Marketing & Creative Awards Judging Committee

Chair:
Marina Hidalgo Jaén, Head of Marketing 
rankingCoach, Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Marina Hidalgo Jaén is a Digital Marketing leader currently heading the marketing department at rankingCoach in Cologne, Germany. With over 12 years of experience in the field, Marina originates from Spain where she graduated with honors in Advertising & PR from Universidad de Sevilla. She further advanced her education with a Master’s degree in User Experience from Universidad Pompeu Fabra/Barcelona School of Management, where she was awarded the 1st Prize Student Project Award for the Best Business Initiative in 2023.

Marina's career began at the multinational advertising agency HAVAS Worldwide in Düsseldorf. She later joined rankingCoach, an AI-driven digital marketing software company for SMBs, and quickly ascended through various leadership roles to her current position. Fluent in Spanish, English, and German, Marina excels at managing diverse teams and communicating effectively across different markets.

Driven by a passion for creativity, Marina consistently integrates innovative approaches into her marketing strategies, ensuring they are engaging and effective. Dedicated to her professional development, she actively seeks out the latest marketing trends and AI technologies. Committed to delivering innovative and customer-centric marketing solutions, Marina is a key player in driving success and innovation within the industry.

Committee:

Diana Akchurina, Founder
Easy Communications, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Diana Akchurina is the founder of Easy Communications, a marketing communications agency established in 2016. She is a professional in business development and marketing communications, with over 17 years of experience in business growth, social media marketing, public relations, and influencer marketing, primarily within the high-tech industry.
 

Ahmed Alsagheer, Art/ Motion Director
Asharq Business with Bloomberg, Giza, Cairo, Egypt
Ahmed is a senior motion designer and Art Director with 10+ years of experience, showcasing a remarkable blend of skills and creativity. His portfolio boasts exceptional work delivered to clients such as the EU, FIFA, Bloomberg, McDonald's, and Dubai Government. Ahmed's expertise in motion design has left an indelible mark on various projects.

Nicole Capper, Managing Director   
MANGO-OMC `Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa
Nicole Capper has been an owner and MD at MANGO-OMC since 2006. She has extensive brand management, communications and PR experience and is on the Executive Council of the International Public Relations Network.

 

Edward Cheung, Associate Creative Director
PG ONE, Shanghai, Shanghai, China
Edward is a quadrilingual creative professional with over 10 years of experience in advertising. He has worked with renowned brands such as Shell, Oreo, Reebok, and Lancôme. In his previous position, he served as an Associate Creative Director, leading campaigns for notable brands like Alibaba Group and American Express.

Tom Conti, Founder & CEO  
SweetScience, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Tom is the Founder and CEO of SweetScience, a technology-forward marketing agency that creates business for challenger brands. Prior to founding SweetScience in 2016, Tom served as US President of the digital agency network of Grey Global Group. Earlier in his career, Tom held senior leadership positions at MRM/McCann WorldGroup and Ketchum Communications.

Marlene Gaspar, General Manager
LLYC, Lisboa, Portugal
Marlene has been General Manager of LLYC Portugal since January 2023, and has over 24 years of experience in advertising and communications management. A graduate of Public Relations and Advertising, and post-graduate in Marketing and International Business, and a certificate in Design Thinking. She is also Vice President of APECOM (Portuguese Communication Association).

Seda Genç, Founder, Consultant
NEUROMAR, Istanbul, Turkey
Seda Genç is an award-winning neuromarketing consultant and founder of Neuro-mar Neuromarketing and Communication Consultancy. She has 14+ years of professional experience, and she is pioneering the neuromarketing field in Turkey. She has provided neuromarketing consultancy, research, and training services since 2015.

Chaitanya Kumar Kadiyala, Director Product Marketing
Arm Inc, San Jose, California, United States
A seasoned marketing leader with over 15 years of experience in market and product strategy, strategic alliances, and pioneering business strategies within the tech industry. Currently, as the Director of Product Marketing at Arm, Chaitanya has played a crucial role in transforming the company into a market leader in AI and compute solutions, substantially increasing its market presence and revenue.

Dr. Nezar Kamal, General Manager
Sahip Training, Istanbul, Tukey
Dr. Nezar is a distinguished professional renowned for his multifaceted expertise in training, coaching, and consulting. With a career spanning over two decades, Dr. Kamal has significantly impacted various sectors, including governmental organizations, NGOs, educational institutions, and the corporate world. He holds prominent positions as the General Manager at Sahip Training.

Jeremy McWilliams, Executive Producer
Bang TV, London, United Kingdom
After working as a creative director Jeremy moved over to production, working at @radical.media which twice won the Palme d’Or at Cannes for world’s best production company.  He founded both the award-winning London production company Mustard and the international company Bang TV with offices in London, New York and LA.

Eugene Mischenko, Founder & President
E-Commerce & Digital Marketing Association, Yerevan, Armenia
Eugene is an e-commerce leader and business consultant with over 20 years of success driving growth across B2B, B2B2C, and B2C sectors. Having worked at companies like METRO, Sanofi, and L’Occitane en Provence, he brings a deep understanding of the e-commerce landscape. As president of the E-Commerce & Digital Marketing Association, Eugene oversees membership growth.

Violeta Niculut, Marketing Manager
Anchor Group, Bucharest, Romania
Violeta has dedicated more than 20 years to marketing and communications, building consistent know-how in the competitive and challenging field of retail and FMCG for international and local brands, and managing internal teams and agencies to accomplish business objectives. For more than five years now, Violeta has brought her knowledge to Anchor Group.

Gunjan Paliwal, Product Marketing Lead
Meta, Seattle, Washington, United States
Gunjan Paliwal is a seasoned tech professional renowned for her multifaceted expertise across product marketing, product development, and strategy with a career spanning over 15 years at industry giants such as Meta, Newell, Sears, and Microsoft. She specializes in Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing. AdTech, Marketplace, and E-commerce.

Luca Rovinalti, CEO
Svet Solutions Media, Prague, Czech Republic
Luca is CEO of Svet Solutions Media, a global media agency and production company that creates content for some of the biggest names in documentaries and broadcasting. In 2023, he was listed in the top 40 under 40 by Fortune Magazine Italy. Luca is a member of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Keith Sammels, Creative Director    
Montana Concept, London, United Kingdom, England
K J Sammels was a Chief Executive within the $850m Lopex plc advertising agency group, working on blue-chip international advertising accounts. In addition, he founded and sold three marketing communications groups, including www.lawcreative.co.uk. K.J. is a business builder, marketer, film maker, university mentor, and song writer.

Raffy Sgroi, Business Consultant
Sage Advice, Canberra, Australia
Raffy Sgroi is an international award-winning Entrepreneur and the founder and director of multiple successful businesses. With over 20 years of business experience, Raffy excels in guiding entrepreneurs and companies towards success, leveraging her extensive expertise and strategic insights.

Ashish Shukul, VP Global Marketing
Schaeffler Group, Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany
Ashish is a business leader with over 20 years’ experience developing high-performing marketing and communications teams for global technology and engineering companies. Currently based in Germany, he heads the Global Marketing and Sponsoring team for Schaeffler Group. His extensive international experience spans industry domains, including prior leadership roles in Asia Pacific.

Mickey Singh, Marketing Analytics Manager
Affirm, Los Angeles, California, United States
Mickey Singh, currently leading as Marketing Analytics Manager at Affirm, boasts an impressive career in marketing analytics, with notable roles at Affirm, Beachbody, and Ancestry. Renowned for driving brand performance and growth, Mickey expertly leads strategic initiatives, leveraging his expertise in data-driven strategies across various industries.

Anna Stella, CEO & Founder
BBSA, London, England, United Kingdom
Anna Stella is an award-winning marketing expert, academic researcher, and founder of the global marketing outsourcing agency BBSA. She is also the host of the hit YouTube show “The Best of Business Show.”

Payal Virani, Senior Customer Service Representative
Just Dial Ltd. (India), Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Payal was a Senior Customer Support Representative with Just Dial Ltd. (India). She has over five years of experience in Sales, Customer Support, Technology, and Marketing. She is a Master's graduate of Texas A&M University Texarkana and is pursuing a Master of Business Administration in Marketing, Accounting and HR at Devry University.

Nazlican Yöney, Founder, CEO & Creative Director
House of Sól, Chicago, Illinois, United States
After a decade in strategic roles at Microsoft, Turkcell, and Google, Nazlican launched her design start-up, House of Sól. She also serves as an Advisory Board Member at the Sabanci School of Business and regularly writes about technology in Vogue.