of experience spanning creative agencies and in-house roles. Currently a Retail Media Proposition Strategy & Development Manager at the John Lewis Partnership, she specialises in CRM and Loyalty. With a background in local marketing and a deep understanding of brand communications, she is passionate about delivering data-driven, customer-centric solutions.
Lindsay Rapacchi
// Director of Research and Insight, Bauer Media Outdoor UK
Lindsay Rapacchi is Director of Research and Insight at Bauer Media Outdoor UK, bringing over 25 years of experience in media, most of it in Out of Home.
Known for turning complex marketing theory into accessible, actionable insight, Lindsay leads research that shapes strategy, supports client growth, and champions the power of brand-led marketing.
With expertise spanning consumer behaviour, market trends, and data-driven storytelling, Lindsay plays a central role in shaping Bauer Media Outdoor’s thought leadership and innovation agenda.
James Taylor
// Founder & CEO, Particular Audience
James Taylor is the Founder and CEO of Particular Audience, an AI-native retail media company trusted by leading global retailers. Founded in 2017, Particular Audience powers how products are ranked across search, recommendations, and sponsored placements—driving materially higher revenue, conversion, and relevance from retailer-owned digital shelves.James is a recognised authority on retail media infrastructure and automated decisioning, focused on replacing manual, keyword-based ad systems with AI that maximises profit while protecting shopper trust.
Mark Watts
// Sales Leader, Channel 4
Beth Smith
// VP Customer Success, Particular Audience
Beth is the VP of Client Success at Particular Audience, where she bridges the gap between client needs and product development. She manages global accounts and drives revenue through data excellence, ensuring optimisation strategies deliver measurable value. Currently, she is leading the company’s operational expansion into the UK and Europe, building the region from the ground up.
A retail veteran with 15 years of experience, including 10 in digital transformation, Beth previously spent six years at IKEA, holding the position of Head of Ecommerce for UK & IE.
Mark Pougatch
// Broadcaster, ITV Sport
Chris Mawdsley
// Head of Media Strategy, BBC
Rufina Lawani
// Director of Regional Sales, Sky
Karen Carney
// Broadcaster and Former Footballer
Stuart Smith
// Programme Editor, ITV
Ben Brown
// Media Director, Allwyn
Nina Hossain
// Journalist and presenter, ITV News
Lucy West
// Head of News, ITV Granada Reports
Andrew Dagnell
// Director of News & Current Affairs, ITV
Cree-Summer Haughton
// Digital Reporter, ITV News
Sally West
// Performance Marketing Lead, De'Longhi Group
As Performance Marketing Lead at De'Longhi UK, Sally is responsible for the strategic planning, execution, and optimization of brand and performance media across platforms, managing agencies and acting as subject matter expert across retailer media. She brings a blend of agency-side and brand side experience from global giant Vodafone.
Bethan Harris
// Shopper Marketing Executive, De'Longhi Group
As Shopper Marketing Executive at the De'Longhi Group, Beth is responsible for the retail marketing execution and brand presence for the De'Longhi, Kenwood, and Braun brands across major UK retailers, driving commercial growth through targeted retail activations.
Drew Mark
// Senior Agency Partner, Tesco Media
Drew Mark is a Senior Agency Partner at Tesco Media, leading the Omnicom partnership. He specialises in data-led media strategy and identity-based activation, leveraging Tesco’s unique closed-loop measurement to bridge the gap between digital engagement and real-world retail outcomes.
Julia Nicholls
// Agency Group Head, Tesco Media
James Cross
// Founder and CCO, Meanwhile
James Cross is the founder and Chief Creative Officer of Meanwhile in Manchester, which was recently named Campaign’s Start-Up Agency of the Year.
Previously, he was Creative Director of BBC Creative, where together with partner Tim Jones (also a founder of Meanwhile) won a BAFTA for the corporation’s Tokyo Olympics campaign, along with over 200 creative and effectiveness awards in their 5-year stint.
Previous to this James has worked at several McCann Worldgroup offices, independent agencies, and has even written several screenplays, including Bat Shit with Romesh Ranganathan and Rich Hall, and the award-winning documentary, Pot Of Gold.
Simon Gregory
// Chief Strategy Officer, Meanwhile
Born in Liverpool, grew up with archaeology, living in Brand Strategy.
From Direct Marketing to Digital to Integrated comms I've played with Meerkats and led O2 (VCCP), spent a decade with Tesco, Barclays and Paddy Power as CSO of BBH London and Ireland, and am currently loving being back up North with Meanwhile on tombola, Chester Zoo and Netflix.
Bez from the Happy Mondays
// Dancer, Meanwhile
Mark Berry, better known as Bez, is an English dancer and DJ. He was a member of the rock bands Happy Mondays and Black Grape.
Hannah Brotherton
// Head of Brand & Demand Generation, tombola
Head of Brand & Demand Generation with a range of experience in the D2C space. Skilled in brand building, brand and digital strategy, media buying, cross channel marketing and social media. Strong marketing professional with a Bachelor's degree focused in Film and The Visual Arts from University of Leicester.
David Hamilton
// Category Controller, Benecol
David Hamilton is a Category Controller at Benecol, part of the Raisio Group. He brings over 20 years of FMCG experience, having worked across both retailer and brand environments, with deep expertise in Category Management, Trade and Shopper Marketing. David is passionate about shopper marketing and leads the Category & Shopper team at Benecol, combining data-driven shopper insights with impactful retailer activations to drive in-store and online conversion, delivering a measurable ROI.
Gill Huber
// Managing Director, Ingenuity+
Welcome to MAD//North & Chair's Welcome
The Warburtons Story
He might be Mad About The Bread…
But Jonathan Warburton is about to open MAD//North with a session that’s anything but half-baked.
Hear it straight from the source, the man be...
Jonathan Warburton
Chairman, Warburtons
Chair's Welcome
Welcome to MAD//UpNorth
Who Attends?
80%
of tickets are for top tier brand marketers, agency leaders + media leaders via our complimentary guestlist initiative.
20%
of tickets are available to buy for martech/adtech innovators, platforms + solution/service providers.
MAD//UpNorth ‘26
- Get Involved
Interested in speaking, attending, sponsoring, exhibiting or meeting 6000 industry decision makers? Contact us to get involved with a punchy, vibrant + distinctive meeting of the north’s marketing tribes.
Sponsor//Exhibit at MAD//UpNorth ‘26
6000 attendees. 100% brands, media and disruptors. 0% time wasters.
MAD//Fest is all about bringing together the industry’s top brands + agencies in cool, creative spaces. So we’re excited to announce a brand new campus format for 2026!
MAD//North will return to St John's - Manchester's new neighbourhood for the creative industries where big name brands, major agencies + innovative businesses are changing the city’s landscape - physically and metaphorically.
And when MAD//North is in town, expect St John's to be buzzing with 6,000 influential marketers, inspiring content, the best solution/service providers, DJs, parties, entertainment, food, drink + much more. Why? To connect the marketing community, inspire new thinking + crystalise what makes the north a creative + innovation powerhouse!
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