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Nina completed a BSC (Hons) Psychology Degree in Liverpool before undertaking a career in the media industry over 25 years ago. Nina joined New Scientist Media Company as CEO in October 2018 and was part of the brokerage team that completed the transaction to DMGT in 2021. Today Nina is the Chair of Harmsworth Media, a DMGT company that includes New Scientist and i national newspaper.
Nina’s experience spans consumer and B2B media and events, she is renowned for creating innovative strategies for businesses that deliver accelerated growth, both from existing products and new digital product development. Nina is a highly regarded media professional with institutional knowledge and experience in subscriptions.
Nina is also the Chair of FIDO, a revolutionary VC backed AI technology startup that identifies water leakages, she is also an active mentor, and particularly enjoys offering support to aspirational women leaders.
Sajeeda Merali joined the PPA as CEO in 2021, with an agenda to transform the way the PPA represents and supports its 200+ UK multi-media business members, consumer magazine publishers, business-to-business data and information providers, customer magazine publishers and smaller independents.
A strategic leader with 20 years’ experience in the publishing industry, Sajeeda has held senior positions with both B2B and consumer-facing organisations, with extensive experience in change management and strategy development.
She joined the PPA from the New Statesman Media Group, where she was Chief Revenue Officer responsible for identifying high-value digital opportunities and launching commercial strategy for new brands in highly competitive markets.
Prior to that, she was the commercial leader of the Insider Publishing Division at Euromoney PLC and has held senior positions at Incisive Media, where she was influential in driving cultural and strategic change.
Sajeeda is on the board of the Advertising Association, PLS, FIPP, CAP, PAMCo and ABC.
In 2018 she won the WACL Futures Award and continues to be an active member, as well as co-founder of the Amal network, which champions Muslim women in the workplace.
Amanda’s experience spans publishing, digital media, membership, events, conferences, and exhibitions. She led a management buy-out of Faversham House in 2010 and subsequently bought out her private equity partners a few years later. With her fellow directors, she has been responsible for repositioning the company as an omni-channel digital intelligence business building on the company’s strong brands in utilities, sustainability, and visual communications.
Tom Bureau is Executive Chairman of Immediate Media Co and CEO of Burda International.
Tom has more than 25 years’ experience of running world-class digital content and cross-platform media companies. He was co-founder and CEO of Silicon Media Group in 1998, which was sold to CNET Networks, after which he ran CNET’s European business.
In 2008 Tom joined digital-media platform company Magicalia as CEO, working with Exponent Private Equity, and co-founded Immediate Media Co in November 2011, merging Magicalia with Origin Publishing and BBC Magazines.
Immediate, the special interest content and platform company, is home to some of the UK’s best-loved and market-leading brands, including Radio Times, BBC Good Food, BBC Gardeners’ World magazine and Nutracheck. Under Tom’s leadership Immediate has consistently grown reach and revenue, through digital innovation, organic growth and M&A activity, with a strategic focus on special interest markets.
In 2017 Tom oversaw Immediate’s successful sale from Exponent Private Equity to the Hubert Burda Media Company. Under Burda’s ownership, Immediate has acquired BBC Good Food, Upper Street Events Ltd and River Street Events, adding a specialist interest live events portfolio to its fast-growing media business, and most recently Nutracheck, one of the biggest digital subscription apps in the UK. Immediate now engages over 60 million passionate consumers every month.
In 2021, Tom took up the roll of Executive Chairman of Immediate and was appointed CEO of Burda International, the international arm of German based media and tech company Hubert Burda Media.
Burda International, currently owns 250 media brands across 14 countries in Europe and Asia, with a focus on content-driven businesses, new technologies and e-commerce.
Tom is also Chairman of the Board of Frontline Group, the market leading magazine distribution group, and was Chairman of the PPA, between 2020-22, having been a member of the PPA Board and Executive Committee since 2012.
Jonathon is responsible for both the strategic direction and day to day management of the European businesses in the Arc network including Agriconnect, Bridge2Food and Incisive Media.
Having worked in business media for thirty years, Jonathon has a wealth of experience of managing digital and live brands through a myriad of business models, in multiple territories and across a wide variety of sectors. He has launched and managed subscription information products, membership propositions, marketing services and advertising led editorial brands and numerous event models from expos to conferences and awards. He spent five years based in Hong Kong leading substantial growth in Incisive Media’s pan-Asian media and events portfolio.
Jonathon is a director of the Professional Publishers Association (PPA) and a former director of the Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA).
Natalia Gamero del Castillo is a forward thinking manager with more than 20 years of experience leading media companies and digital transformation. In her current role as Managing Director Condé Nast Europe (since January 2021) she is overseeing the European market which includes teams in the UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain reaching 100 million consumers every month.
Gamero del Castillo has held a number of senior positions at Condé Nast during her nearly 20 years with the company, including CEO of Condé Nast Spain. In this role, she led the company through its digital transformation, devising and implementing new systems and processes and boosting editorial innovation that led to impressive audience reach and quality.
Prior to joining Condé Nast, Gamero del Castillo held various editorial roles, such as editor at El Cultural de El Mundo, the prestigious supplement for El Mundo national newspaper. She also worked for VIA DIGITAL, one of the first TV platforms in Spain.
Gamero del Castillo received her Bachelor Degree in Law from the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid and her PDG (General Management Program) from IESE Business School.
Robert joined Metropolis Group in 2011 as Group Chief Executive, and has led the mainly B2B and niche B2C media group through a period of change during which revenues have been increased from £15m to £55m through a combination of acquisitions, digital and events growth.
Before joining Metropolis, Robert was Chief Operating Office of William Reed from 2007 with responsibility for the global brands and digital, data and conference businesses. Prior to that from 2001 Robert was William Reed’s Group Finance Director and between 2002 to 2006 also publishing director of its food manufacturing brands. Previously Robert was a consultant at software business Lost Wax and Finance Director of Stemcor UK, the world’s largest steel trading group. Robert qualified as a chartered accountant at BDO.
Founded by Tilly and her business partner 22 years ago, Think is a UK media group specialising in producing multichannel content and consultancy for membership organisations, brands and the travel sector.
The group brings together Think, our content and publishing agency, Think Travel, our travel publishing brands, and Re:Think, our publishing consultancy. We have over 70 staff across England and Scotland, and the group is still fully owned by the founders.
Tilly is also a Trustee of the think tank, Demos, a non-executive director of Welbeck Publishing Group (formerly Carlton Books) and sits on the Development Board of the National Youth Theatre.
Chris is the CEO for UK Publishing at Bauer Media. Prior to joining Bauer in April 2020 Chris spent 12 years at News UK and was Managing Director for the TNL publishing businesses, including The Times, The Sunday Times, The TLS, The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, Times+ and all brand extension businesses.
Charles is CEO of William Reed, the trusted digital, high value data and events business serving the food and drinks sector for over 160 years.
The business, established in 1862, is a fifth-generation family-owned company employing over 300 people in the UK, France, USA & Singapore. William Reed produces multi-platform digital and print media, compelling research, powerful insights, innovative exhibitions and events, prestigious awards and informative conferences.
Tamsyn Spires became Publisher of HELLO! Ltd in June 2018 with a clear brief to deliver growth through new opportunities and to move the business forward in a new digital direction.
HELLO! Ltd has seen substantial growth in its digital reach and new platform development, alongside this print has remained at the heart of the business and retains its strong position in the market. Tamsyn worked at Bauer for 4 years heading up Grazia and The Debrief as the commercial head of the brands. Previously to that Tamsyn was at Hearst Magazines for many years where she held Sales Director positions across numerous titles; Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar and Red.
Mandy is Director, Magazines at BBC Studios. She is responsible for Top Gear magazine and Topgear.com as well as the strategic partnership with Immediate Media for the stable of BBC branded magazines. This is Mandy’s second stint with the commercial arm of the BBC having previously been the MD of Galleon (Dovetail). She has worked in roles across the publishing industry for her entire career.
As Chief Executive Officer, Katie Vanneck-Smith has overall management responsibility for leading premium content and experience business, Hearst UK.
Katie has a wealth of experience innovating in the media industry, having worked for both large-scale corporations and more recently launching a successful startup.
Katie joined Hearst UK in December 2022 from Tortoise Media, a global media outlet that she co-founded in 2018. Prior to that, she was President and Chief Customer Officer of Dow Jones, where she helped build and lead The Wall Street Journal’s successful online membership-based business.
Katie has also held senior roles at The Telegraph Media Group and The Times. As Chief Marketing Officer at The Times, Katie led the architecture of the newspaper’s early move to paid digital subscriptions and was responsible for creating the UK’s first news membership brand, Times+. Katie also oversaw the company’s events programmes, including both The Wall Street Journal CEO Council and The Times CEO Summit.
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