The Judges
Our judges are senior leaders, strategists and creatives from some of the UK's most respected agencies and brands, NOT Wieden+Kennedy, Wolff Olins, WPP, Pentagram and more. They've shaped brands for Nike, Unilever, Estée Lauder, Disney and beyond. They've judged for D&AD and the RSA. They know what brilliant work looks like.
And they're giving their time to Gather because they believe in what's happening here.
People who care about creativity, community and craft, coming together to recognise the best work happening right here in Norwich.
Brand Story
Sponsored by
Anika Ramani
Anika joined W+K London in 2022 to head up NOT W+K, the Branding and Design part of W+K London. Bringing with her 12 years experience of working at leading brand strategy and design agencies plus a MSc in Brand Leadership
At W+K she helped to launch NOT W+K and has led projects for Malibu, Kahlua, Upwork, Re:Chemistry and Eurovision.
Head of NOT Wieden + Kennedy
Nick Parker
Nick Parker spends more time thinking about brand voice than is probably healthy. He runs the language strategy studio ‘That Explains Things’, he created Voicebox, the method that’s now used by thousands of brands, agencies and copywriters all over the world.
And he writes the Substack ‘Tone Knob’, where he takes a nerd’s eye view of brands doing interesting things with their language. His most recent book is Wat Am Corgi. It is very stupid.
Founder, That Explains Things
Tait is the founder and CEO of Pivotal, a Norwich-based creative agency helping ambitious brands grow through bold strategy and brilliant execution. With two decades of experience across brand, digital and commerce, Tait has a sharp eye for ideas that cut through.
Alongside running Pivotal, he’s a serial entrepreneur, advisor and investor.
Founder & CEO, PivotalTait Pollack
Rob is Head of Creative Strategy at Yawn Marketing, where he crafts strategic and creative work that helps clients stand out by putting curiosity and insight first. He also leads the agency's own strategy and marketing efforts, growing its visibility and positioning in the market.
Before this, Rob spent over seven years at Foolproof, where he managed marketing across four geographies, shaped the agency's positioning, brought its work and ideas to life, and sat on the leadership team.
Head of Creative Strategy, YawnRob Hall
Brand Identity
Sponsored by
Christian Schroeder
Christian has worked in the agency world for 35 years, including 25 years at WPP before retiring at the end of June. During his time at WPP, he held a series of senior leadership roles: Managing Director of Landor in Central Europe, CEO of Lambie-Nairn, Global Client Leader for Telefonica across WPP, Global Client Leader for BAT across WPP, and finally Global President at Landor.
He has worked across all disciplines of marketing and communications and has led teams in more than fifty countries around the world.
Luke Taylor
Co-Founder, UnitedUsLuke is the co-founder of the award-winning branding agency UnitedUs, where he’s led the team for over 13 years, building standout brands with clients including LEGO, Google, Goodwood and Wagamama. UnitedUs champions the space where creativity meets commerce, working with clients to build brands that change the game.
Alongside the agency, Luke and his co-founders are creative entrepreneurs and investors.
Hazel has spent her career at the intersection of brand strategy and design excellence. After shaping iconic brands at London’s top agencies - Newell & Sorrell, Pentagram and Wolff Olins for clients including Selfridges, Royal Mail, Lloyds Banking Group, Linklaters and Historic Royal Palaces.
Since founding her consultancy Hazel Brands, she has created global identities for tech innovators worldwide. Hazel has judged design awards for D&AD amongst others and has been a visiting tutor on branding for innovation at the Royal College of Art.
Founder, Hazel BrandsHazel Macmillan
Over a forty-year career, Jim has worked with many of the world’s greatest brands as an executive leader, CEO, brand consultant and trusted external advisor. Jim has held roles at Pepe Jeans, Levi Strauss & Co., Converse, and WPP agencies including The Partners, Lambie-Nairn, Superunion and Design Bridge and Partners.
In 2023 he set up A Priori Projects to provide non-executive advice to fast-growing businesses in the media, marketing and creative industries.
Founder & Non-ExecutiveJim Prior
Brand Communication:
Sponsored by
Communications Planning Director, Craft Media LondonMimi Okorie
Mimi Okorie is a Communications Planning Director at Craft Media London, helping brands deliver insight-led communications that drive cut-through and impact. She has worked across beauty, FMCG, utilities, toys, alcohol and finance, including LEGO, Sainsbury’s Group and JLR, and was named a 2023 Campaign Media Week's Rising Star.
Mimi is a University of East Anglia graduate, with a BA in Media Studies and a Master’s in Media, Society and Culture.
Craig Mawdsley
Founding Partner, craig+bridgetCraig is the Founding Partner of craig+bridget a creative strategy consultancy. Prior to this he spent decades in some of the world’s best ad agencies, working on brand strategy for clients including Sainsbury’s, The National Lottery, Cancer Research UK, Guinness and many others. He has won many awards for his work including Grand Prix at the Marketing Society and APG.
Isabel Blackman
Relationship Manager, UEAIzzi Blackman is Relationship Manager at UEA, for Business, Creative and Digital industries. A former Head of Marketing, Izzi has over 10 years' experience in brand communication, with a particular focus on public engagement and placemaking.
Simon Price
Director of Creative, Production Bureau LtdSimon has enjoyed a creative career that went from theater, to TV, to music, to corporate. As Director of Creative within Production bureau, Simon has now built Pb Studio, a creative entity that encompasses design, motion, spatial, digital and streaming - partnering with global clients to deliver brand experiences.
Brand Growth
Sponsored by
Jo Juber
Independent Brand StrategistJo spent the first part of her career as a planner at agencies in London and Singapore including J Walter Thompson, TMW and Mindshare leading strategy for clients including Virgin Atlantic, Jaguar Land Rover, and Unilever.
Jo then moved client side to lead brand and marketing for Macmillan Cancer Support, Lloyds Banking Group and Poppy's, before coming full circle as an independent consultant helping select clients wrestle with big brand challenges.
Lauren Yaxley
Head of ContentLauren is a content marketing professional with 20 years’ experience and an undeniable way with words. After graduating from the UK’s top business school, she began her career in London with roles at the Home Office and blue-chip organisations before returning to Norfolk to join a leading full-service agency. She now sits on FOUR’s senior management team, where she helps shape commercial strategy, drive growth and help futureproof FOUR’s success.
Having founded and scaled her own content marketing agency, Lauren understands firsthand how businesses are built and how strong, lasting client relationships are earned. She specialises in content marketing from strategy and planning through to meticulous execution, including SEO-led web copy, keyword-rich Amazon PDPs, and B2B and B2C email campaigns that consistently exceed industry benchmarks and grow mailing lists year on year.
Known for pushing boundaries and identifying genuine pain points, Lauren blends commercial acumen with powerful storytelling. She is also a passionate advocate for women in business, championing equal opportunity and representation at every table.
Chris Bosher
Independent Strategy DirectorChris is a Strategy Director with a background in advertising. Past clients include adidas, Stella Artois, the UN, Oxfam, Diageo and Vivobarefoot - and agencies TBWA, Mother, Borne, SmallWorld, and Thingy & Thingy.
Alex Ayin
Independent Brand StrategistAlex is the founder of True Potential, a scale-up studio that helps high-growth companies gain competitive traction, optimise their GTM channels, build scalable systems, and assemble the teams needed to move from startup to market leader.
A former operator and executive, he helped scale Social Chain alongside Steven Bartlett & Dominic McGregor, served on THG's executive team during the UK's largest-ever tech IPO, and led the UK arm of Wiser with partners including Nike and the BBC. His approach is shaped by two decades of scaling businesses and research with elite performance cultures including Red Bull Racing, the All Blacks, and special forces units.
Young Blood
Sponsored by
Will Good
Global CEO, ProminateWill started his career in Russia working on events and raves, moved into the agency world working with the likes of Burger King, Disney, Unilever, Diageo, Coca-Cola, across PR, retail, experiential shopper, CX, commerce and brand activation with Exposure, Draft, Ogilvy, Geometry, VML and WPP.
Now Global CEO of Prominate Group, where Merch is Magic! All about to helping those around him aim higher and go further.
A strategically minded creative leader with 17+ years’ experience delivering standout brand communications across advertising, digital and integrated campaigns. From M&C Saatchi to leading a regional creative agency - she’s built a career partnering with ambitious brands and creative teams to produce work that’s both commercially effective and creatively brave.
In her current role as Head of Marketing at Norwich BID, Holly is passionate about celebrating the creativity and talent in our glorious city.
Head of Marketing, Norwich BIDHolly Bamford
Robert Jones is a brand consultant with over thirty years' experience, having worked with more than a hundred companies across every field — from banks to business parks, professions to palaces, climate change to crisps.
Based in north Norfolk, Robert leads three parallel lives: working as an independent brand strategist for clients across the UK, teaching as Professor of Brand Leadership at the University of East Anglia, and founding Brandland.
Founder, BrandlandRobert Jones
Johanna Alu
Johanna brings a fresh, young perspective to branding, with a strong awareness of current trends and emerging creative styles. As the connective force behind projects, she is passionate about creative packaging and consumer brands, and enjoys spotting the small details that make ideas feel relevant, exciting, and memorable.Special Prize: Brand for Change
Sponsored by
Elma Glasgow
Founder, Elma Glasgow ConsultingElma is an inclusive engagement specialist working with organisations to connect in more equitable ways with culturally underserved communities.
With 30 years' experience in journalism, PR and communications, Elma brings a wealth of knowledge including how to integrate the opinions of and create content that resonates with a diversity of audiences.
Leo Rayman
Founder & CEO, Eden LabsLeo helps leaders see what's coming and redesign growth before disruption forces their hand. He brings cross-sector pattern recognition from energy transition to food systems to transport electrification, connecting the dots that most leaders treat as separate conversations.
Previously CEO of Grey London (WPP) where he launched Grey Consulting. Leo holds a Distinction in Business Sustainability Management from Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership, advises Carbon13 venture builder, and lectures at LSE, UCL, and Oxford Saïd Business School
Charlotte Earl
Head of Product & Partnerships, QuadmarkCharlotte is Head of Product & Partnerships at Quadmark, where she builds innovative learning experiences that drive real behaviour change. She partners with fast-moving tech brands, including Google and OpenAI to help their people sell smarter, lead with confidence and perform at their best.
Passionate about the intersection of learning, technology, and culture, Charlotte believes great brands don’t just grow, they grow people.
John Gordon-Saker
Executive Director, History of Advertising TrustJohn is Executive Director of the History of Advertising Trust and has enjoyed an eclectic career in banking and brand communication, having commissioned event and video work for HSBC, run the business media division of World Productions and the brand communication agency within WPP.
As Chair of the event and video industry’s trade association, IVCA, as Regional Director (Europe) of the ITVA and Chair of Norwich Film Festival, he has overseen many UK and international awards festivals.
Special Prize: Brand for Planet
Sponsored by
Charlene Katuwawala
Brand and Creative Content ManagerCharlene Katuwawala is a senior brand strategist specialising in identity systems for complex, mission-led institutions operating at scale. As brand strategy lead at the University of East Anglia, she stewards institutional identity across a multi-stakeholder environment, aligning creative expression with long-term reputation, audience growth, and institutional impact. Her work across higher education, corporate and cultural sectors, with focus on accessible, responsible brand practice –bringing strategic discipline and real-world implementation experience to the Brand for Planet category.
Minnie Moll
Chief Executive at Design Council & Transformational Coach
Until recently Minnie Moll was Chief Executive of the Design Council. Since joining in 2021, she led the Design for Planet mission, which aims to support and galvanise the 1.79 million people in the UK design sector to put planetary needs at the heart of their work.
She was previously Chief Executive of East Anglian retail businesses Jarrold and the East of England Co-op. Earlier in her career she worked in brand, advertising, design, and innovation, including global Marketing Director of leading innovation company ?What If!
Nick Steven-Jones
Chief Executive Officer Jarrold Norwich | Chair of the Norfolk Business Board
Nick Steven-Jones is Chief Executive of the Jarrold Group and Chair of the Norfolk Business Board. He has built his career leading organisations through change and growth, combining commercial performance with long-term community benefit. He is particularly focused on helping Norfolk project a balanced, confident narrative, recognising the region’s challenges while championing its strengths. Through collaboration and practical partnerships, he aims to help unlock Norfolk’s full potential and attract greater investment and opportunity to the region.
Craig Robson
Brand Manager
For more than a decade, Craig shaped and strengthened the brand of Europe’s largest conservation charity, the National Trust.
His experience includes leading a full brand refresh in partnership with Wolff Olins, developing a sonic identity and championing brand building for the long term.
Craig continues to help brands become more distinctive and memorable.