Ten years of spotlighting the boldest and brightest in Branded Content and Native Advertising

Dr. Imran Rashid is a physician, author, and digital health expert with over 15 years of experience at the intersection of technology, behavior, and mental well-being. He has advised governments, businesses, and media organizations on how to navigate the human consequences of the digital age. As a leading voice on the ethics of attention, he coined the concept of “Authenticity-as-a-Service” to guide media toward trust, intention, and human value. His engaging keynotes blend neuroscience, storytelling, and real-world strategy to inspire meaningful change.

Luke Spano is the Founder & CEO at Avid Collective, Australia's home of branded content. Avid Collective has emerged as a prominent player in the advertising and publishing industry under Luke’s leadership. The business has seen exponential growth since its inception in 2021, on the back of developing a highly powerful solution to a complex problem - connecting over 140 digital publishers with hundreds of advertisers through its proprietary platform. 

Avid has since evolved further, introducing Avid PubSuite, a purpose-built SaaS platform, designed to help publishers simplify workflows, enhance advertiser experience, and maximise revenue from branded content. 

Luke has a set of valuable skills and interests including strategic planning, product design, business development, marketing strategy, and business process improvement.

Julia Linehan founded The Digital Voice™ in 2012 and has built up a well loved B2B AdTech specialist PR agency and team who live and breathe all things PR, communications, content, creative, multimedia, events, social media and digital marketing. Known for her boundless energy, she started her career in digital advertising at Dennis Publishing 29 years ago and has been at the heart of the changing digital media landscape ever since.

Peter Wallace is General Manager for EMEA at GumGum. Peter has been at the forefront of shifting trends in the digital media industry for over 15 years: he led a team of digital specialists at behavioural planning agency Total Media and quadrupled revenue at audience data platform Eyeota before entering the brave new world of contextual advertising at GumGum six years ago. During that time, he has seen the business grow exponentially through both organic growth and acquisitions to now being the global leader in its space.

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With more than 20 years’ experience in the advertising technology industry, Filippo is an international leader in digital media, programmatic advertising and data. An expert in his field, Filippo has previously worked for major publishers, international ad tech companies, brands and agencies, including Lenovo, Adform and AzerionOne. 

His professional strength lies in his extensive experience across multidisciplinary media roles in business development and sales, client partnerships, marketing and product. Filippo is a highly-driven business professional with a proven track record of delivering concrete economic results for commercial organisations in the most efficient way.  

Filippo's passions extend far beyond his professional endeavours. In his free time, he finds joy in the culinary arts, delighting his loved ones with authentic Italian cuisine. When he's not in the kitchen, you can find him hitting the pavement for a run, finding serenity in yoga sessions, or embarking on thrilling treks through the mountains. A true adventurer at heart, Filippo revels in the exploration of new cultures, seeking out immersive experiences wherever his travels take him.

Richard Pattinson is Global Senior Vice President of BBC StoryWorks, the BBC’s brand studio within BBC Studios. BBC StoryWorks operates in nine countries across North Americas, EMEA and APAC, working with clients to develop and deliver commercial branded content and the sponsorship of BBC editorial across BBC Global News digital and TV platforms.

Previously, Richard was Global Partnerships Editor at BBC World Service Group, the BBC’s global news division which broadcasts weekly to an audience of almost half a billion people on BBC World News TV, BBC World Service radio, bbc.com, and the BBC’s forty plus non-English language services. Prior to that position he was Commissioning Editor for BBC News and bbc.com, where he oversaw the creation of a large range of editorial content to serve the organisation's global audience in news, across TV and online.

Richard has worked at the BBC for more than twenty years, in which time he has produced some of the organisation's most recognised television news programmes, including its flagship nightly UK current affairs show Newsnight from 2004 to 2008.

Nadim is a native ads veteran, working closely with native advertising networks bring agency, brand, and affiliate spend to new heights globally. From growing a multi-million-dollar native ads agency, building out the premier native advertising community on www.native-hub.io, to spending $100s of millions on native ads globally – Nadim has worked on a sizable chunk of the largest native ad accounts out there. With his near-decade of experience, regular stage presences, and enthusiasm for the space, Nadim is one of the most well known figures in the native ads space globally.

Martina manages large-scale international ad spend for leading e-commerce and lead generation performance brands. Previously at Taboola, she led the DACH market and played a key role in shaping product development. Her deep understanding of algorithm behaviour and campaign performance not only drove key feature improvements for Taboola advertisers globally, but now powers results for her clients at Xevio —across any Native Ads platform.

Ingo started his career at McKinsey before moving into the media and technology space, gaining expertise across sales, marketing, and finance. This multi-functional experience across several sectors has enabled him to build high impact teams, which achieved successful market expansions across EMEA at LinkedIn and Taboola.

I have been working in advertising for 15+ years at several agencies, like DDB, DMB&B, Leo Burnett, JWT, Y&R, Wunderman, TaskForce Agency. Mainly in strategy & creative roles. Back in 2015 I have been dedicated involved in setting up and developing the Dutch publishers platform '&C Media' and its 360-content brand '&C', (monthly glossy magazines, specials, online platform, social media, e-commerce, tv-formats, live events) and focussing on a target audience of women 20-48 years. &C was launched in 2017. As Creative Director I am also part of '&C the brandstudio', our in-house creative content agency, developing, producing and distributing branded content campaigns mostly as part of a collaboration with one of the content titles of &C Media.

Megan Gilbert is Vice President of the award-winning FORTUNE Brand Studio (Fortune Media), driving editorial direction, strategy, and production of campaigns for clients such as Salesforce, AWS and PayPal. 

Her career includes positions at Gawker/Gizmodo, Fusion/Univision, The Washington Post, Slate, and VICE. 

Megan is a graduate of Boston University and earned her M.F.A. in nonfiction writing from Sarah Lawrence College. She teaches Branded Content at New York University. She was named WICMA Content Marketer of the Year (2022) and was included on the 100 Most Significant Women in Native Advertising list (2018).

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Adam is the Vice President of Channel Revenue at Ceros, a leading platform that empowers brands, publishers, and agencies to create immersive, interactive content without code. With over a decade of experience in the SaaS and media industries, he has a proven track record of driving revenue growth and building high-performing teams. From launching new verticals to scaling operations and refining market fit, Adam operates at the intersection of creativity and strategic execution. His teams at Ceros have helped agencies and publishers push the boundaries of digital storytelling, transforming how brands engage audiences through premium, interactive content.

Max Schüler is the Director of Schibsted Brand Studio at Schibsted Marketing Services in Sweden, Stockholm. Our mission is to significantly increase profitable growth in content marketing. Schibsted Brand Studio delivers high-quality, creative content marketing solutions based on demand from Schibsted's advertisers. I feel honored to have the opportunity to participate and facilitate a round table session about data together with world leading content creators

Adam is the Vice President of Channel Revenue at Ceros, a leading platform that empowers brands, publishers, and agencies to create immersive, interactive content without code. With over a decade of experience in the SaaS and media industries, he has a proven track record of driving revenue growth and building high-performing teams. From launching new verticals to scaling operations and refining market fit, Adam operates at the intersection of creativity and strategic execution. His teams at Ceros have helped agencies and publishers push the boundaries of digital storytelling, transforming how brands engage audiences through premium, interactive content.

Luke Spano is the Founder & CEO at Avid Collective, Australia's home of branded content. Avid Collective has emerged as a prominent player in the advertising and publishing industry under Luke’s leadership. The business has seen exponential growth since its inception in 2021, on the back of developing a highly powerful solution to a complex problem - connecting over 140 digital publishers with hundreds of advertisers through its proprietary platform. 

Avid has since evolved further, introducing Avid PubSuite, a purpose-built SaaS platform, designed to help publishers simplify workflows, enhance advertiser experience, and maximise revenue from branded content. 

Luke has a set of valuable skills and interests including strategic planning, product design, business development, marketing strategy, and business process improvement.

As the CEO for the World Media Group, I champion the commercial value and creativity of some of the world's most trusted media brands, including The New York Times, BBC Studios, The Economist and The Wall Street Journal. Having previously led B2B marketing at The Economist, I'm very familiar with the value that strong native advertising can deliver for clients. Previous to that, I worked at the media agency UM London.

Ellen Cabrinetti Meum leads tech and business development at Schibsted Partnerstudio, where she helps organizations turn AI from ambitious plans into real-world results.

With a background in strategic sales, AI implementation, and digital transformation, she’s seen firsthand what makes AI succeed—and what makes it stall. She’s particularly interested in the human side of AI: the roles, the politics, and the awkward moments when hype meets reality.

I have been working in the media industry since 2002 and with Content Advertising since 2015, and I have become a true enthusiast in this field. Native advertising can do so much for so many, and witnessing the impact of everything we do for our clients is amazing.

Richard is Executive Editor of the Guardian’s UK Advertising team, overseeing the award-winning branded content created by Guardian Labs across digital, print, video, audio, and social. He also presents the annual trend report Shift Happens. With a background spanning the Guardian’s TV desk, daily features section, and iconic entertainment supplement the Guide, Richard brings a sharp editorial voice and strategic storytelling to commercial projects… and is a firm believer that the human algorithm will save us all

Yvonne Beister is the Director of the Axel Springer Brand Studios, the largest content marketing unit of Axel Springer Company. There she has successfully developed more than 1000 cross-media campaigns and storytelling concepts for all major German brands within the last six years and has been awarded with the Native Advertising Award several times and nominated for the Nova Award of the BdZV, among others. According to the Native Advertising Institute, she is one of the 100 most successful women in the advertising industry.

Until 2016, Yvonne Beister was responsible for the entertainment department of Europe’s biggest news-brand, BILD, won the Axel Springer Prize for Young Journalists in 2009 and headed the Springer bureau in Los Angeles, California.

Beister studied media management at Ohio State University and journalism at the Columbia School of Journalism in New York.

Matt is Director of Brand at Manuka Doctor - New Zealand’s number 1 Manuka honey brand - where he looks after European Marketing. An experienced health and wellness communicator, he knows how to use storytelling to create commercial success.

Romy Oltuski is the executive editor of the Forbes Content & Design Studio, which produces high-impact storytelling experiences across Forbes platforms, in partnership with leading brands. She was previously the features director of InStyle. Romy has published work in The New York Times, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Elle, and interviewed changemakers from Katie Couric and Stacey Abrams to Amy Schumer and Tina Fey. She is a graduate of Tufts University and the Columbia Publishing Course, and is completing an MFA at Sarah Lawrence College.

Dan is a highly experienced media leader with a proven track record of building successful teams across investment, planning and creative transformation.
As the MD of Creative Futures UK, Dan now leads the charge in pioneering Breakthrough ideas that power growth and competitive advantage for brands in the worlds of culture, entertainment, sports, and gaming. His innovative approach ensures that EssenceMediacom remains at the forefront of creative and strategic excellence in the rapidly evolving New Comms Economy.
 

As a professional marketer educated in the UK and Australia, with an agency background from London, I am currently reshaping the digital advertising landscape in Czechia as the Head of Seznam Brand Studio, which I founded. My career-long mission is to improve the quality of ads for both clients and readers. By leveraging a variety of formats including articles, videos, podcasts, and others, my team and I connect the largest Czech online audience with brands, effectively telling clients' stories in a visually captivating and engaging manner that drives business results.

In 2023, Andy was named the Native Advertising Marketer of the Year.

Luke Spano is the Founder & CEO at Avid Collective, Australia's home of branded content. Avid Collective has emerged as a prominent player in the advertising and publishing industry under Luke’s leadership. The business has seen exponential growth since its inception in 2021, on the back of developing a highly powerful solution to a complex problem - connecting over 140 digital publishers with hundreds of advertisers through its proprietary platform. 

Avid has since evolved further, introducing Avid PubSuite, a purpose-built SaaS platform, designed to help publishers simplify workflows, enhance advertiser experience, and maximise revenue from branded content. 

Luke has a set of valuable skills and interests including strategic planning, product design, business development, marketing strategy, and business process improvement.

Raquel Bubar leads the international arm of T Brand,  the branded content studio in The New York Times Advertising department. T Brand Studio International spans offices in London, Paris and Singapore. Born in 2015 to represent the NYT’s international push into global creative partnerships, Raquel has built its reputation for high-quality branded content around the world. Raquel heads up a creative, strategic and insights-based team of creative strategists, designers, editors, project managers, technologists and audience development experts who tell impactful stories for a global audience who wants to engage with the world. The team has achieved international recognition and awards for its innovative and creative campaigns, particularly for partners including UBS, Philips, Rimowa, Pomellato, Unilever and Cartier.

Raquel has been a judge and co-chair of the World Media Awards and Native Advertising Awards, in addition to being a speaker at both events. She has also spoken at IAA-U.K., IAB-Madrid, City Nation Place, nextMedia.Hamburg, VideoWeek London and AdWeek London. Raquel first joined The New York Times in the New York headquarters before relocating to London to launch creative operations in Europe and Asia. Prior to T Brand Studio, Raquel led digital public relations and social media campaigns at Edelman, based in Washington, D.C. and New York. She has a M.A. from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a B.A. in History and Psychology from Brandeis University. She is from Washington, DC and now lives in London with her husband and son.

With 25 years in advertising and media technology, Tom works with tech and media companies in the U.S. and Europe to accelerate global commercial activity, and advises on corporate and strategic and revenue strategies, and often serves as a nonexecutive director. Among other roles, Tom helps lead ClarityAds, a managed service for content promotion, and Accenture's retail media practice. Tom has held senior roles at Google (established the company's first premium programmatic team), Admeld (the first SSP), Polar (one of the first native adservers) and served as Advisor to McKinsey and many others. Tom is based in London.

Ali is VP & Executive Creative Director at Freethink Media. She heads up the Creative Studio team, and oversees the strategy and creative execution for all custom content across Freethink.com and Bigthink.com, including documentaries, interviews, social assets and written features. 

Before Freethink, she served as Director of Branded Content at Hearst UK and as commissioning editor at The Telegraph. Before entering the exciting world of custom content, she was an entertainment journalist in NYC, where she had the joy of interviewing many of her favourite celebrities - including Ryan Gosling, Demi Moore and Selena Gomez. Sadly, Taylor Swift is still on the bucket list.