Richard George, Managing Partner at Wavemaker

Over the last five years, Richard has run the SEO strategies for clients including Lloyds Banking Group, Vodafone, Swinton Insurance and Europcar.

The clients all working in heavily regulated sectors and have achieved growth in competitive verticals.

One of his greatest achievements for Lloyds Banking Group was winning the best SEO campaign at the 2013 European search awards in Barcelona. He is a guest lecture at the University of Salford “Search and Social media marketing” course in Manchester and speaks at a number of conferences in the UK. The latest being the “creative Entrepreneur sessions on digital marketing”.

Simon Jones, Head of Digital Engagement at Wavemaker

From working in one of the UK’s first SEO agencies, founding one of ebay’s earliest and most prolific women’s fashion businesses and developing content solutions for some of the UK’s leading financial brands, Simon’s team develop and activate a wide variety of content based campaigns with touch points right around the consumer purchase journey.

Mike Teasdale, Co-Founder & Planning Director at Harvest Digital

He started his career as a copywriter and now focuses on customer segmentation, user experience and content strategy.Outside Harvest he is an Adjunct Professor at Hult International Business School and also helped to set up the IDM’s Award in Digital Copywriting. He has presented at numerous conferences, including three times at SXSW in Austin Texas.

He is an investor and advisor to a number of other businesses including Brainient, toucanBox, Solvasure, Pollen Capital and Race Nation.

Emma Wilson, Co-Founder & CEO at Harvest Digital

Emma’s career started as a media planner buyer, where she was identified as a rising star in Media Week’s ‘Thirty under Thirty’ feature. She now works with clients across all areas of our business, search marketing, content marketing, social media and display.

Alongside working at Harvest, she works as a board level advisor for a number of start-up businesses, with a particular focus in marketing technology. Most notably, she was chair of Brainient leading up to their successful sale last year.

Liam Foy, Head of Social at Bring Digital

With over 8 years’ experience working in social media, Liam heads up the social department at Bring Digital. Focusing on business and commercial objectives, Liam’s able to deliver ROI for all clients that are covered. In the past, he has worked with Gumtree, Seagate, Pearson and VisitEngland.

 

Kira Feather-Stracey, Head of Content and Online PR at Search Laboratory

As Head of Content and Online PR at Search Laboratory, Kira is responsible for leading a team of 29 including project managers, a specialist digital content team, media and online specialists, and events experts.

Kira has over nine years’ experience in digital communications, working with brands such as Jet2, Megabus, Oasis, and Mars. Qualifying initially as a multimedia journalist, Kira takes an analytical approach to content and works closely with brands to maximise digital value from marketing activities.

James Bentham, Head of SEO Account Management at Search Laboratory

 James is the Head of SEO Account Management at Search Laboratory. He leads a team of seven account managers based in Leeds and New York, who are all experts in creating commercially focussed, ROI-driven SEO strategies.

James has been working in SEO for seven years, and draws on his broad experience of national and international SEO to drive the strategic offering of the department, building on the deep analytic insights available from Search Laboratory’s proprietary software tools.

James Brockbank, Managing Director at Digitaloft

James is Managing Director at Digitaloft, overseeing the agency’s growth and working alongside the team to drive success for clients across SEO and content marketing campaigns. With a background in search marketing; he previously headed up the team at one of the UK’s first SEO agencies prior to launching Digitaloft in 2014.

James is a regular contributor to both Search Engine Journal and the SEM Rush blog, sharing industry insights with the wider search community.

Tim McCloud, Managing and Creative Director at TMC Strategic Communications

Tim is a passionate marketeer with over 20 years experience in the creative, branding and marketing sectors. He has a strategic approach and is a natural problem solver, with the confidence to strip back concepts in an approachable and down to earth style to ensure that the right message, not only engages, but also delivers.

Working directly with major brands in the UK, Europe and the USA, such as Siemens, Reebok and BMW, he has assisted both SME’s and large global companies with business development and digital marketing strategies.

Terri Lowe, Marketing Manager at TMC Strategic Communications

Terri has close to a decade of experience in Social Media, Content Marketing and SEO. With a broad range of skills across multiple platforms, Terri has worked both agency and client side, in a range of industries.

With multi-channel knowledge, she has the ability to merge creativity with an analytical approach. Understanding the fast-moving pace of content marketing, influencer relationships and social media, Terri has the natural ability to detect opportunities in the market, whilst cultivating new leads to forge valuable relationships.

Daniel Nolan, Managing Director at theEword (Official Master of Ceremonies)

Daniel Nolan is managing director of theEword, one of Manchester’s leading independent digital agencies. The agency specialises in working with lifestyle and leisure brands to drive awareness, consideration and purchase intent.

Daniel is the co-chair of pro.manchester’s creative committee, the chairman of the Manchester Publicity Association and has previously been recognised as the Digital, Media or Creative Professional of the Year at the Made In Manchester Awards.

He is a passionate ambassador for Manchester and the North West’s creative, digital and media industries and has hosted and spoken at conferences and events for the likes of pro.manchester, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, Salford Media Festival, the MPA, Manchester Metropolitan University and many more.

Working with Manchester Metropolitan University, Oldham College and the UTC @ MediaCity, Daniel is also a leading figure locally in setting the agenda for training and retaining the best creative, digital and media talent in the city.

Sam Jones, Managing Director at Tunafish Media (Keynote Speaker)

Sam is the twenty-nine-year-old Managing Director of the award-winning creative social content agency Tunafish Media. Sam has won a number of awards including JCI’s Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 and Insider Magazine’s Young Marketing Professional of the Year 2015. He was also named in Insider Magazines 42 under 42 feature.

Outside of Tunafish, Jones is an ambassador of the charity Forever Manchester and sits on the board Future Pro Manchester. In 2015 he co-founded a weekly soup kitchen called Not Just Soup, which see’s local restaurants cook for the homeless.