The Drum's 50 under 30 2015: We unveil the pioneers shaking up the digital industry

This year's 50 talented women were selected by an esteemed panel of judges, including bosses from Google, AOL and Maxus, following a call for industry nominations.

Featuring individuals from Smirnoff, IBM and Gleam, the calibre of candidates showcases the breadth of digital talent and each day this week we have been profiling 10 of the final candidates in alphabetical order.

Scroll down to see some of the trailblazers who made it on to the list and find out what inspires them most.

Lucy Lendrem, group talent manager, Gleam Futures

What does your average day look like?

I travel a lot. So I could be on a magazine cover shoot, negotiating multiple deals, speaking at an event or talking to brands and agencies about social talent and how to work with them.

How would your colleagues describe you?

Workaholic. Particular; I like things to be done in a certain way!

If you weren’t in digital, what would you be doing?

Interior design. When I’m not working, I’m hunting down unique pieces for my apartment or frantically browsing Pinterest for inspiration.

Lauren Lennard, marketing manager, Sift Digital

What’s been your biggest career highlight to date?

Being in a role that I enjoy and which challenges me every single day.

How would your colleagues describe you?

I think they might say that I am a little spreadsheet crazy. I believe that good data and analysis coupled with detailed planning delivers the best results. This means that I have a lot of spreadsheets.

If you weren’t in digital, what would you be doing?

Giving Tarantino a run for his money.

Kizzy Lilburne, brand manager, Smirnoff Europe, Diageo

What does your average day look like?

I spend a lot of time trying to inspire everyone behind one vision and end up doing a lot of terrible drawings to bring my ideas to life. I also work a lot with my agency, plotting ways we can give back to our fans through our digital presence.

How would your colleagues describe you?

Energetic, enthusiastic, passionate and quietly (or sometimes vocally) opinionated. I like to be friends with the people I work with and try to be myself with everyone I meet as I think authenticity is incredibly important.

Stephanie Love, managing consultant, IBM Interactive Experience

What’s been your biggest career highlight to date?

Very early on in my career I worked jointly with Ogilvy to create a mobile app for Wimbledon. It proved to me what can actually be achieved when combining tech and creativity.

How would your colleagues describe you?

Ginger. Honest. Fun.

If you weren’t in digital, what would you be doing?

I would hopefully be rivalling Kevin McCloud in property development. I love the idea of buying a run down house and doing it up to create something amazing.

Bianca May, account director, iCrossing

What does your average day look like?

I could be based in Brighton, London or even Munich. I might be brainstorming creative solutions to client problems, leading strategic planning meetings, attending management meetings or even dealing with issues of conflict. It’s exciting, challenging and a lot of fun.

Who inspires you most, either professionally or personally?

Richard Branson’s ‘think big’ approach has inspired me to challenge, question and dream in order to be the best I can be at work. Personally, my partner, who’s a teacher – I wish I’d been taught by people like him.

Charlotte McMurray, digital performance director, Silverbean

What’s been your biggest career highlight to date?

Being appointed as digital performance director. I joined the company in an entry-level SEO role, so working my way up the ranks is an achievement I’m very proud of.

How would your colleagues describe you?

Approachable, enthusiastic and opinionated, each of which can be double-edged sword. I have a reputation as a ‘do-er’ and often get pulled into new projects. I wouldn’t change that, but I tend to get distracted by new, shiny things, so I have to prioritise carefully to avoid getting carried away.

Maria Rosario Mestre, data scientist, Skimlinks

What does your average day look like?

I spend most of the time coding new models to predict user behaviour. Once a model is ready, I need to measure its effectiveness in terms of business value. I also work jointly with the engineers at Skimlinks to turn the models into data products.

If you weren’t in digital, what would you be doing?

I would probably be working as an engineer, which was my original intention when I started studying electrical and electronic engineering at university.

Jemma Moran, digital marketing manager, River Cottage

What’s been your biggest career highlight to date?

Probably the relaunch of the River Cottage website – it was such a massive project and I was proud to be at the helm. I remember getting up at 3am and was relieved to see the new site up. That day went on to feature lots of coffee.

If you weren’t in digital, what would you be doing?

In another life, I could definitely see myself in publishing, as an editor. I’m a big fan of books and few things make me happier than correcting other people’s mistakes (with a red pen).

Cara Parish, group marketing director, Cult LDN

What’s been your biggest career highlight to date?

There’s been many moments of excitement, pride and certainly relief since I first started my career. Moving to Brazil to set up a company in the burgeoning market wasn’t exactly the safest option for a couple of female fresh grads, but it was certainly a challenge and an incredible highlight.

How would your colleagues describe you?

Apparently the word is ‘positive’.

If you weren’t in digital, what would you be doing?

Travelling around the world with a backpack, bicycle and notebook (paper, not computer!)

Hannah Pitman, head of acquisition, Starcom MediaVest

How would your colleagues describe you?

They would say I’m always on the go. Fierce and determined, I don’t suffer fools gladly and I always have high expectations of myself. I always try and make an effort to help others and teach and mentor my team. I would like to think I’m quite approachable.

If you weren’t in digital, what would you be doing?

I have a degree in forensic biology and still have a strong passion for science and criminology so I think I would be practicing forensics or pathology.