Best Startup
At Best Startup UK we track over 130,000 UK startups and over 500,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top United Kingdom based Managing Director operating in the News space. If you think a Managing Director is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.co.uk.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Companies House UK, Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Hendrik McDermott
SVP & Managing Director HAYU of NBCUniversal
Hendrik McDermott is Senior Vice President, Branded On Demand at NBCUniversal International, based in London. Here he leads an entrepreneurial digital business unit focused on the company’s branded video on-demand (VOD) and over the top (OTT) services, and is primarily responsible for developing and bringing new direct-to-consumer television products to market. In this role, McDermott leads hayu, NBCU’s next generation subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) reality service, which launched in the UK, Ireland and Australia in March 2016. The first all-reality service of its kind – curated and fully integrated with social media – hayu is available on a full array of devices (mobile, tablet, laptop) at www.hayu.com Previously, McDermott led NBCUniversal International Networks’ affiliate sales, managing negotiation and partnership activities with clients and partners across 9 regional offices. He began at NBCUniversal in 2006, when was the founding member of the international corporate development team with responsibility for all territories outside the US and Canada.
Follow Hendrik McDermott:
About NBCUniversal: NBCUniversal is an American multinational media conglomerate that is a subsidiary division of Comcast.
Barry T. Whyte
FT Strategies, Managing Director of Financial Times
Ever since he was given a Nintendo Virtual Boy in the late 1990s, Barry has been obsessed with Virtual Reality. Inspired by the endless stream of people coming to his apartment to play around on his HTC Vive, he founded Veero, a location-based virtual reality centre focusing on immersive independent cinema. It will be London’s first VR cinema when it opens in 2018. Prior to Veero, Barry was a furtive entrepreneur in the corporate world, firstly in advertising at Ogilvy & Mather then in consulting at Bain & Company. In 2013 he joined Decoded as COO in early 2013, leading growth from 7 people in a cupboard to a global team of over 100 in three years, scaling through international expansion to New York, Sydney and Amsterdam. Decoded delivers technology education that changes the way businesses behave. Tens of thousands of business people now have digital skills thanks to their signature product “Code in a Day”. Barry is also a co-founder of Series Q, a non-profit with a mission to empower LGBT entrepreneurs; and sits on advisory board of EurOut at London Business School. He speaks at conferences, including Cannes Lions, London Tech Week and SXSW. Barry holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, blogs for the Huffington Post, and makes seriously good homemade soup. More important than all the above, he also spent a fabulous six months as a Starbucks barista. So if you ask him really nicely, he might make you a coconut flat white.
Follow Barry T. Whyte:
About Financial Times, Series Q: Financial Times is a business news organization providing essential news, comments, data, and analysis for the global business community.
Holly Bott
Managing Director, Entertainment of James Grant Group
Holly Bott is the Managing Director, Entertainment at YMU Group.
Follow Holly Bott:
About James Grant Group: James Grant Group provides services for entertainment, music, sports, social talent, and literary clients.
Julian Childs
Managing Director UK and Europe of Business Insider
Julian Childs is SVP and Regional Managing Director at Insider and also Managing Director for UK and Europe of Business Insider, the London-based division of the popular online financial publication that was launched last November. Childs’s background covers over 15 years in digital media on the publisher side, encompassing various leadership, business and commercial roles across Europe and internationally. Prior to Business Insider, his more recent roles have included VP of EMEA for Business Technology sites including ZDNet and TechRepublic and VP of Partnerships for CBS Interactive where he helped build and deliver their international monetization and data strategy.
Follow Julian Childs:
About Business Insider, Business Insider, Insider: Business Insider is an online platform that offers the latest business, celebrity, and technology news.
Sam Finlay
Managing Director, Advertising of Time Inc.
Sam is managing director of Time Inc. UK’s advertising team and oversees all central advertising. Sam joined the business in 1995 and held a number of advertising roles prior to his appointment as advertising director for the men’s and music titles in 2004, launching Nuts Magazine and latterly creating the first specialist digital sales team at Time Inc. (UK). For the past six years, Sam has been the head of digital advertising, leading the online and mobile sales teams, and last year was promoted to head of Digital Advertising & Custom Solutions, taking additional responsibility for creative media and content sales.
Follow Sam Finlay:
About Time Inc.: Time Inc. is a media company publishing over 90 magazines, including Time, Sports Illustrated, Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, and many more.
Sam Cooke
Managing Director and Co-Founder of Esports Insider
Sam Cooke heads up Esports Insider, an esports business news platform and events company based in London. Esports Insider is a part of SBC Global and runs B2B events including the ESI Forum Series, the ESI Super Forum and the Betting on Esports Conference
Follow Sam Cooke:
About Esports Insider: Esports Insider is a platform which covers all news that is of interest to the industry.
Emily Shelley
Managing Director of Alamy
Follow Emily Shelley:
About Alamy: Alamy is the world’s largest online photo agency for stock, video and live news.
Magdeline Pokar
Founder, Managing Director of Asia Research News
Maggie is the managing director of Asia Research News, overseeing all aspects of this innovative startup.
Follow Magdeline Pokar:
About Asia Research News: Asia Research News connects researchers with international media, policy makers, fellow collaborators and the science-hungry public.
Nick Wakefield
Founder & Managing Director of inAsia Media
Nick has over 18 years of experience in technology, media and finance. He started his first tech business in 1999 building an e-commerce platform. He spent 7 years in London focusing on financial sales in the risk management and derivatives market, before moving to Asia to help build Euromoney’s portfolio of conferences across emerging markets. Over this period he ran teams in New York, London and Hong Kong. In 2010 he setup inAsia Media and in 2013 launched Regulation Asia, the leading regulatory information service. He still plays an advisory role in the business. His passion for technology and experience working within the financial markets partner well for Bambu in the role expanding into Europe. He holds a Diploma in Economics and is currently studying a Software Engineering MicroMasters at University of British Columbia.
Follow Nick Wakefield:
About : Online publisher headquartered in Singapore. Publishes market leading titles Regulation Asia & ESG Investor
Julia Lancett
Managing Director of Newsquest
Follow Julia Lancett:
About Newsquest: Newsquest Media Group Ltd is the second largest publisher of regional and local newspapers in the United Kingdom.
David Coates
Managing Director of Newsquest
Follow David Coates:
About Newsquest: Newsquest Media Group Ltd is the second largest publisher of regional and local newspapers in the United Kingdom.
Trevor Sallis
Managing Director of Newsquest
Follow Trevor Sallis:
About Newsquest: Newsquest Media Group Ltd is the second largest publisher of regional and local newspapers in the United Kingdom.
Dawn Sweeney
Managing Director of Newsquest
Follow Dawn Sweeney:
About Newsquest: Newsquest Media Group Ltd is the second largest publisher of regional and local newspapers in the United Kingdom.
Mike Harper
Managing Director of Newsquest
Follow Mike Harper:
About Newsquest: Newsquest Media Group Ltd is the second largest publisher of regional and local newspapers in the United Kingdom.
Megan Falconer Taylor
Managing Director of Influencer Intelligence
Follow Megan Falconer Taylor:
About Influencer Intelligence: Influencer Intelligence is a prominent provider of celebrity contacts, events, and data.
Linus Birtles
Managing Director of Situation Publishing
Linus Birtles is Managing Director of Situation Publishing, the independent digital publisher behind global technology titles The Register and The Next Platform. He has led the business for more than 18 years and its publications are revered for their fearless reporting and loyal readership.
Follow Linus Birtles:
About Situation Publishing: Situation Publishing brings you the latest news and views on the global tech scene from its offices.
Sally Freeman
Managing Director of Love Live Music
Sally runs Love Live Music UK specialising in Digital PR & online Social Media for Musicians & Artists. An Event Producer and creative Geek you can find Sally always representing the lives, loves and conversations of stakeholders and audience in the digital environment. Sally has contributed to the Guardian, Wired and BBC Radio 4 & 6 and has a passion to get more girls involved in the exciting world of Tech.
Follow Sally Freeman:
About Love Live Music: Love Live Music is a consultancy that provides Press, PR and Social Media strategies for Artists, companies and charities
Peter Green
Managing Director of AlphaGalileo
Peter Green has worked with the media and information technology for almost 20 years. He combines his technology experience with an understanding of public relations that he has developed as a practising UK government press officer. Latterly he has led an Internet start-up that has delivered a service to the media and research communities for over 15 years. He is an innovator who is also sensitive to the need for good resource and staff management, if the full potential of change is to be delivered. He has extensive experience of international collaboration including chairing a European agricultural publishing group, acting as a publicity consultant to the European Space Agency and producing an educational film in Romania. He has managed media training in the UK, Russia and Scandinavia. Peter established the AlphaGalileo news service in 1998 and has led it to become the world’s leading independent source of research information for the media. In 2003 he created the AlphaGalileo Foundation to manage the delivery of the news service and in 2014 he transferred the Foundation to full commercial operation as AlphaGalileo Ltd. AlphaGalileo operates on income from news contributors. These include leading research bodies from around the world.
Follow Peter Green:
About AlphaGalileo: AlphaGalileo delivers an online breaking news service to the media for the world’s research communities.
Philip Ingram
Managing Director of SecurityNewsDesk
Philip is a “card carrying” journalist with business experience gained from sales and marketing at director level in the steel industry and setting up and running small businesses in the past. He has a detailed knowledge of the security industry from a practitioners perspective and now reporting on industry events and news in writing and on camera. Philip had a long and senior career in the British military and was awarded the MBE by Her Majesty in 1996 and has other military awards. He is a member of the Institute of Directors and has written several articles for their regional publications and edited 3 satyrical publications in the past. In addition Philip provides mentoring for students at a local university business school and for service personnel being discharged through injury.
Follow Philip Ingram:
About SecurityNewsDesk: SecurityNewsDesk.com is a news and product information portal Launched in January 2011. for the entire security industry.
Philip Ingram
Managing Director of SecurityNewsDesk
Philip is a “card carrying” journalist with business experience gained from sales and marketing at director level in the steel industry and setting up and running small businesses in the past. He has a detailed knowledge of the security industry from a practitioners perspective and now reporting on industry events and news in writing and on camera. Philip had a long and senior career in the British military and was awarded the MBE by Her Majesty in 1996 and has other military awards. He is a member of the Institute of Directors and has written several articles for their regional publications and edited 3 satyrical publications in the past. In addition Philip provides mentoring for students at a local university business school and for service personnel being discharged through injury.
Follow Philip Ingram:
About SecurityNewsDesk: SecurityNewsDesk.com is a news and product information portal Launched in January 2011. for the entire security industry.
Alex B. McKinley
Founder and Managing Director of Share Talk
Alex.B. McKinley is the Founder and Managing Director of Share Talk.
Follow Alex B. McKinley:
About Share Talk: Share Talk is a free communications portal that gives users access to exclusive interviews, videos, blogs, iOS, and Android mobile Apps.
Monty Halls
Founder & Managing Director & Executive Producer of Seadog Television and Film Productions
Monty is a well known BBC presenter, having fronted three series of BBC 2’s ‘Great Escapes’, as well as ‘Great Barrier Reef’ and ‘The Fisherman’s Apprentice.’ He has also presented films and series’ for Discovery, The History Channel, Channel 5, National Geographic, and Channel 4. More recently he has created several series concepts, including ‘Dive Mysteries’ and ‘The Great Shark Chase’, and has worked more actively as a producer and originator of new content.
Follow Monty Halls:
About Seadog Television and Film Productions: Seadog is an independent television and commercial production company founded by Monty Halls.
