Wwwonder women - 30 women in digital under 30: LBi, Scottish Government, ASOS, The Telegraph, Tesco Bank, IAB

Of course the issues of the lack of women in the upper echelons of sectors such as digital is one that has been exercising The Drum. There is no doubt they are currently under-represented, which matters for two reasons. Firstly, digital represents the future of our industry, in fact our economy of a whole. And secondly, at the moment, it only seems to be gaining access to half the talent pool. But our list of 30 under 30 women in digital offers a glimmer of hope. The list demonstrates that in this industry the pipeline is certainly far from broken.

The list was based on an online poll – which saw 600 talented women being nominated. Our top 30 is based on those who got the most votes.

Kate Day, social media and engagement editor, The Telegraph

D.O.B: 23/06/1983Describe your current role in one sentenceDiving head first into breaking news and reactions from readers while keeping an eye on the technology of the future. Define your career to date in one sentenceConstantly surprising - in a good way! What job did you want when you were a child?A cellist.If you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?Spending more time taking photos and playing the cello.What is your biggest professional achievement to date?I hope I have played a part in getting social media and the engagement of our audience to a point where it is taken very seriously by one of the oldest newspapers in the worldWhat would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work?Being very good at telling stories Who is your female role model in digital?:I have many, plenty of them not female or in digital! Someone who really stands out is the photographer Helen Levitt. She was a master story teller and also one of the first to use colour. She managed that rare thing of fully exploiting a new technology without making her pictures self-consciously about the technology.

Gemma Haggarty, managing director, Minute Steak

D.O.E: 02/01/1983Describe your current role in one sentence:To profitably grow and develop the Minute Steak agency and team to offer the highest standard of strategic Search and Social management.Define your career to date in one sentence:Driving Minute Steak from loss-making to profitable within one year, and the subsequent year-on-year growth has been an incredible journey – one that I couldn’t have made without a lot of love for colleagues, clients and campaigns!What job did you want when you were a child?:Travel JournalistIf you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?Running a chic B&B on a beach and going diving every morning for scallops to cook for breakfast and getting paid to be a food critic...or maybe a Magazine Editor.What is your biggest professional achievement to date?Taking Minute Steak into profitability within my first year of management, with a growth in profit of over 600%.What would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work?Currently I'd love to be remembered as a motivational manager that persistently drove Minute Steak forward and helped develop people's careers resulting in a team that looked forward to coming to work each day.Who is your female role model in digital?Sheryl Sandberg

Hannah Miller, SEO director, 4PS Marketing

D.O.E: 23/03/1985Describe your current role in one sentence: Ensuring the most effective SEO & digital strategy is adopted for all clients and leading employees to a successful execution.Define your career to date in one sentence: Fast paced with copious amounts of learning along the way, listening to others and enjoying myself as the world of digital evolves.What job did you want when you were a child?: Fortunately I have known for many years that digital was where I wanted to be from my earliest experience of a game “Sam and Max” at the age of 12. Although at one stage I thought it would be amazing to work in Argos!If you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?: I think if I had chosen a different career it would have been something along the lines of science, I did think for a little while that being a forensic scientist would be pretty amazing.What is your biggest professional achievement to date? Developing the internal system at 4Ps Marketing is slightly out of job description but I saw the need to develop a database to record client time. I hacked apart an old db and made it work for our company. It is now used on a daily basis with reporting facilities.What would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work: Passion, I think inspiring passion into what you do makes for the best outcome and is also enjoyable to all involved. In a recent staff review I asked everyone to mention three keywords that came to mind when they thought of 4Ps Marketing and the winning keyword was “passion”. I would like to be remembered for the passion I have hopefully injected.Who is your female role model in digital? I have many role models in the industry both male and female, however I do really enjoy watching Suzi Perry on the gadget show (bear with me). I really enjoy her passionate appreciation to all aspects of digital, she is not afraid to dislike other things that others rave about and I think that’s an admirable quality. It’s very easy to follow the lead but I think sometimes the best ideas and discussions occur when opinions are challenged and just a bit different.

Alex Kozloff, senior mobile manager, IAB

D.O.B: 03/05/1983Describe your current role in one sentence: Promoting, informing and evangelising mobile marketing to advertisers, agencies and the industry. Define your career to date in one sentence: A bit of a gamble but one that’s paid off – I’m lucky enough to be working in a really passionate and ever evolving industry that other people want to learn more about.What job did you want when you were a child?:A vetIf you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?Ideally, assembling Ikea furniture for a living.What is your biggest professional achievement to date?Delivering 19 mobile advertising research projects in just over three years- including the industry’s only mobile advertising spend report.What would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work?Helping the mobile marketing industry to grow into the world’s biggest medium.Who is your female role model in digital?Caitlin Moran- her tweets are everything mine will never be

Naomi Morton, innovation executive, glue Isobar

D.O.B: 23/02/1988Describe your current role in one sentence:I work at glue isobar within our nowlab team, writing our blog (nowlab.isobar.com), hunting down interesting technologies, techniques and mechanics for the innovation sessions we hold, and trying to help us create more innovative work.Define your career to date in one sentence:I started in development making things, moved into account/project management organising and managing things, and then realised I wanted to see how everything works or can work together, so now I search for and investigate things. What job did you want when you were a child?I wanted to be an architect (well, a dancer first, then an architect) - I liked the idea of working out how everything was going to work, fit together and be used. If you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?:I'd either be one of Beyonce's back up dancers (assuming we also get to choose what talent we have - else this definitely wouldn't be an option), or making robots... What is your biggest professional achievement to date?:Probably running and launching the nowlab blog - being on the nowlab team itself is pretty sweet, but to get to write about tech everyday for them is brilliant.What would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work?I don't think it would be one particular project or achievement - I'd like people to remember one thing I taught or showed them that they didn't know before.Who is your female role model in digital?Amber Case (Cyborg Anthropologist), her thoughts and work looking into how humans and machines are evolving together is incredible. I love how she describes us being cyborgs already, not by integrating technology into our bodies, but by technology giving us the ability to achieve and do things we've not been able to do before.

Laura Grant, account director, Tag Digital

D.O.B: 01/07/1986Describe your current role in one sentence: Delighting clients with top results from super cool digital projects. Define your career to date in one sentence: A really amazing learning journey.What job did you want when you were a child? A news presenter If you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?: After obtaining a Law & English degree I was close to continuing down a legal route and becoming a lawyer. What is your biggest professional achievement to date?Winning the Red Herring Global 100 award in Los Angeles with Moviecom.tv What would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work?Opening Tag Digital Inc, NYC 2015 Who is your female role model in digital?Sheryl Sandberg - She is an incredible force and proves it is possible to achieve enormous success and family balance.

Hollie Underwood, digital account director, LBi

D.O.B: 15/01/1985Describe your current role in one sentence: Spearheading two of LBi’s key clients covering SEO, PPC, Social, Affiliates, Display, MVT, Mobile with the ethos that data should drive innovative decision making.Define your career to date in one sentence: Over the last 5 years in online marketing I have strived to continually drive efficiency through automation and competitor advantage through data analysis and innovation for blue chip clients such as Sky and Play.com. What job did you want when you were a child?Air HostessIf you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?PhotographerWhat is your biggest professional achievement to date?Winning the NMA Award for Best Use of Search 2012 for work undertaken on Play.comWhat would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work? For inspiring the next digital generation in understanding that data and technology can be sexier and more powerful than big budget creative campaigns.Who is your female role model in digital?Leanne Johnson, global senior social media marketing manager at Skype – relentlessly inspiring.

Jen Rankine, social media co-ordinator, Schuh

D.O.B: 03/09/1987Describe your current role in one sentence:People schmoozer, fancy sentence creator, network maker and problem solver with a side of marketing. Define your career to date in one sentence?From shop and stock to schuh HQ via short digital sentences and fancy looking pictures.What job did you want when you were a child?Many things. I was a fickle child. It ranged from being a police dog handler (I presumed I got to play with dogs all day), primary school teacher (would get to play in the sandpit for as long as I pleased), superhero (seemed like a good idea at the time and I would have a cape) and finally, Supreme Overlord of Lego. That last one is pretty self-explanatory.If you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?One of two things. I'd either be teaching kids how to count and make macaroni pictures as a primary school teacher, or I'd be making extravagant hats with a ridiculous amount of feathers in them as a milliner. Both on very different paths; neither of them remotely related to what I'm doing now.What is your biggest professional achievement to date?schuh being voted as number 40 in the Social Brands 100 list. Not going to lie, I was pretty chuffed. My hobby had become my job and it would appear that I was doing something right.What would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work?Returning social media back to what it's supposed to be - a conversation. We can all dream, eh?Who is your female role model in digital?Terrie Chilvers (@cowfishdreams) Xbox Social Media Editor - I’ve been following Terrie for years and if you could see how efficiently she handles stroppy gamers who can’t connect to Xbox Live, you’d probably look up to her as well.

Emma Estill, digital project manager, LHM Media

D.O.B: 28/06/1985Describe your current role in one sentence:I plan and manage the end-to-end delivery of multiple large scale digital development projects for a variety of European and Global clients throughout the project lifecycle.Define your career to date in one sentence:Fast-paced, varied experience, great success, continually challenging, marketing-focused, creatively-digital.What job did you want when you were a child?A chocolate tester – I still want it!If you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?Before graduating with a marketing degree from the CIM, I was working as a Marketing and Events Manager for a number of music events before I decided to take the leap into digital. I loved the challenge that each event gave me but I knew my true career success would come from combining my passion for creative marketing with the never ending possibilities of all things digital.What is your biggest professional achievement to date?Working as the sole account manager when I started at LHM, and being part of the team that has helped the agency grow by 79% in the last 3 years. I’ve recently moved roles to head up the project management team and am looking forward to being part of the team that continues to drive the agency forward over the next 12 months. What would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work?I’d like for my clients to remember me as being reliable and highly efficient at managing their projects, and exceeding their expectations with our high quality standards. And by my colleagues as the one who brightened up their day by always making them laugh.Who is your female role model in digital?It has to be our LHM Digital Account Director, Liz Hemes. I work closely with her on a day to day basis and her knowledge, expertise and passion for the industry continues to inspire me on a daily basis. She’s always the first one in the office and the last one to leave as she ensures all of our clients receive nothing but a 5* service. Liz is a true digital legend and the perfect role model within our industry.

Jillian Ney, ‘Dr of Social Media’, academic at Strathclyde University and consultant

D.O.B: 11/02/1982 Describe your current role in one sentence: I’m a social media academic who is also an insights driven social media consultant.Define your career to date in one sentence:Ahead of the curve (or so I’m told) – I’ve sought to critically understand the social media phenomenon while using this knowledge in my teaching, writing and in generating value for business and consumers alike.What job did you want when you were a child?I just always wanted to travel the world – I got the travelling bug out my system early on and then focused on my career, just in time for the social media explosion.If you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?A travel writer, maybe?! I don’t think I would have taken a different career path – I love what I do from researching, lecturing and publishing to consultancy work.What is your biggest professional achievement to date?I have to say my PhD in social media, right?! Although I see that as more of a personal achievement. Professionally, my biggest achievement would be the work I have been doing with KILTR in the redevelopment of the network and the new mobile app – I’m pretty excited about them being released! Although you will have to wait until September 2012 to see them…What would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work?Essentially I’d like to be known for furthering knowledge and understanding in social media and providing credibility to the field of social media for business – it’s not all marketing strategy and campaigns although I do like to develop an integrated creative strategy or two! I’m currently developing a consultancy and research business, I’d love for my company to be known and innovate social media for business. The success of my academically accredited social media qualifications would also be nice along with being recognised for my teaching in the area. I want a lot, don’t I?Who is your female role model in digital?I like what Dr Mariann Hardey and Dr Aleks Krotoski have been doing in combining their academic interest in digital and applying this in the real world – well done ladies, great role models!

Kat Wyeth, social media manager and creative director, Group M

D.O.B: 01/03/1984Describe your current role in one sentence:Strategic Social Media Manager and Creative Director for groupm Germany, for all of our agencies’ (MediaCom, maxus, mindshare, MEC) international and national clients in the context of Social Media, reaching from automotive to FMCG and anything in between.Define your career to date in one sentence:It all started after Uni with an internship – of course ;) – but thankfully didn’t take long since I scored my first TV commercial as copywriter at TBWA, Auckland, New Zealand, where I stayed for one year before moving via BCG/Grey², New Zealand, to publishing my first book, via Scholz&Friends, Berlin, M&C Saatchi, Berlin, cobra youth, Berlin, to finally groupm Dusseldorf, where I – together with 4 other guys, started the Social Media Task Force 1,5 years ago as first and only digital creative in the biggest Media agency.What job did you want when you were a child?:I wanted to become a singer.If you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?:Teaching at university. Guess I’m still gonna do that ;)What is your biggest professional achievement to date?:Being the creative director of our pitch team that won a 1.2 billion Euro budget this year.What would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work?I want to be remembered as somebody who never stopped learning and also inspired others to do greater work.Who is your female role model in digital?:That’s a tough question to answer. But in terms of digital role model I’d go with Lady Gaga. She sure knows how to utilize digital Media for herself!

Hannah Swift, founder, Bright Digital Minds

D.O.B: 05/08/1985Describe your current role in one sentence:As the owner of the business it's a mixed role from affiliate management, social media, staff training, accounting, marketing and loo cleaner - a mixed bag, hard work, but a whole load of fun! Define your career to date in one sentence:A roller coaster - from not knowing anything about affiliates to owning an agency who manage them! What job did you want when you were a child?I wanted to be a World famous Vulcanologist, making films and educating people in developing countries about the dangers of volcanoes. If you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?I have a degree in Geology and Science Communication, so I'd probably be doing that, although I don't think Geology is as fun as digital marketing! What is your biggest professional achievement to date?It has to be winning my A4U Award back in 2009. It was totally unexpected and a great feeling to be recognised for hard work and a love of the industry. What would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work?I'd like to be remembered for being helpful, and loving the industry. Serving clients, affiliates, networks and other agencies with a passion for digital and my knowledge. Who is your female role model in digital?There are so many to choose from, but Red Barrington from Red Star Digital inspires me. She's dedicated, passionate and knows vast amounts.

Carly Chaffer, online marketing manager, 9xb

D.O.B: 22/03/1985Describe your current role in one sentence: An eclectic mix of digital strategizing and team managementDefine your career to date in one sentence: Like climbing a giant chocolate cake and reaching the strawberry on top.What job did you want when you were a child?: Be a manager (genuinely!). I was quite generalised with that job title.If you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?Be running an independent fashion boutique or editing a rock music magazineWhat is your biggest professional achievement to date?Getting into digital after doing a fashion degree and finding a career where every day is exciting and I learn new things. Not only that, but helping businesses forge a strong online presence through SEO, PPC and Social Media Optimisation is a very gratifying experience.What would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work: Being proactive, reactive and developing long-lasting client relationships.Who is your female role model in digital?: The SEO Chicks

Laura Fenton, digital marketing manager, Tesco Bank

D.O.B: 01/06/1985Describe your current role in one sentence:Creating and delivering effective digital marketing activity and involvement in the implementation of Tesco Bank’s social media strategy.Define your career to date in one sentence:From agency to client-side and digital from the get-goWhat job did you want when you were a child?Professional swimmerIf you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?Film Location ManagerWhat is your biggest professional achievement to date?Being involved in the planning and buying of o2 Media’s first campaign using scannable vouchers for smartphones.What would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work (can be what you wrote for biggest achievement):For keeping things fun and putting 100% into everything I do, no matter how big or small the task.Who is your female role model in digital?Marissa Mayer

Fiona Robertson , head of performance marketing , LBi

D.O.B: 23/02/1984Describe your current role in one sentence: Responsible for the management, profitability and development of the Performance and Affiliate Marketing department, ensuring optimum satisfaction and high retention of clients and affiliate partners. Define your career to date in one sentence: A whirlwind! It has been an extremely fast paced few years, where I’ve really had to throw myself into learning about all aspects of digital marketing, built a passion for working with great brands and been lucky enough to work with some of the most talented people in the industry. What job did you want when you were a child?: A teacher – I loved constantly learning about new things and helping, leading & guiding others, skills I think are critical to my role now! If you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?I’d probably be a teacher! What is your biggest professional achievement to date?Working at LBi has really allowed me to fulfil a number of ambitions; growing a team from one solitary member to seven strong, amazingly talented individuals, securing a number of high profile new business wins including Play.com & RBS as well as International campaigns like Skype, Radisson Blu & Etihad Airways, both of which have allowed me to hugely increase monthly revenues for the department, plus being awarded Highly Commended in the Best Agency category two years in a row at the Performance Marketing Awards (previously A4U Awards). What would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work? I’d like to think that I’ve made a strong contribution to the digital landscape in Scotland during my career, which I’ve extended to the UK market particularly from a Performance Marketing perspective – I’d like to be remembered for being able to extend this further Internationally, and as a really passionate, dedicated woman in a very male dominated industry. Who is your female role model in digital? I’d say I have two!The first one is the woman who took me under her wing as a graduate, and to this day I know I can always turn to her for advice. She is a real inspiration on how to deal with any situation, with a smile on her face. Anyone that has ever worked with her sees her as a real inspiration, and I’ll be forever indebted to Tara Moar for introducing me to all things online and I’m truly grateful for everything she has taught me, and so glad that she is still a very dear friend. The second may appear as a corporate move; but anyone that knows me should know that’s not my style! Lyndsay Menzies is a name that I’ve known since I began my career in digital. Not only is she Scottish, but she’s done famously well, joining bigmouthmedia as one of the first team members, and worked her way up to our CMO & one of the members of our Exec board at LBi. She’s famous for being able to hold her own, and to have gone so far in a very male dominated environment, it’s difficult to not be inspired by her.

Ilana Munckton, digital group head, MediaCom Edinburgh

D.O.B: 22/09/1983Describe your current role in one sentence: I am responsible for digital media strategy, planning and buying for our agency’s clients.Define your career to date in one sentence: New York digital media chick moves to London in seek of adventure, tires of the big smoke, and eventually settles in Edinburgh in seek of fame and fortune.What job did you want when you were a child? I had to ask my mum this question and even she didn’t know! I recently found a career aptitude test from when I was 13, and ‘computers’ ranked among my top interests. I can only assume I must have been destined for a job in digital. (We’ll ignore that the other things that ranked highly were sewing and cooking. I was never very cool.)If you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?When I graduated University I wanted a career in market research. Before I got offered my first media role at Ogilvy in New York, I’d interviewed for a job doing market research for the pharmaceutical industry. I‘d have had to advise whether products were financially viable for the big drugs companies, regardless of whether they would have helped a small number of people. My conscience forced me to politely decline. Lucky escape, I think.What is your biggest professional achievement to date? This!What would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work?We’ve produced some really great work for Subway in the last 12 months, including a mobile SMS campaign which has just been shortlisted for two nominations in the DADI Awards 2012. A blogger who saw the PR coverage even called it something like “a brilliant idea, damnit.”Who is your female role model in digital?Ilana Fox. Partly because she shares my first name, but mostly because she’s been lucky enough to forge a career in social media for a whole host of media and fashion brands. Also, she’s funny on Twitter.

Hannah Drury, creative, Lbi

D.O.B: 05/04/1987 Describe your current role in one sentence:Strategic thinker, snappy copy crafter, list maker, intern big sis and office Goth.Define your career to date in one sentence:Learning something new every day. What job did you want when you were a child?Fashion designer. Ooh la la. If you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?I'd be in a desert on a archaeological dig. I LOVE history and dinosaurs. The hot weather, not so much.What is your biggest professional achievement to date?My Mum and Dad calling to let me know they'd seen my first big campaign – without showing it to them. The same goes for my friends. Seeing them get involved with something I've worked hard on, without them knowing it was my work, feels amazing. It lets you know you've done alright.What would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work?Working hard. Helping create fun campaigns with great insights and strategic thinking. The kinda stuff that makes you smile and wish you'd thought of first. Winning new business. Helping industry newbies cut their teeth. And being a force to be reckoned with.Who is your female role model in digital?I'll be greedy and pick two. Laura Jordan-Bambach and Abi Ellis. Laura for being a MASSIVE inspiration when I started out and Abi for giving me the confidence and support I needed to go change things for myself. Abi is the Queen of pep talks.

Alexina Knight, performance activation director, MEC

D.O.B: 23/05/1986Describe your current role in one sentence: Driving the best online performance for a large range of clients with the support of a great teamDefine your career to date in one sentence: A whirlwind of hard work, fun and great peopleWhat job did you want when you were a child?A pilotIf you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?: Probably a lawyerWhat is your biggest professional achievement to date?Reaching my personal goal of becoming at a Director at the age of 25, through consistently proving an ability to build strong client relationships and grow online media investmentWhat would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work?Building strong client and internal relationships to instil trust as an expert in my fieldWho is your female role model in digital?: Jane Ratcliff, Chairman of Mediacom - she is fabulous.

Grace Mills, senior marketing officer, Aston University

Grace Mills, senior marketing officer, Aston UniversityD.O.B: 03/11/1988Describe your current role in one sentence: No two days are the same in digital; whether I am part of a huge brief specialising in social media campaigns, or breakthrough mobile applications, I ensure the transition from initial digital concepts through to execution are managed as smoothly as possible. Define your career to date in one sentence: My career started off recruiting for digital agencies within the Birmingham area and for many of the TOP 100 NMA's. I quickly saw that I needed to be a part of the digital world internally, being a part of award winning digital campaigns. What job did you want when you were a child?: As cliché as this may be, it was a trolly dolly! (Air Hostess!) If you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing? My natural strength lies in writing and reading, so should things have been different I would more than likely have been an English Teacher. What is your biggest professional achievement to date?: Being voted in as one of the top 30 under 30 women in digital in only my first full year within the industry, I am over the moon! What would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work: To have been an influential player within the digital era and be renowned for my award winning marketing strategies as a whole. Who is your female role model in digital?Kay Hammond, CEO of TAMBA. Kay started her career 18 years ago from leaving school at a tender age and has managed to build a greatly recognised name for herself for her social media expertise. Her hunger to succeed and continue to be at the forefront of emerging digital trends gave me the insights I needed to break into this industry and get a name for myself. She is a true career women and and most certainly my role model within the digital industry; as I am sure she is for many other budding women within the heavily male dominated industry!

Thea Hamren, conceptual creative, LBi

D.O.B: 18/04/1986Describe your current role in one sentence:My role is very ideas driven, what medium I create in is the ends rather than the means. It's being in the first part of the creative process, telling a simple story, pitching, group work, writing, a lot of doodling.Define your career to date in one sentence:Since my studies in Sweden at Hyper Island and Forsbergs I've been working in Stockholm, New York and London going from Designer/Animator to Art Director to currently Conceptual Creative with a copywriting focus – always looking to learn and evolve my role as a creative.What job did you want when you were a child?Something that had to do with pets, or painting. Or both. I've always drawn & written stories since an early age.If you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?Cell animator at Disney/Pixar – obsessed with frame by frame animation. The longer it takes the better!What is your biggest professional achievement to date?The Infi-knit project for Macmillan cancer support. We built the 1st internet connected knitting machine where people together knitted a scarf as a petition against fuel poverty amongst people living with cancer, which we then delivered to the government. A lot of heart went in to the project, and the story was real and warm. I'm proud of our dedicated team and peoples involvement in the project as well as the recognition it got.What would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work?That is yet to come, but I live for projects that tells a story full of heart with a touch of unicorn magic. I'm also really into HOW we work together creatively in groups, and I hope to work with that in the future.Who is your female role model in digital?Laura Jordan Bambach (CD at DARE), she's the reason I came to London, a creative tech mastermind and a great inspiration. Abi Ellis (CD at LBi) who believes in the power of the simple idea and always fights for what and who she believes in.

Alessandra Gritt, account executive, Umpf

D.O.B: 28/09/1990Describe your current role in one sentence:Account Executive at Umpf working on fun, creative and exciting PR and social media campaigns.Define your career to date in one sentence:Against the grain! I didn’t go to university as I thought that experience would be more worthwhile than a degree and fortunately my hard work – and a bit of risk-taking – has paid off.What job did you want when you were a child?I’ve loved reading and writing since I was young, so I knew I wanted to do something creative using words. I studied PR and marketing during my Media Studies lessons at school and fell in love with the industry!If you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?I’d most likely be working in music journalism or in make-up artistry – two of my favourite things.What is your biggest professional achievement to date?I’ve been very fortunate to work on some incredible campaigns with extremely talented people, so it’s hard to pick just one! I think I’m most proud of achieving a successful career so far at a young age, especially when I was told by my school teachers that I’d be falling flat on my face if I didn’t go to university. Positive thinking and hard work will get you everywhere.What would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work?I’m known for being constantly optimistic – sometimes annoyingly so! I think that everything’s possible, and I’d really like to be remembered for having and executing big, creative ideas. My motto is PMA (positive mental attitude) and I’ve had it tattooed on my index finger to remind me to stay chirpy; it hasn’t failed me yet!Who is your female role model in digital?Tina Brown, co-founder of The Daily Beast and former editor of Tatler and Vanity Fair, and Jess Lee, an ex-Google employee and co-founder of Polyvore.

Ashika Chauhan, digital experience director, Big Communications

D.O.B: 02/04/1984Describe your current role in one sentence:I head up digital creative and user experience. Define your career to date in one sentence:I started out as a junior at global digital agency Lightmaker. Progressing there, I moved on to Standout as Digital Director, where I developed an online offering for what would then become a successful integrated agency. I've now been at Big for just over a year, leading digital creative and guiding the team on how we can incorporate digital into a multi-channel experience for our campaigns.What job did you want when you were a child?I kind of wavered between wanting to be a hairdresser and being an astronaut. Yes, really. I had an overactive imagination! If you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?It would definitely still be something in the creative industries. I've recently developed a real love of interiors - having just rennovated my first property, I've found a real sense of achievement in breathing new life into something with heritage. What is your biggest professional achievement to date?There have been challenges in all the roles that I've had. From developing a digital offering for an agency from scratch, to launching the first e-commerce platform for an international fashion brand, to guiding a creative team in changing its perspective from channel specific to multi-channel creative. Every day poses new challenges and that's what I love about being in digital.What would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work?Always striving to produce the best possible creative and ensuring whatever is produced makes a real difference to a brand or a business' success. There's never been a more exciting time to be a creative with online and offline channels finally starting to attain synergy. I love the fact that there's something new to learn every single day and I'm looking forward to seeing what the future holds for all of us in design and advertising. Who is your female role model in digital?The likes of Marissa Mayer, Sheryl Sandberg and Natalie Massenet are obvious inspirations.However, for me, it was Nat Hunter, formerly of Airside and now at the RSA who gave me my first bit of advice and spurred me on from day one. Back in my university days, I was fascinated by the gap between student education and the real world of digital, design and advertising and I therefore based my mini-dissertation on just that. Nat was the first to reply when I emailed several established creatives for advice. Stupidly, I don’t think I thanked her back in the day, so if you are reading this Nat – THANK YOU!Jessica Butcher (CMO/Founder at Blippar) and Nicole Yershon (Director of Innovative Solutions at Ogilvy Labs) are definitely worth a mention too. We're working a fair bit with Blippar and I'm a firm believer that innovation should be a key part of every agency.

Emily Smith, senior account manager, Whitespace

D.O.B: 21/11/1987Describe your current role in one sentence: I’m the day-to-day first point of contact for my clients - helping them to get the best out of digital for their business. Define your career to date in one sentence: Learning quickly and constantly to face challenging opportunities where I’m being relied upon. What job did you want when you were a child?: I wanted to be an archeologist until I realised the employment prospects weren’t great. I still watch Time Team however. If you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?: I’d have loved to have been a professional athlete. I did track and field went I was at school then picked up volleyball at university. I’ve since been playing with the Scottish National Volleyball team. What is your biggest professional achievement to date? I’ve worked over such a large variety of projects definitely one of the highlights was working with the Scottish Government to encourage the use of social media and an online community in their Early Years strategy. Seeing that hit over 30,000 register users and 1,000 Facebook fans in a short time was really amazing. What would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work: I’d like to be remembered for trying new things with the available technology and really pushing a brief to its creative limits - Whitespace are a great company for challenging things creatively. I haven’t yet had the project that’s made me really say ‘that’s the one’, but watch this space! Who is your female role model in digital? I have a lot of respect for Sue Little (CEO of McCann Erikson) – I’m always keeping an eye out on the work that they’re producing, especially their multi-channel campaigns. I also find it really great to see lots of upcoming women starting their own agencies.

Kristal Ireland, strategy director, Enjoy Digital

D.O.B: 25/01/1984Describe your current role in one sentence:I work with businesses to understand their target customer base and to define the digital marketing and online communications strategies required to achieve their commercial goals.Define your career to date in one sentence:Having worked both client and agency side my career has allowed me to work with some fantastic brands and technologies to develop innovative and award winning digital marketing campaigns and strategies. What job did you want when you were a child?:A vet – I love animals!If you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?I would have stayed on at University to do my PHD in Philosophy. I specialised in the Philosophy of Science and Technology at Uni and would have liked to do more work on how technology impacts our social interactions and perception of the world. I still hope to go back and do this one-day!What is your biggest professional achievement to date?Winning double Gold at the Roses Awards last year for the Simon on the Streets QR Code campaign. The campaign was innovative, blending technology and ambient media, the team at Propaganda worked very hard on it and most importantly we generated a great deal of PR, awareness and donations for the fantastic charity at Christmas time.What would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work?My work with the LS14 Trust, an amazing community project who I have worked with for the last 2 years to build digital inclusion in the Seacroft area of Leeds. The LS14 Trust has gone from strength to strength receiving recognition from Martha Lane Fox, Go Online, The Joseph Rowntree Foundation and were recently nominated for an ISP Award for digital inclusion. Digital inclusion is something I am very passionate about and would like to see more people in the digital agency scene getting involved with!Who is your female role model in digital?Jessica Butcher CMO and Founding Director of Blippar. I think she has done a great job of launching an innovative tech company.

Vikki Chowney, head of community, TMW

D.O.B: 23/06/1985Describe your current role in one sentence: I look after community management and influencer relations across the business, as well as best practice around social platforms.Define your career to date in one sentence: My role at TMW requires me to draw on every bit of experience I've gained from other roles; across PR, journalism, in-house and as a freelancerWhat job did you want when you were a child?: Firstly She-Ra, then a singer.If you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing? I'd probably have become a chef. I still might :)What is your biggest professional achievement to date? I've got a few. Taking part in the very first G20 Voice with Oxfam, launching Reputation Online for Centaur, working as content editor for the Jaguar CX16 launch, setting up a news operation for Econsultancy and being headhunted to spearhead community at TMW.What would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work?Writing without fluff, and building a team that delivers best in class community management.Who is your female role model in digital?: Marissa Mayer; a fantastic leader who manages to balance great work with family life.

Mhairi MacLeod, account manager, Storm iD

D.O.B: 23/08/1988Describe your current role in one sentence: The perky voice at the end of the phone that says anything’s possible and then tries her best to make that a reality.Define your career to date in one sentence: Like a Jammy Dodger, a very lucky Jammy Dodger.What job did you want when you were a child?Magician’s assistantIf you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?I trained as a theatre critic so I’d like to think four years at uni weren’t totally misspent and I’d cut it as a hack.What is your biggest professional achievement to date?I used to work as Web Editor for the Edinburgh International Film Festival; being employed to interrogate some of the world’s most renowned film talent will always be up there in a slow motion montage of my working life so far.What would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work? Interviewing Gael Garcia Bernal (The Silence of Sleep, The Motorcycle Diaries) on the red carpet at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and having to ask him to repeat his answer, “once more, with feeling”…luckily he saw the funny side.Who is your female role model in digital?I don’t have one role model as such, instead I really admire the female entrepreneurs on websites like Folksy and Asos Marketplace who are fearless in the digital domain; treating it like a playground where you have to be really agile but can make great return on investment with minimal overheads.

Kate Ross, commercial director, Eight & Four

D.O.B: 06/03/1984Describe your current role in one sentence: I head up all new business for the award winning digital strategy agency, eight&fourDefine your career to date in one sentence: A whirlwind six years in digital marketing consultancy – the last four of which has been the set-up, running and exponential growth of the London based digital agency eight&fourWhat job did you want when you were a child? I always wanted to run my own business – at the age of 6, I had no interest in dolls, I instead spent my time selling my parents’ belongings to the neighbours on a stall in the front garden!If you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?: I love live news and travel – so in a different life I’d be a Television Journalist – travelling the world reporting on all the latest world eventsWhat is your biggest professional achievement to date?Signing contracts for eight&four’s new offices in Soho this month was extraordinary. Myself and my business partner Amy started this business from a dining room table at the age of 24, with a laptop and a mobile phone, and no contacts, no portfolio. To have our own digital agency in Soho less than four years later, working with clients around the globe, is the stuff that dreams are made ofWhat would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work? I would like to be remembered for someone who took the initiative to build a successful business, and give meaningful and exciting careers to a large number of people, when the global economy was at its lowest ebbWho is your female role model in digital?It may be obvious, but Martha Lane Fox without a doubt – reading her stories of building and launching Lastminute.com, when everyone said it wouldn’t work, is just inspiring. Sheer determination is a lesson that is sometimes hard to abide by, but women like that make you think twice about giving up.

Iona McPherson, communications & international marketing manager, Scottish Government

D.O.B: 15/02/1984Describe your current role in one sentence:Bringing Scots and Scots-at-heart around the worlda flavour of Scotland through social media - with over 50,000 followers we get really useful qualitative (and quantitative!) interaction on postings be it video, pictures, news articles or a straight forward status update.Define your career to date in one sentence:An education...!!!What job did you want when you were a child?Draw and Paint. Paleontologist was on the wish list too butI can barely spell that even at 28...If you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?:I used to work for Mulberry while i was a student - so I'd probably still be there, if not for the staff discount alone!!What is your biggest professional achievement to date?I've had greatopportunities to be involved in some huge events - the Olympics in Glasgow, Scotland Week in America and Royal Week are a few recent examples. While it's not a personal achievement, these experiences have given me hands-on involvement in a huge scope of different projects - and deadlines...What would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work?That I'm happy to roll my sleeves up and get stuck in - no matter what level the job is, as long as it needs done.

Emily Witham, regional director (Wales), Precedent

D.O.B: 22/05/1984Describe your current role in one sentence: As head of Precedent’s Cardiff studio, I’m responsible for managing day-to-day operations, leading our regional strategy for developing our presence across Wales, the South West and the Midlands, and also delivering strategic UX projects for key local and national accounts.Define your career to date in one sentence:A steep learning curve: from developing practical and strategic UX skills, through to building successful relationships with clients, and now, building my understanding of how to run a business and lead a team.What job did you want when you were a child?I wanted to be a newsreader – it seemed like quite a fun and glamorous job, and I think I liked the idea of being the first to know all the breaking news stories.If you had taken a different career path, what would you be doing?I love travelling and I started my career in international development, so if I hadn’t moved into digital I would hopefully be working in some exotic location overseas!What is your biggest professional achievement to date?I think taking on my current role is my biggest achievement (and greatest challenge!) so far – I work with a fantastic team of people, and it’s really exciting to work with them to plan how we can continue to build the team, grow our regional offer and improve the creative work we do. I was also really proud to have a hand in developing our international research services at Precedent - heading out to China to set up and run some of our first usability labs was a fantastic experience, and quite a unique opportunity.What would you like to be remembered for, in terms of work:I would like to be remembered for doing meaningful work – whether it’s giving a client fresh insights that help them see their digital offer in a new way, producing great user experiences that perhaps helps a charity continue doing great work, or building a team that delivers some of the best creative in the industry. Who is your female role model in digital?Jenni Williams (Director of Strategy at Precedent) - I’ve worked closely alongside Jenni throughout my time at Precedent, and have learned a huge amount from her. I’ve seen her produce some of our best work, build strong relationships with clients on our most challenging projects, and make managing a team look effortless. She always has time for everyone and no matter how stressful the situation, she’s always calm and tackles it with a smile on her face. She’s the person you want around in a crisis, and you want to go to the pub with afterwards too! I’ve been lucky to have her as my mentor, and to be able to call her a friend.

Charlotte Jeffries, digital marketing manager for PPC, ASOS

Describe your current role in one sentence: I look after the Global PPC channel for ASOS.Praise for Charlotte: “Charlotte immediately demonstrated her paid search expertise and is clearly very competent and knowledgeable in this channel, she is full of insights and consistently presents new, exciting and relevant opportunities for growth. Charlotte also applied herself well to the ASOS multi-territory email and affiliate activity, her enthusiasm and creativity meant that she fitted perfectly in to the ASOS International Marketing Team. Charlotte is very conscientious and clearly dedicated to delivering high standard campaigns and excellent results: she is and will be a great asset to any digital marketing team.” (Vicky Coaten, previously International Digital Marketing Coordinator at ASOS).