Ethical, transparent and respected, the awards are judged by esteemed industry experts who follow a robust two-step judging process that includes pre-scoring to establish a shortlist and judge discussion to determine winners and in some cases silver awards.
None of our award judges can take part in the competition and any conflicts of interest must be declared.
The Global Social Media Awards are accredited by the Awards Trust Mark – The Independent Awards Standards Council – Trust Mark Scheme.
Abbi has had a long career in Financial Services which has given her a deep understanding of customer needs, motivations and behaviours. An avid consumer of social media herself, she has lead on a number of social media campaigns for Barclays UK across a range of segments from home-ownership to wealth management and everything in between. Most recently her focus has been on engaging at an ultra-local level with customers and communities across the UK working with agencies, professionals and colleagues to build the value of the Barclays brand.
Carbo Yu | REGIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | Sinclair
A seasoned PR professional in Asia Pacific, Carbo drives integrated communications and storytelling strategy across the Sinclair portfolio regionally, and has a stellar record of directing communications for consumer brands and corporates across industry and sector. Seeing herself as a partner to brands, Carbo’s priority lies in enabling them to achieve and exceed their business goals through her sharp insights and quick thinking, qualities which saw her named Campaign Asia’s Women to Watch Asia Pacific in 2022 and PR Professional of the Year (Agency) by PR Awards Asia in 2021. Carbo currently serves as the Chairperson at PRHK.
Jesse Alter | Head of Social Media and Video | Imperial College London
Jesse Alter has been working in social media since the days of the Fail Whale. He is currently the Head of Social Media and Video at Imperial College London, setting the strategy and leading a team of content creators across a range of social platforms. Prior to higher education, Jesse worked in the museums sector in a variety of digital and social-focused roles. You can connect with Jesse on Twitter (@jesse_a) and LinkedIn.
Jaime Hill | Ecommerce Director | Hurtigruten Group
Jaime has over two decades of experience as a Marketing & Ecommerce professional with a successful track record leading teams and developing strategy to transform organisations’ digital capability and channels to market. She has had success in roles at brands including Avis, Barclays, Dairy Crest and Oak Furnitureland, and across a wide range of B2B and B2C vertical markets. Most recently, she joined Hurtigruten Group as Ecommerce Director for HRN & Shared Services in January 2023.. A graduate of the Institute of Digital Marketing and qualified Executive Business Coach, Jaime's professional passion is for making life easier for the customer at every touch point.
Kelly Friend | PR Manager – UK & US | WithSecure™
Kelly is the UK & US PR Manager for cyber security company WithSecure. With almost 15 years in the industry, Kelly has led technology PR campaigns across industries including healthcare, aviation, subsea oil and gas, and maritime defence. You can find Kelly on Twitter @KellyFriendPR and on LinkedIn.
Lukas Adamec | Freelancer & CEO | Abadam Marketing
Lukas Adamec has been working within Paid Digital for 11+ years, during which he transitioned from an employee to a freelancer & CEO of Abadam Marketing. In the last 5 years Lukas has focused on Consultancy - working with established agencies to deliver client growth. His focus is particularly on international paid opportunities, from Google to Yandex, from Naver to Baidu, from Yahoo JP to Seznam. Lukas is a firm believer in knowledge sharing and enjoys discussing experiences with established online marketers as well as providing training to new colleagues. During his time off, Lukas recharges his energy by being disconnected from online influences and instead spends his time on wildlife photography.
Liam Lodge | Global Head of Social Media | Hotels.com
Liam is a seasoned social media leader with over a decade’s experience leading in-house and agency teams. Liam currently heads up the global social media team at Hotels.com, using content and community engagement to position the brand as the modern hotelier and differentiate itself from the competition. Before Hotels.com, Liam worked across a wide range of industries, including retail (Selfridges, Primark), tech (Samsung, Google), automotive (Volkswagen), alcohol (Haig Club, Guinness) and food (M&S, Sainsbury’s, Domino’s Pizza). As a social strategist on the Domino’s Pizza account at Iris, he also won a Drum Content Award for the most innovative use of social media.
Natalie Messingham | Senior Social Media and PR Manager | Domino's Pizza
Natalie started her marketing journey on the graduate scheme at Tesco, where she worked across community marketing launching the Farm to Fork project, colleague insight, local marketing and then in the social media and digital content team. She then joined Dixons Carphone to transform the Carphone Warehouse and Currys channels, launching some epic collaborations including 'Big Narstie and the Samsung S9' launch. Natalie is now leading social media for M&S Food, which involves driving social expertise across M&S, developing their strategy for each of their core channels, and creating engaging social-first content for M&S’s 8m+ followers. She's excited to see the creativity and stepping outside of the box with this year's awards entries.
Neville Hobson | Social Strategist, Communicator, Podcaster |
Neville Hobson is a social strategist, communicator, and podcaster. He works independently, consulting with a number of organizations to help them create and build foundations for authentic engagement that enable them to develop and expand their online presence, reach and influence. He is also a non-executive director of a Web3 start-up that’s bringing innovation to NFT marketplaces. He has been helping organizations leverage his experiences, knowledge and subject-matter expertise over a 20-year period of social networks, social media strategy development, marketing, analytics and insights reporting. He connects this expertise with a 15-year career in traditional public relations, marketing communication, corporate communication, employee, compensation and benefits communication, and investor relations. Neville is based in West Berkshire, England.
Pankaj Pilaniwala | Product Manager | Google
Pankaj is a Product Manager at Google. He is a tech enthusiast, product leader and coach. He has over a decade's experience in the tech industry and has built and launched some critical and successful products worldwide. His recent creation at Google will intersect with the developer's experience on Play Store and how they quickly integrate with the Commerce Platform. In his role as a Product Manager at Google, Pankaj is responsible for the development and launch of products that are both technically advanced and user-friendly. His strong background in technology helps him make informed decisions when it comes to product design and development. His understanding of the developer's experience on the Play Store enables him to quickly integrate products with the Google Commerce Platform. Pankaj's passion for technology platforms drives him to create products that are user-friendly and feature-rich. Through his hard work and dedication, he has managed to build a reputation as an expert in product management. With his experience, Pankaj is constantly working with teams at Google to ensure the success of their product launches. Pankaj is also an active coach and mentor, offering advice to new product managers starting out in their careers. He believes in giving back to the community through speaking engagements and mentorship events. His enthusiasm for the tech industry has made him one of the most sought-after speakers among tech professionals around the world. For Pankaj, creating and launching successful products are not just his work but also a passion. As he continues to push the boundaries of product development, Pankaj’s goal is to bring innovative and user-centric products to life that have an impact on people's lives. With his eye for detail and problem-solving skills, we can expect great things from Pankaj in the future. He is truly an inspiring innovator who is making waves in the tech industry. With his passion for technology and dedication to innovation, Pankaj has established himself as an authority on product development. As he continues to craft world-class products, we can look forward to Pankaj’s impact on the tech industry for years to come.
Polly Vodenicharova | Digital Marketing Manager | Homes for Students
Polly is the Digital Marketing Manager for Homes for Students - the largest PBSA independent student accommodation provider in the UK & Ireland. She has a passion for all things digital, combined with 5 years of experience in content creation, social media & paid advertising. Polly tries to combine a creative worldview with analytical thinking and believes that the secret to cracking social media is the Triple T(test, tailor & track). Previous work includes agency experience within a variety of fields - from Fashion to Education; Professional Sports; Tech. Outside of the UK, she’s worked on EU-funded projects & international events. Her main personal goal is to inspire and empower women who are just entering the Digital field and prove that the one number that never matters is your age.
Rachael Courtney | Senior Social Marketing Lead | Virgin Media
Rachael has worked in PR & Events for over 17 years, with 15 years running Social Media for big brands. Previous roles have included heading up social at Cineworld and Three, where she was responsible for a number of award-winning social campaigns. Rachael now leads the social strategy and team at Virgin Media.
Rejoice Ojiaku is an SEO Specialist & Content Strategist, as well as the Co-Founder of B-DigitalUK – a platform for showcasing and empowering black talent in the UK digital marketing scene. Her expertise lies in SEO, Diversity and inclusion, all bolstered by strong personal branding both online and offline.
Luan Wise | Independent Social Media Consultant and Editor | The Lighthouse
Luan Wise is a chartered marketer and fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (FCIM) with more than 20 years’ experience in agency, client-side and consultancy roles. She has worked with clients across B2C and B2B, providing both hands-on support and strategic consultancy. In addition, Luan writes and delivers social media marketing training programmes for in-house teams, plus organisations including LinkedIn, Facebook, Google, professional bodies, and university business schools.
Sophie Boyden | Head Of Social Media | Stylist Magazine
Sophie Boyden has over eight years of experience with all aspects of social media content creation and strategy, developing the social presence of some of the biggest media brands and networks in the world, including Cosmopolitan, Hearst, MTV, Comedy Central and Ink Global. Her current position is Stylist’s Social Media Lead, leading the strategy and content across the magazine’s social platforms for a highly engaged audience.
Steve Kuncewicz | Head Of Creative, Digital & Marketing | Glaisyers Etl
Steve is a Partner and Head of Creative, Digital and Marketing at Glaisyers ETL in Manchester. He specialises in intellectual property, media social media and privacy law and is listed as a "recommended lawyer" in the Legal 500, and was a oo-founder pf the Bulletproof Agency Network. He is a regular media spokesperson, and has given interviews to the local and national press through BBC Breakfast, Sky News, ITV, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5 Live and LBC London. Steve is also the Manchester Publicity Association’s Honorary Solicitor.
Veronika Höller | Global SEO Lead | CompuGroup
Veronika is a Global SEO Lead and has worked in SEO and PPC marketing for over 14 years. She started as a copywriter and PPC Manager in a little Ads Agency. She has continuously developed herself further into the direction of SEO. Over the years, she has worked as a digital marketing manager in agencies and international companies, including CompuGroup where she is now. International SEO and PPC Strategies are Top of her priority list. She views SEO as a whole puzzle and not just individual sub-areas, hence why she trained herself in all areas – content, technology, PPC, SMM and UX. Today she spreads her knowledge as a speaker on the stages of international digital marketing conferences such as BrightonSEO, SMX advanced, International Search Summit etc. For her all digital marketing channels have to be united to get the best of your website.
Gabriele is a seasoned digital marketing, communication, and sales professional, bringing more than twelve years of high-level experience within diverse and multicultural settings. His journey has been marked by significant contributions to the beverage industry, having held roles at companies such as Siren Craft Brew, Carlsberg Group, and BrewDog. Gabriele is renowned for orchestrating effective multi-stakeholder communication strategies, spearheading impactful digital marketing efforts, and fostering the brand's evolution. He created What's In The Glass?, a consultancy agency focusing on the drinks sector and Cosmic Lazers, an innovative digital music publication.
Will Wood | Social Media Lead | Social Media Lead | Authentic Brands Group
Will is the current Social Media Lead for a global public figure in the sports industry. His previous experience covers some of the biggest brands in the world, working with Red Bull and more recently adidas on global events including the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Euro 2020 and the Tokyo Olympics. Outside of his professional career, Will graduated from Leeds Beckett University with a Sports Marketing degree and is the proud co-host and producer of his own rugby-themed podcast. He enjoys the unrivalled access Social Media can provide to people and communities, and is passionate about producing content and publishing strategies which can add value to people’s online experiences.
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