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 London based Director operating in the Social Media Marketing space. If you think a 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.
Maximilian Bleyleben
Managing Director and Chief Privacy Officer of SuperAwesome
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About SuperAwesome: SuperAwesome offers kid-safe tools and technology for the children’s digital media ecosystem.
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Simon Daglish
Group Commercial Director of ITV
After leaving school Simon decided that University was not for him and joined the army. This was followed by work in Venezuela, America and Australia before returning to the UK in 1991 to start work on the ‘new’ Daily Telegraph, which had recently been purchased by Conrad Black. Having managed the launch of the Saturday Magazine in 1995 he decided to set up his own publishing company, and in 1998 sold it to Tony O’Riley’s Independent Magazines. Simon then joined the fledgling Classic FM and within 4 years it had grown into the biggest commercial radio station in the UK and the most profitable. In 2005 Classic FM and its parent company GWR merged with Capital Radio and Simon became the Group Commercial Director. On the sale of GCap Media to Global, Simon left and joined the early social media revolution working for MySpace as Commercial Director. Simon joined ITV plc in January 2011 as Group Commercial Sales Director and was promoted to Deputy Managing Director, Commercial in January this year. In his free time he has rowed across the Irish Sea and walked to the South Pole, unsupported on both trips. He has also led an expedition to the North Pole with 4 wounded soldiers and HRH Prince Harry. Simon completed his second South Pole challenge in December 2013 for Walking With The Wounded, a charity which he founded and he has raised nearly £3 million for various charities.
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About ITV: ITV is an integrated producer broadcaster, operating the largest commercial family of channels in the UK.
Tom Betts
Director of Corporate Strategy, Mergers & Acquisitions of ITV
Tom Betts is a Director of Corporate Strategy, Mergers & Acquisitions at ITV plc.
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About ITV: ITV is an integrated producer broadcaster, operating the largest commercial family of channels in the UK.
Steve Forde
Director of Digital Products of ITV
Steve Forde has nearly 20 years of digital marketing and product experience. He has spent the majority of that working for the UK’s leading broadcasters. Steve joined ITV in 2015 having spent a decade at Channel 4 where he headed up the marketing for 4oD and the award winning viewer data strategy. Steve joined ITV to launch of the ITV Hub, which has had a 43% increase in viewing in it’s first year. As the Director of Product and Online Marketing, Steve is responsible for the ITV Hub’s product and viewer strategy. Him and his team of product, engagement and experience professionals are placing the viewer at the heart of the end-to-end viewer experience vision.
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About ITV, ITV, ITV: ITV is an integrated producer broadcaster, operating the largest commercial family of channels in the UK.
Gary Knight
Commercial Content Director of ITV
Gary began his career in commercial TV almost 39 years ago when he joined the airtime Sales Dept of London Weekend Television. He has held many roles in ITV companies across the subsequent years, including the Executive Director of commercial Ventures at Granada & the Brand Partnership Director’s role at the newly merged ITV. In his present position he is responsible for Sponsorship, Digital Partnerships, Branded Content & Product placement activities. He is also the commercial team’s main link into ITV’s production & commissioning teams, giving him a unique insight into this world. Although born within the sound of Bow Bells, he now lives in deepest Kent, closer To Paris than London & only a boat ride across the icy seas to his Viking ancestors base on Norwegian shores. Launching a version of Coronation Street in the Chinese market remains one of his most “ interesting “ achievements to date.
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About ITV: ITV is an integrated producer broadcaster, operating the largest commercial family of channels in the UK.
Richard Fenn
Design Director of The Engine Group
Although being a country boy from the depths of Herefordshire, Richard Fenn knew pursuing the family tradition of farming was not for him. Like most teenagers Richard Fenn loved playing computer games and was fascinated by cool tech. This inspired him to study Interactive Multimedia at University, a course offering various modules, from programming to graphic design. Richard Fenn quickly knew where his passions and strengths lay. Returning from a gap year Richard Fenn got a job as a Flash Designer. A few years down the road, it was obvious flash was dying a death and that’s when Richard Fenn traversed to full design. Many years and three companies later Richard Fenn is now a freelance Art Director and currently working at Google.
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About The Engine Group, The FWA: A creative community that provides clients with best-in-class communications expertise under one roof.
Harry Hardisty
Commercial Director of OnSerro
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About OnSerro: OnSerro provides community management software for companies to engage with customers and clients.
Peter Seldon
Director of OnSerro
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About OnSerro: OnSerro provides community management software for companies to engage with customers and clients.
David Kershaw
Co-Founder ,CEO & Exec Director of M&C Saatchi
David Kershaw is a founding director of M&C Saatchi. He joined Saatchi & Saatchi in 1982 after obtaining an MBA at London Business School. He became managing director in 1990 and was made chairman and chief executive of the UK agency in 1994.
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About M&C Saatchi: M&C Saatchi Group is a creative company that connects specialist expertise, fuelled by data and technology.
Bengu Atamer
Co-Founder & Director of BuzzMyVideos
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About BuzzMyVideos: BuzzMyVideos is leading martech company that drives hyper-growth & new revenue from and on YouTube.
Kevin Gibbons
Managing Director of BlueGlass Interactive
A leading light in the search industry, SEOptimise founder Kevin Gibbons is a web expert with over 10 years’ experience. He has specialised in the field of search engine marketing since 2003, advising a wide range of industry sectors on increasing their online visibility by using the latest search engine marketing techniques. A highly respected expert blogger on the latest developments in search engine marketing, Kevin writes regularly for SEOptimise, Econsultancy and Search Engine Land, plus he is highly followed on Twitter. At SEOptimise Kevin oversees the search marketing team, the strategy of online marketing projects, client account management and promotes the business within the search industry.
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About BlueGlass Interactive, Re:signal, WeLoveDates: BlueGlass Interactive is a digital marketing agency providing integrated SEO, content marketing, and paid search services.
Farhad Divecha
Managing Director of AccuraCast
Farhad Divecha is the managing director of AccuraCast. He oversees all search engine marketing, advertising and technical development work. A recognised authority in the field of search engine marketing and mobile search marketing, Farhad is a regular speaker at industry conferences and is quoted in numerous popular publications including the Wall Street Journal, Business Week and CNet.
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About AccuraCast: AccuraCast is a digital marketing agency based in London, UK.
Jerome Bergerou
Director of AccuraCast
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About AccuraCast: AccuraCast is a digital marketing agency based in London, UK.
Matt Garbutt
Creative Director of Greenlight Digital
Matt has been a digital creative his entire career, starting out in full service agencies in the late nineties through to in-house roles in the 2000s. In 2010, he co-founded a digital agency, followed by a creative production agency in 2013. Matt has extensive experience in a great many areas of digital creative and build, as well as video and film, motion graphics and above-the-line creative. In 2017, Matt’s digital agency and Greenlight joined forces, with Matt being appointed as the agency’s Creative Director.
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About Greenlight Digital: Full service digital marketing agency
Hannah Kimuyu
Director of Paid Media & Data Insights of Greenlight Digital
Hannah has been working in digital for over sixteen years, thirteen of which have been at Greenlight. A major element in Hannah’s success as a search professional is her historical knowledge and understanding of the way that search has grown over the years, coupled with her extremely specific hands-on experience. Hannah has been a key innovator in diversifying Greenlight’s paid media and data offering, moving the agency towards retargeting, audience insights, display, and paid social advertising, at a time when other agencies saw those innovations as a fad. As Greenlight’s Paid Media & Data Insights Director, Hannah is responsible for managing and delivering the agency’s paid media strategy for all clients. Through this role, she consults for some of Greenlight’s largest international clients, including New Balance, Superdry, ghd, and Victoria Beckham. In 2016, Hannah launched a second department; Data Science & Audience Insights. Partnering with Lotame, a data management platform, the service combines interaction, attitudinal, descriptive, and behavioural data to help brands understand who their customers are and what they’re buying with a cross-channel and cross-device focus.
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About Greenlight Digital: Full service digital marketing agency
Ben Cook-Northrop
Account Director of Greenlight Digital
Ben Cook-Northrop is an account director at Greenlight.
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About Greenlight Digital: Full service digital marketing agency
Tobin Byers
Account Director of HardHat
Working in public affairs and stakeholder engagement for over five years, Tobin has significant experience devising and implementing consultation and communication strategies. Having worked with some of the country’s leading housebuilders, he has advised on consultation and political engagement on both planning applications and strategic land allocations.
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About HardHat: HardHat is a specialist communications consultancy for the property, development, energy and infrastructure sectors.
James Bird
Director of HardHat
James is a former freelance broadcast journalist, councillor and parliamentary candidate. He is a public affairs professional with a solid background in communications and a proven track record in delivering effective campaigns in public consultation and political relations in London and beyond.
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About HardHat: HardHat is a specialist communications consultancy for the property, development, energy and infrastructure sectors.
Ally Kennedy
Director of HardHat
Ally is an experienced communications professional with a background in politics, stakeholder and community engagement and media relations. Ally has worked for clients involved in house building, renewable energy and regeneration projects and sits on Remarkable’s operational board. In a previous life he worked for a major political party at their Westminster HQ and at constituency level.
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About HardHat: HardHat is a specialist communications consultancy for the property, development, energy and infrastructure sectors.
Ally Kennedy
Director of HardHat
Ally is an experienced communications professional with a background in politics, stakeholder and community engagement and media relations. Ally has worked for clients involved in house building, renewable energy and regeneration projects and sits on Remarkable’s operational board. In a previous life he worked for a major political party at their Westminster HQ and at constituency level.
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About HardHat: HardHat is a specialist communications consultancy for the property, development, energy and infrastructure sectors.
Sam Clough
Director of HardHat
With over 15 years agency experience under her belt across a diverse group of clients and sectors, Sam is used to delivering digital, social and campaign strategies to ensure clients’ business objectives are met in today’s challenging communications landscape. With a strong understanding of the principles of business growth combined with a passion for creating great content her focus is on delivering considered and integrated solutions that make an impact. Sam has worked with many clients and brands over the years including Associated British Ports (ABP), GenesisCare, Novartis, J&J and Ordnance Survey.
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About HardHat: HardHat is a specialist communications consultancy for the property, development, energy and infrastructure sectors.
David Button
Account Director of HardHat
David has five years’ experience working on public affairs and political engagement campaigns for clients across a number of sectors, including housing, property, transport, and the third sector. He has worked with clients to raise their profile with policy makers and deliver changes to government legislation and supports developers including McCarthy & Stone to deliver local stakeholder engagement programmes.
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About HardHat: HardHat is a specialist communications consultancy for the property, development, energy and infrastructure sectors.
Carlos Serra Cardenas
Corporate Development Director of Audiense
Carlos Serra is responsible for finance, fundraising and strategic partnerships at Fits.me. Prior to Fits.me, Carlos worked at Strata Partners, a London-based technology-focused corporate finance business; and, before that, for Monroy Petersen, a San Francisco-based M&A specialist. In addition to advising technology entrepreneurs, Carlos has been a Silicon Valley entrepreneur himself. He co-founded a mobile services start-up – iPling, one of the first iPhone applications – and has invested in a number of other small UK/Spanish start-ups and secured the required funding. He has a Law degree from the Universidad Complutense and a Masters in Finance from IEB (Madrid).
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About Audiense: Audiense is a develops delivering unique consumer insight and engagement capabilities to many of the world’s biggest brands and agencies.
Tony Restell
Director, Social Media Marketing of Social Hire
Tony Restell is the Founder of Social-Hire.com and works with SMEs around the world to generate tangible business results from social media marketing. He was recently ranked by Brand24 as the 40th most influential marketer worldwide, with a social media reach of 15 million people. He’s also a guest speaker at business schools across Europe and has been a featured expert on the BBC, Business.com and Fox Business News
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About Social Hire: Social-Hire.com using social media to drive sales, generate leads or make hires for your business.
