After nearly three years in advertising, overseeing global brands such as SNICKERS, Virgin and BMW, I joined The Valuable 500 in June 2023 as CEO. I believe in the power of brands and business to make impactful change and am passionate about working with businesses to create inclusive workplaces and create accessible products and services ensuring that no one is left behind or left out.
How many years have you been a judge?
This is my first year!
What are your responsibilities in your current role and what do you love most about your job?
As CEO of The Valuable 500, I lead our brilliant team and build partnerships with companies and expert members to deliver our mission: ending disability exclusion in business. What I love most is meeting remarkable people every day, from business, government, sport and entertainment, across every corner of the globe. They all share the belief that no one should be left behind. We’re a small team with an enormous network, and I learn something new every single day. In a tough world, that generosity and diversity of perspective is genuinely humbling.
What inspired you to pursue your career path?
I spent my career in advertising, believing in the power and responsibility of brands to drive change. Everything shifted when I worked on a disability representation campaign for Maltesers, which won Channel 4’s Diversity in Advertising competition. I saw first-hand how creativity can change perceptions, and how telling new stories from different perspectives is not only the right thing to do but a powerful driver of growth. That conviction led me to The Valuable 500.
What was your first job in the industry? What did it teach you?
I started as a graduate trainee in advertising. It taught me hard work, resilience and communication, and above all the importance of human relationships. It also showed me early on that creativity and storytelling are huge commercial drivers of growth.
What do you look for to determine excellence in video?
Disruption. I want work that stops me in my tracks and makes me think differently. The best stories hook you with something relatable and stay with you long after they end. I also deeply value craft. In the age of AI, technology is a huge enabler, but human creativity and craftsmanship are what deliver true excellence.
What initiatives or projects are you working on now that excite you?
I’m especially excited about Representation, launching soon. Building on ART, we’re developing a practical pathway for our Iconic and Impact Partners to embed disability inclusion within productions and content creation. It will offer hands-on training, implementation support and access to specialist partners, helping organisations turn assessment findings into meaningful action, and bringing authentic representation into the heart of how content is made.
Tell us about a moment of recognition that had an effect on you – whether personal or official? What does recognition mean to you and why is it important in our industry?
Winning Channel 4’s Diversity in Advertising competition in 2016 with Maltesers. As an advertising executive, I had thought about representation in terms of gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation, but never disability, which affects one in five people globally. The competition was an awakening. Telling authentic stories of young women with disabilities, then seeing the campaign become one of Maltesers’ most successful ever, proved that inclusion and commercial success go hand in hand. Recognition like this matters because it shows the industry what’s possible and raises the bar for everyone.
Do you have any specific practices you lean on to spark creativity?
Conversation. Reading, arts and culture all help, but often the biggest spark comes from talking to people, sometimes unexpectedly, like a taxi driver or someone you meet whilst waiting in line, with a completely different take on things. Staying open-minded, accepting that we’re all works in progress and seeking out other people’s perspectives keeps me learning and growing.
What excites you about judging for the Telly Awards?
This is my first time judging an award of such prestige and global reach. Since 1979, the Telly Awards have celebrated excellence in video across every screen, and I love that the work spans such a diverse range of formats, genres and countries. Seeing that breadth of creativity, and recognising stories that move people and drive change, is a real privilege.
