Digital Director at Brazen PR
http://uk.linkedin.com/in/paulfabretti
@paulfabretti
Paul is the Digital Director at Brazen PR, the largest consumer PR consultancy outside of London working with clients like The North Face, Monopoly and Ronseal. He also co-founded Manchester's first social media agency, gabba, in 2009.
An experienced speaker and digital native, he shares his thoughts on digital strategy via his Ad Age Power 150 listed blog, blendingthemix.com. He is also a regular columnist for respected US marketing publications MarketingProfs and Social Media Today.
In a social media career spanning more than seven years and a digital one spanning 10, he has provided strategic insights and developed and implemented social media strategies and campaigns across the UK and Europe for some of the world's largest brands including Lexus, Dyson, Microsoft, SSL International (Durex/Scholl), the NHS and a number of UK police forces (including GMP).
Head of Communications, Butlins
http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/jae-hopkins/5/322/608
Jae Hopkins, Head of Communications, Butlins Jae had marketing, communications and fundraising experience in Higher Education, before joining Butlins in 2005. Initially tasked with redefining the Butlins brand identity, and producing the brochures, she now heads up the PR and Social Media teams. She has spent the last 18 months climbing a vertiginous social media learning curve, making plenty of retrospectively daft mistakes, and learning how mums in particular engage online. Jae has spoken at various conferences and has been "the professional" on marking boards for social media projects by University students.
Director of Search, UK at Microsoft
http://uk.linkedin.com/in/dcoplin
@dcoplin
Since joining Microsoft in 2005, Dave Coplin has worked across a wide range of sectors and customers, providing strategic advice and guidance around the cost effective use of technology in relation to their business needs. As an established thought leader in the UK and having spent a considerable amount of time in the Public Sector providing leadership and guidance around key technology policy issues like Cloud Computing, Open Government, Open Data, Social Media and the “consumerisation” of IT, Dave is currently working as Director of Search for Microsoft UK’s Consumer and Online business, focusing the spotlight on the power and potential of search and the way it holds the key to society’s effective use of all that technology and the internet has to offer.
As a self-confessed technology “alchemist”, Dave is passionate about turning the base metal of technology into valuable assets that effect the way that we live, learn, work and play and in so doing, move the focus from the technology itself to the actual outcome.
Prior to joining Microsoft, Dave spent 13 years delivering IT strategy and solutions within the Professional Services industry in the UK, Canada and the Netherlands, helping to build the foundations of a global IT infrastructure.
Dave has contributed to a range of media articles, conferences and forums all relating to the goal of making technology less “visible” and more valuable in our daily lives – many of those conversations are available on his blog – The Envisioners (http://www.theenvisioners.com ).
Global Social Media Executive at ASOS.com
Linked-in
@SedgeBeswick
Sedge is the go-to-girl for all things Social Media related at global fashion retailer ASOS.com. Ever-expanding, ASOS is currently winning the fashion race in seven territories, including the US, Australia and numerous European countries, of which Sedge oversees all social media networking. ASOS’ communications are hovered up by 1.8 million Facebook fans, 600K Google+ followers, 339K Twitter followers, 140K Instagram followers, 8K Pinterest followers, while the ASOS YouTube channel has had over 8.5million views.
With four blogs – spanning style , celebrity, street style, music and menswear – to promote and target, it is safe to say Sedge is leading the way with Social engagement across all ASOS platforms (just don’t ask about her nonline social life!).
Her experiences in the technology and fashion sector have seen her work with key brands such as Three UK, Pretty Polly, Lola Rose and most recently, ASOS. As a result of Sedge’s social networking know-how, she is often invited to talk at university lectures and workshops about the benefits of using social media for brand building, and how to maximise engagement, reach and exposure.
Head of Social Strategy, TBG Digital
Jeremy is the global head of social strategy for TBG Digital, the world's largest Facebook advertiser. He is the author of "Sex, Brands & Rock'n'Roll" and is current writing his second book, "Follow Me, I'm Right Behind You". He was previously the head of social media for telco retailer Phones 4u Group, where he helped them become the UK's largest telecoms brand on Facebook.. He used to be a giraffe-keeper (seriously) and loves cycling and Manchester City FC.
Jonathan Beeston, New Product Innovation, Adobe
Jonathan Beeston is director, new product innovation for the Adobe® AdLens™ product. He leads product marketing of search, social and display product and services for Adobe in Europe, while collaborating with colleagues in the US as well. A veteran of online advertising, Jon joined Adobe as part of the Efficient Frontier acquisition where he ran EMEA client services for over 4 years before moving to marketing.
Jon is a frequent blogger, commentator and speaker on online advertising and social media. Prior to Adobe, he ran the search marketing practice at Mindshare London, part of WPP.
Deputy Director, Communications - Digital
Prime Minister's Office & Cabinet Office.
Linked in
Nick Jones is the head of digital in the Prime Minister’s Office and Cabinet Office. His team is responsible for the Prime Minister’s digital communication and engagement across a dozen digital channels - such as Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. They also deliver digital comms for the Deputy Prime Minister and the Cabinet Office. He is a member of the Social Media Council of the Interactive Advertising Bureau and chaired the judges at this year’s Marketing’s Revolution Online Awards. In 2012, Nick completed four years as director of interactive services at the COI. There his team delivered hundreds of digital projects for public sector clients such as the Royal Air Force. Nick contributes to government guidance on social media and has lectured across Europe on how large organisations adapt to it. He A former Jupiter Research analyst he co-founded New Media Age in 1994. He first went online in 1992 after getting snowed-in. He graduated from the University of St Andrews and holds a MA (Hons) in Geography.
Chief of Community at giffgaff/Telefonica
Linked in
@vincentboon
Vincent Boon is Chief of Community at giffgaff/Telefonica and is seen as one of the leading experts of Community Management and Gamefication in the world, with many case studies being written about his methodologies.
He is also a frequent speaker and panellist in many industry events and conferences.
Before joining giffgaff/Telefonica, Vincent Boon was responsible for the first public run beta test at Eidos plc. in 2004, working together with producers and developers as well as the online community for Championship Manager Online. He got tens of thousands of beta testers involved in creating bug reports, weekly local league news bulletins, fan sites, and got them engaged with each other through forums, ensuring the community and the game was a huge success.
After 3 years at Eidos plc., Vincent joined Sony Computer Entertainment Europe where he, as Community Team Leader, was in charge of planning and managing the Dutch speaking community team for all of SCEE PSP, PS2 and PS3 online titles. Over the years he saw Sony's Community Department grow from 4 men to over 50 strong, supporting 10 different languages and many different game titles. After 4 years at Sony, Vincent left to join Telefonica’s new company, giffgaff and has been there since the start.
He is now responsible for all community strategy and business development at giffgaff. Through his work in Community Management Vincent has won awards for creating the Most Innovative Community and the Best Social Customer Experience Program at the 2010 and 2012 Lithium Social CRM Excellence Awards; as well as being a Winner of the Forrester Groundswell award 2010 - Embracing category in the International Business-to-Consumer (B2C) division. Vincent has also recently won the title 2011 SuperNova Awards Winner – by Constellation Research "...celebrating explorers, pioneers, and disruptive tech heroes who successfully put new technologies to work."
@jamieriddell
Creator of BirdSong: Social Media Reconnaissance | CEO, Co-Founder at Digital Tomorrow Today.
n 1999, Jamie co-founded digital direct marketing company Cheeze, which grew to become a top 10 digital agency, featuring twice in the Sunday Times Tech Track 100 Fastest Growing Technology Companies. He is a regular speaker, around the world, on the subjects of new technology and the future, Jamie has also written as Technology Editor for DMI International and Apps Editor for The Next Web. Jamie is also an advisory board member for the National Media Museum, Internet Gallery.
@markcoyle65
hold one of the senior roles in the core BBC 2012 project team, leading the editorial development, design, production and management of non-sport Olympic content, including the Olympic torch relay and London Festival 2012. My remit extends across the BBC into the World Service and the commercially-driven bbc.com to produce a cohesive user-facing editorial proposition on PCs, tablets and mobile platforms. I report to the BBC’s 2012 director, with whom I shape and deliver our online editorial strategy of uniting the UK around “One extraordinary year”.
Peter oversees LivingSocial’s UK & Irish markets, communicating LivingSocial's core strategy and overseeing growth as the next great consumer brand. Based in London, Peter is responsible for LivingSocial’s numerous markets in the UK and has developed a strong footprint in the UK & Irish group-buying space.
Prior to LivingSocial, Peter held senior positions at Microsoft and Thomson Reuters. He has also successfully built and managed a number of technology startups including VoIP company Howler Technologies, Gissing Software, and iView Multimedia where as CEO Peter oversaw its acquisition by Microsoft. He also founded Biometric Distribution, supplying fingerprint readers and iris scanners to leading companies before being acquired by Kyotec Securities.
Peter graduated from Bristol Business School with a degree in Business Studies.
The nominations for this year's Social Buzz Awards, held in association with iomart Hosting and sponsored by Sheridans, will be announced at 3pm on Friday 5 October via a live blog at
The Social Buzz Awards, which recognise and reward effective social media strategies, will be holding its judging day on 26th September as part of
Entries are closed for this year and the nominations will be annoucend via a live blog at TheDrum.com at 3pm on 5th October. Good luck to everyone who has entered!
