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 a 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 have been accredited ‘Outstanding’ by the Independent Awards Standards Council – Awards Trust Mark.
To apply to become a judge, fill out the form at the bottom of this page.
Mariam Abubakr is an adept SEO professional based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, presently assumes the role of Global SEO Manager at Philips Domestic Appliances (Versuni). With previous experience as a journalist at CNN and Reuters, Mariam brings a unique perspective to her role, often describing herself as "an ex-journalist disguised as an SE optimizer". While she currently navigates territories on a global scale, Mariam's roots and early triumphs blossomed in the vibrant MENA region, where she led impactful SEO projects for renowned clients like Jaguar Land Rover, General Electric, Bosch, Accor Hotels, and Virgin Megastore. Her expertise spans various industries, with a proven track record of successful SEO strategies. Mariam's passion for SEO prompted her to explore new horizons, making her a valuable asset in recognizing and celebrating the outstanding achievements of the global search community!
Josephine Soei | Head of Marketing & Communications | DEICHMANN
As Head of Marketing & Communications at Deichmann UK, part of Europe’s largest footwear retailer, Josephine is dedicated to driving market share and enhancing the brand profile in the UK. Leading a dynamic team, she focuses on creating impactful, integrated marketing campaigns that resonate with the audience. Through authentic storytelling and strategic partnerships with brand ambassadors and influencers, she is positioning Deichmann as the go-to destination for family footwear. She was recognised by the British Footwear Association as one of the Top 50 in the footwear industry in 2024.
Kirstin Rawlings | Founder & Global Social Media Director |
Kirstin is an accomplished social media professional with a strong background in leading global social strategies for well-known high-street brands within the beauty, lifestyle, and fashion sectors. With expertise in managing social media accounts and teams, she has a proven track record of building communities from the ground up. Her hands-on experience spans across strategy, community management, content creation, and content planning.
Angelika Eremeeva | Global Social Media Lead | Travelpayouts
Angelika Eremeeva is an award-winning social media and travel marketing expert with over 10 years of experience in the industry. She has worked with some of the world's leading travel brands, events, and platforms, including National Geographic, Medium.com, Wanderful, TBEX, Booking.com, GetYourGuide, Agoda, SkyUp Airlines, Expedia Group, Viator, and Tripadvisor. Angelika is known for developing a unique viral SMM strategy that helps brands create high-impact content, engage global audiences, and generate millions of views. Her expertise in content creation, influencer collaborations, and data-driven marketing has made her a recognised leader in the digital space.
Lukasz Rogola | Head of SEO & Strategy | VerticalSEO
Jaime Hill | Ecommerce Director |
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.
Lukasz Zelezny | SEO Consultant |
Lukasz Zelezny, UK Search Awards judge, Top10 UK Social Media influencer and former director of organic performance at uSwitch / Zoopla. Currently is working as an independent SEO Consultant helping in organic traffic acquisition, technical SEO and content marketing. Lukasz started his career in 2005 and has since been responsible for the organic performance of a number of companies including HomeAway, Thomson Reuters, The Digital Property Group, Fleetway Travel, uSwitch, Zoopla. Each year Lukasz is speaking at many SEO and social media conferences. He was a speaker at ClickZ Shanghai China, ClickZ Jakarta Indonesia, SiMGA Malta, SES London as well as Marketing Festival in Brno, Brighton SEO in Brighton and UnGagged in London. Every year he is actively participating in 10 to 20 events as an SEO/Social Media keynote speaker. Additionally, he organizes workshops and meetups where he is sharing tips around SEO, Social Media and Analytics. To get in touch with Lukasz simply search “Lukasz Zelezny” or visit https://Zelezny.uk
Philippa Skett | Social Media Manager | Imperial College London
Experience working as a Digital Communications Manager, overseeing brand social media channels and managing public engagement and outreach programmes. 8+ years experience in running brand social media accounts and international campaigns, communications strategic development, marketing and brand promotion.
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.
Rachel Letham | Head of Brand & Communications | The Marketing Society
Rachel Letham is Head of Brand and Communications at The Marketing Society, leading strategic brand development and integrated communications for the global membership organisation. With over 20 years of experience, she combines commercial expertise with creative vision to transform organisations through innovative content strategies while serving as a key member of the Leadership Team. Alongside her corporate role, Rachel is a certified positive mindset coach, working with global organisations including Google and Target. Drawing from her experience of near-burnout in the fresh produce industry, she helps both individuals and organisations align strategic goals with purposeful vision-setting. Her work demonstrates the power of combining strategic brand thinking with positive mindset techniques to drive organisational success.
Veronika Höller | Head of Demand Generation | Tresorit
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.
Sacha Thomas | Internal Communications Content Manager | River Island
Sacha Thomas is an Internal Communications Content Manager at River Island, bringing creativity and strategic thinking to how the brand connects with its people. With a passion for storytelling and employee engagement, she crafts compelling content that cuts through the noise and makes an impact. Whether launching campaigns, refining messaging, or finding fresh ways to bring RI’s culture to life, Sacha ensures that every Islander stays informed, inspired, and connected – and she loves every second of it.
Luan Wise | Independent Social Media Consultant |
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.
Anna Oshkalo | Senior team lead marketing and business development | Emma - The Sleep Company
Anna is a digital marketer with over 15 years of experience. She's had the opportunity to live and work in the Netherlands and Sweden and has now settled in Portugal, where she runs her own consultancy business. Before starting her consultancy, Anna worked at Ericsson, where she was responsible for global SEO and paid media strategies, development of Ericsson’s digital marketing tech stack and training of marketing teams across the globe. Anna's expertise also extends beyond corporate; she has worked with various startups in competitive sectors like telecommunications, gambling, and e-commerce.
Sian Nicholas | Global Social Media Manager | Charlotte Tilbury
A driven and ambitious creative, with 6 years experience working in social media and fashion marketing for both leading retailers and on a freelance basis. Siân is currently Global Social Media Manager at Charlotte Tilbury and her speciality focuses on Instagram and events. A graduate of University of Southampton, Winchester School of Art with a 2:1 honours degree in Fashion Marketing, plus additional modules in Writing for The Creative Industries and Writing to Publication. Siân also holds a certification in Fashion Law from The Fashion Law Institute at Fordham University, NYC.
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.
Anna Volchik | Content Marketing Expert in Luxury Hospitality & Brands |
Anna is a content marketing expert specializing in luxury hospitality and premium brands, with over eight years of experience. She holds a Master of Architecture degree and has developed a proprietary methodology that integrates architectural principles into luxury brand identity. Anna has worked with global brands and leading hotel groups, delivering visual strategies and advertising campaigns across the luxury, lifestyle, and hospitality sectors. In addition to her commercial work, she has trained over 800 students in brand and hotel collaborations and serves as an international jury member at major digital and content marketing awards.
Unni Henry | Head of PR | Direct Line Group
A seasoned financial PR professional with over 20 years of in-house and agency experience across the UK and Germany, Unni specializes in the general insurance, legal, and asset management sectors. She is adept at crafting and executing impactful PR strategies that elevate brand reputation and drive business success. Currently leading strategic communications for Churchill and Direct Line Business Insurance, Unni has a proven track record in media relations, crisis management, and thought leadership. She works closely with senior executives to shape brand narratives, mitigate reputational risks, and deliver high-profile PR campaigns that engage key audiences.
Lou Nylander | Founder | Wildflowers of London
Lou has over 15 years of experience holding down influential positions, managing global marketing teams and shaping the course of some of the world's leading digital advertising companies, including PubMatic, MediaCom, AOL/ The Huffington Post and Zenith. Before launching her marketing consultancy, Lou was the Global Marketing Director at Unruly and managed the marketing operation during the 2020 acquisition from News Corp to Tremor International. Five years ago, Lou founded 'Wildflowers of London'- Women's Circle, a social enterprise and events business focused on empowering women in South East London, where she resides. She fosters an inclusive culture across everything she does champions women, drives change, and leads from the front with a positive and inspiring attitude.
Archana Dhankar | Senior Director, Marketing- Global Demand & Social Media | Sutherland
With 20+ years of experience in global marketing, I specialize in growth strategies powered by strategic AI implementation. I have helped organizations enhance marketing and sales effectiveness while delivering measurable business outcomes. As a LinkedIn Top Voice (2024) and TEDx speaker, I'm passionate about helping marketing organisations embrace AI while maintaining brand integrity and human creativity at the core of their strategies.
Dan Barker | CMO, NED, Consultant |
Magda Marchowska-Raza | Assistant Professor | North Dakota State University
Magda is passionate about social media marketing and creative marketing. With a strong blend of academic expertise and practical experience, she supports small businesses in leveraging social media to build engagement and drive value. Having recently completed her PhD on value creation and consumer engagement within social media brand communities, she bridges cutting-edge research with actionable insights to help brands thrive in the digital space.
Carolina Barbosa | Global Social Media Manager | Flo Health
Known for her razor-sharp instincts and Gen Z-savvy approach, Carolina crafts organic social, community, and creator-led strategies that set trends and drive real impact. With experience spanning agencies, global brands, and multiple countries, she brings a unique blend of creativity, cultural fluency, and strategic depth to every project. From scroll-stopping content to thriving brand communities, her work consistently cuts through the noise and connects. On LinkedIn, she has built a loyal and growing community drawn to her fresh perspective and bold takes on the ever-evolving social landscape. Whether she’s shaping strategy or sharing insights on stage, Carolina is quickly becoming one of the most exciting voices in the industry.
Brendan Keegan | Assistant Professor | Maynooth University
Brendan Keegan is an Assistant Professor in marketing at Maynooth University. Interested in digital placemaking, digital and social media analytics and agency-client relation- ships, his research is published in various journals including European Journal of Marketing, European Management Review, and Management Decision. Brendan is also part of the GOGREENROUTES Horizon 2020 project investigating the role of digital placemaking and its relationship with the psychology of wellbeing through interconnected green corridors in public spaces.
Stuart P Turner | MD / Founder | Flow State
Stuart is a qualified philosopher and natural contrarian. He is currently focusing his energies on building B2B solutions business Flow State Marketing.
Ishtar Schneider | Global People & Organisation Communications Lead | Mars Petcare
Ishtar is the global people and organisation communications lead for Mars Petcare – a business of over 100,000 Associates in more than 130 countries around the world. In her role Ishtar helps facilitate the execution of the organization’s bold people strategy through strategic communications and brave leadership. Before joining Mars, she spent 5+ years at Edelman in London and 6 years in Sydney, Australia at Palin Communications as part of the Health senior leadership teams. Ishtar has a deep understanding of building and executing award-winning integrated global and regional communications programmes, in particular, focused on media relations, executive positioning and thought leadership, awareness raising, influencer and stakeholder engagement, policy change, internal communications, brand building and corporate reputation. She is currently a Women in PR Committee member and mentoring lead and is incumbent Chair for the PRCA Equity Inclusion Advisory Board. She served as Co-Chair of the PRCA’s Health group – a committee of the world’s largest PR industry association for nearly 5 years and during that time was inducted as a PRCA Fellow for outstanding contributions to the industry. She was also recently recognised as one of Campaign Magazine's Inspiring Women for 2025 for her efforts on diversity, equity and inclusion.
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.
Sarah Cook | Head of Content | Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce
Sarah has worked in communications for nearly 20 years, both in-house and for agencies: currently she's at the RSA (Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) in the marketing team. Most recently, she's been responsible for brand campaigns and content in the Group brand team at Legal & General. Before this, she worked at an international law firm, leading their social media strategy and started her career as a communications consultant, working at PR agencies in London.
Abbi McGregor | Senior Social Media Manager |
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.
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We’re really excited to have been shortlisted for a Global Social Media Award. Winning the award would be a fabulous acknowledgement to our teams who put in an incredible amount of effort to ensure that we are always delivering engaging and interesting content to our followers, ensuring that we are always helping to change lives for good. Virgin Pulse
Being shortlisted in competitions like the “Global Social Media Awards” validates our innovative approaches and successful strategies. It is an opportunity for us to showcase the significant impact of our work and gain both publicity and recognition for our hard work. Trickle
Awards like the Global Social Media Awards are important because they allow us not only to demonstrate the quality and consistency of our work, but also to recognize our team for it. To a person, our team is the most expert group I’ve ever been fortunate enough to work with, so the nomination is a testament to them as both experts in the field but also great partners to our clients.Ryan Black Accelerated Digital Media
Luxid is thrilled to be shortlisted for the prestigious Global Social Media Awards in no less than three categories! Attracting entries from all over the world, we know how special it is to make it through to the finals and to be recognised for the kind of innovative digital work that really drives business success. Luxid
This win isn’t just a trophy - it’s a celebration of our process. It’s proof that a small team can do big things when it cares deeply, thinks boldly, and moves with intention. We’re proud to be reshaping what a creative agency can look like - and what it can achieve. Dawning Digital
These awards recognise the dedication, innovation and creativity our team brings to every project. It’s an honour to see our work celebrated on a global stage, and we’re excited to continue driving impactful results for our clients.Steve Underwood Bonded
