Simon Preece, Director of Effectiveness at Elmwood

Simon joined Elmwood in 1992 
after five years of product and strategic marketing at Asda. 
A shareholder and board member, Simon has managed many of Elmwood’s largest FMCG, corporate and retail clients including The FA, Kimberly-Clark, and Asda. He spearheads Elmwood’s drive to deliver effectiveness culturally, creatively and commercially.

An Honorary Fellow in Marketing 
at Bradford University’s School of Management lecturing on a wide variety of courses. He has led the development and application of Biomotive Triggers as a design tool. 
A mentor for the DBA’s Twenty Twenty programme, he is a Business Leader member of the Marketing Society. Simon is a Trustee of the prestigious Snowdon Trust Charity. Simon’s passions centre around his family. He’s a Reiki Master and stone balancing artist, also a lover of curries and malt whisky.

Sarah Dear, Managing Director at Elmwood

Sarah joined Elmwood in 1992 pretty much straight out of university armed with a French degree from Birmingham. She has had a variety of roles at Elmwood during that time and continued her education with a CIM Diploma in Marketing and is currently the Managing Director of the Leeds studio and a board member.

With over 20 years’ brand design experience in retail and FMCG, she particularly loves the buzz of the retail world and has spent most of her career leading key clients in this sector, working with businesses such as ASDA, Walmart, Loblaw, Argos and Morrisons to name but a few. Her retail experience covers directing brand strategy, own brand packaging design and corporate communications and brand experience. Out of work, Sarah is the proud and devoted mum of two and a keen runner.

Ian Lloyd, Director of Digital Operations at WMG

Ian heads up digital operations at WMG and has nurtured and grown the team to over 50 digital marketers over the last eight years. He is tasked with ensuring WMG clients are delighted with the service they receive and that our team is inspired and motivated to do a great job.

A driving force in continuously improving our techniques and developing new products, Ian contributes to company strategy through his deep understanding of our clients’ needs. He guides senior account managers on strategy for our largest SEO accounts and advises and implements new technologies and processes across the team.

With a BA (hons) in business information management, and an early career stint at a Mancunian record company whilst making his name in the DJ industry, Ian’s colourful background has made him a motivating, inspiring and decisive manager.

Stuart Bruce, International PR Advisor at Stuart Bruce Associates

Stuart Bruce is an award-winning international public relations adviser and trainer who is globally recognised as a pioneer in digital corporate communications, digital public affairs and lobbying, crisis communications, online PR and corporate social media. Based in the UK he travels to provide counsel and training to companies and government clients in Europe, Middle

East, central Asia, USA and Asia Pacific. He is a founder member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations’ Social Media Panel and an elected member of its national council. He regularly speaks at PR conferences around the world including the World Communication Forum in Davos. He was one of the world’s first PR bloggers at www.stuartbruce.biz

Duncan McCallum, Founding Partner at McCallum Layton

After leaving university with a BSc (Hons) degree in Psychology Duncan worked for Armstrong Worldwide Industries before gaining an MBA with a specialism in marketing. This was followed by a 3 year spell as Marketing Services Manager at Berger Paints (later Crown-Berger), where he was responsible for the company’s research and marketing budget.

Subsequent to Berger, Duncan was Marketing Director for a large northern based advertising agency before setting up McCallum Layton in 1982.

Laurra Davis, Creative Director at Brilliant Social Media

Laurra is Brilliant’s founder and creative strategist. After completing her BA Hons in English and Creative Writing at Leeds University, Brilliant was set up in 2011. Initially founded as a training company, Brilliant soon evolved into a specialist social media agency working exclusively within FMCG, retail and hospitality.

Through consultancy and managed services Brilliant has helped their clients become household names and built up one of the Top 3 ranking Facebook pages in the UK’s Food/Beverage sector.

Laurra has spoken extensively on social media and worked as a consultant alongside some of the North’s leading brand and marketing agencies. With experience in the FMCG sector she is a specialist in the development of tone of voice, social strategy and in driving brand loyalty through social channels.

A lover of learning new languages, travel and photography – away from work Laurra can usually be found on her travels, clutching her trusty DSLR.