The emPOWER Breakfast 2025 Speakers
February 5th 2025
Framestore, Arrival 9.45 - Talk Commences 10.15
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‘Beyond the Brief: A Producer's Story of Strength, Care, and Redefining Success in Leadership’
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Sally Miller, Deputy Head of TV at Hogarth since April 2019, has been responsible for award winning campaigns across both traditional TV and more recently Socials, for most of her career. Sally has worked across agencies - WCRS, Lowe Worldwide and Ogilvy, working her way up from Production Assistant to Deputy.
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During her 25 years in the industry, Sally has been a sought after Producer based on her reputation for being calm under pressure, her positive can-do attitude, and her brilliant people skills. Sally is passionate about the next generation of producers and giving a really robust foundation in training. Sally has been involved with the nonprofit organisation ‘The Voice of a Woman' that celebrates women working in film who even asked Sally to represent herself at their 'made by her' award ceremony. Sally was also thrilled to be selected by the British portrait and fashion photographer and director Rankin who took Sally's portrait in 2018 as part of a series on working women that he was doing.
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Sally's journey hasn't been plain sailing and she has significant stories to share on loss, not least more recently with her family caring for her Mother who has been living with Alzheimer's. Despite these experiences Sally is one of the most positive people you will ever hope to meet and we look forward to learning Sally's recipe for positivity through adversity.
March 5th 2025
Framestore, Arrival 9.45 - Talk Commences 10.15
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‘Changing ‘The Change’: How Vulnerability Around Menopause emPOWERS Workplace Culture’
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Melissa Robertson has been in the industry for 30 years, starting at Grey London before joining Miles Calcraft Briginshaw Duffy in its infancy, and later becoming Managing Director. She was a co-founder of the creative agency, Now; was a Director of the women's lifestyle platform, The Pool; and has been a vocal supporter of gender equality.
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She is now CEO of Dark Horses, a creative agency focused on sport, fitness and health. She has written extensively about how businesses need to more actively respond to the challenges of menopause and has created an open source Menopause Policy for any business to adapt and use as their own. She is also a director of the not-for-profit organisation, Menopause Mandate.
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April 2nd 2025
Ogilvy, Arrival 9.45 - Talk Commences 10.15
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‘A Clear Vision: How Sobriety Launched My Leadership Journey at No.8’
Barny Wright is Managing Director and founding partner of No.8, one of London's most prolific boutique post houses. After serving as head of production at Big Buoy, Barny partnered with creative director Jim Allen to launch No.8 in April 2019, quickly establishing it as an award-winning creative sound and vision studio.
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Beyond his role as an industry leader, where he regularly serves on awards juries and actively participates in the APA and other industry forums, Barny is passionate about breaking stigmas around sobriety in the creative industry.
Drawing from his own transformative six-year journey of sobriety, he mentors others exploring their relationship with alcohol and drugs, demonstrating how personal growth and professional success can flourish hand in hand.
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May 7th 2025
Framestore, Arrival 9.45 - Talk Commences 10.15
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‘Get Sh*t Done: How Bold Moves Drive Creative Breakthroughs and Push Boundaries’
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Rebecca Rowntree is a Creative Director at Leo Burnett London. Her passion is to craft emotive and engaging campaigns that genuinely move people. Over the last 15 years, she's created campaigns at the forefront of social and digital for a range of different brands including Nike, Sainsbury's, Uber, PlayStation and Hasbro. Rebecca was also part of the multi-award-winning 'Wombstories' campaign for Bodyform, which aimed to open up numerous narratives and break taboos surrounding the experiences of people with wombs.
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Named by Campaign Magazine and Creative equals 'Top 30 Future Leaders 2022' and The Dots '100 trailblazers redefining the creative industry'; she firmly believes that there is a better advertising world out there - whether that's inside the industry where she contributes by hosting her Get Sh*t Done podcast and events or on the outside by trying to create campaigns that portray a more diverse and realistic world.
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June 6th 2025
Ogilvy, Arrival 9.45 - Talk Commences 10.15
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‘Beyond the Breakup: The Parents Promise and Changing the Culture of Separation in the UK’
Ex Leagas Delaney MD and Brand Marketeer (Unilever Global Brand Equity Director) James Hayhurst is founder of The Magic Sauce Course, a course designed to enhance relationships between Ad agency and Brand clients, focussing on communication and empathy.
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James is also the founder of the Positive Parenting Alliance and creator of the Parents Promise. Having experienced up close the multitude of issues in the family courts and the numbers of children and parents affected by parents breaking up, James wanted to begin a new conversation about separation so in May 2021 the Parents Promise was launched. Backed by over 20 organisations ranging from the likes of children's mental health charity Place2Be to Relate to Black Mums Upfront, the aim of the Alliance is to effect important cultural change around separation in the UK and beyond. In January 2023 the Alliance launched a ground- breaking HR initiative encouraging a number of large UK corporations including Tesco, ASDA, Natwest and Unilever to sign up to recognise separation as a major 'life event'. This year they are focussing on separation and the impact on schools. In his own family life James is also a doting father to three girls including his preverbal Autistic 7 year old daughter who gives him a new perspective on life everyday.
Event picture gallery coming soon!
July 7th 2025
Framestore, Arrival 9.45 - Talk Commences 10.15
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‘Beyond the Forecast: Weathering the Storm Of Online Abuse’
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Jen Bartram is an award-winning BBC TV presenter and communication coach who is passionate about empowering people to tell their stories.
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Jen has spent more than 20 years on screen as a journalist and weather presenter, fronting live TV and radio broadcasts for BBC One, BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 4, BBC 5 Live and the BBC World Service. In 2022, she won the Royal Television Society award for Innovation during the pandemic, after lockdown led her to turn her two bedroomed flat into a fully- functioning TV weather studio.
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Jen is also a qualified lecturer and previously held the post of course leader in Radio and Digital Media at the University of West London and in recent years has begun working as a communication coach, teaching storytelling and body language skills. She is passionate about helping other people develop confidence in presenting and communication.
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August 6th 2025
Ogilvy, Arrival 9.45 - Talk Commences 10.15
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‘Breaking the Silence: How Sharing Men's Stories Create’s Powerful Paths to Healing’
Perry Power is an actor and entrepreneur, and the founder of Be Powerful, a movement dedicated to empowering trauma survivors to reclaim their voices through storytelling, film, and community. Through his flagship company, Powerful Books, Perry and his team have helped many survivors find healing through the process of writing their stories, which they then publish to impact others.
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Perry launched a production company to bring these books to life on the big screen. Currently, his team produces impactful short-form video stories with plans to expand into full-length films as the company grows.
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September 10th 2025
Framestore, Arrival 9.45 - Talk Commences 10.15
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‘Thriving Through Leadership: Building an Agency on Emotional Intelligence’
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Rani Patel is Co-Founder and Managing Director of CALLING, an advertising agency launched in 2023 with a mission to create big brand ideas that travel, meeting today's audiences wherever they are by inviting more underrepresented voices in advertising. Under her leadership, CALLING has rapidly secured major brand transformations for Dr. Martens, Interflora, and PG Tips, including ground-breaking work with Sir Steve McQueen.
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A recognised industry trailblazer with nearly 20 years' experience, Rani has consistently broken new ground in representation and purpose-driven advertising. Her portfolio includes Adidas London's female visibility campaign, Speedo's #SwimUnited initiative promoting diversity in swimming, and Coppafeel!'s landmark breast cancer awareness campaign that changed UK broadcasting standards. In response to George Floyd's death, she co-founded #BrandShareTheMic, creating opportunities for over 60 young black content creators across mainstream brands reaching 6 million organically.
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Named one of Campaign's Top 10 Trailblazers and an Adweek "Future Is Female" award winner, Rani is a powerful voice for change in advertising, regularly contributing to Vogue, Campaign Magazine, and Marketing Society. Her journey from Iris to global business development at Ogilvy, and now as an agency founder, demonstrates her commitment to proving that brands can drive both societal change and commercial success. Rani is committed to approaching business in a conscious, empathic and emotionally intelligent way - empowering her teams to take ownership of their creativity, delivering excellence to forward thinking brands.
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October 15th 2025
Framestore, Arrival 9.45 - Talk Commences 10.15
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‘Embracing the Struggle: Alchemising Adversity into Achievement’
A creative, strategic hybrid, Mia lends her skills to develop and nurture teams and talent to create award-winning work.
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Mia has worked for many highly established businesses across the advertising, media, and fashion landscape. Her previous tenure at PRETTYBIRD as Head of Business and Strategy, where she was known for her forward-thinking approach and acute understanding of the directors' roster, has been instrumental to the team's growth and success over the years. Mia has also held roles at other highly esteemed companies, developing the commercial arm of Sir Steve McQueen's production company Lammas Park as well as various roles within agencies, MullenLowe and Iris Worldwide.
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Mia's transition to Caviar marks an exciting new chapter, fostering a synergistic environment where creativity and strategic insight, paired with Caviar's already fantastic production capabilities; drive the creation of compelling, globally resonant content.
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Mia's passion lies in collaboration, working on projects with agencies and direct-to-brand to create boundary-breaking and nuanced films across all branded platforms, including commercials, social media, brand-funded entertainment, and beyond.
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Mia is also a strong advocate for change and continues to champion marginalized and underrepresented voices, working with several initiatives such as the Common People, Shiny Awards, Brixton Finishing School, and ELAM.
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November 12th 2025
Ogilvy, Arrival 9.45 - Talk Commences 10.15
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‘Pride in Leadership: Creating Inclusive Agency Culture from Within’
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Matt Craigie Atherton is a Founder of New Commercial Arts, and their Chief Production Officer. NCA has recently be acquired by WPP and hence has become part of the Ogilvy Group UK.
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Previously he was also CPO at Mother London, and prior to that a Head of Integrated Production at adam&eveDDB, for years, having joined the original start-up adam&eve in 2009. There, he produced much of the famous Christmas work for the John Lewis Partnership, including their proven "most effective campaign" "The Long Wait' in 2011. And in 2014 he produced the Cannes Lions Grand Prix winning 'Monty the Penguin'. Other notable campaigns include the 2015 PepsiCo & Muppets film 'Be More Tea', in 2017 the Superbowl spot 'Romance' for Skittles, and in 2022 the international launch of the 'Mountain of Entertainment' for Paramount+. Amongst freelance stints at various creative shops including CHI, Grey and MAL, he had actually started out by working for leading UK production company Blink for 5 years before moving agency side in 2008.
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Matt is a passionate advocate for equal rights within the advertising industry, supports several LGBTQ+ & Equality projects and schemes, to help encourage & develop new talent. He has also always been a champion of home-grown talent, supporting the Advertising Producers Association, and the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising.
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December 3rd 2025
Framestore, Arrival 9.45 - Talk Commences 10.15
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‘The Motherload: The Truth About Motherhood in Adland’
Zoe Scaman is the founder of Bodacious, a strategy studio dedicated to exploring the new frontiers of innovation within brands and entertainment.
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With over 20 years of experience and a futurist's lens, Zoe crafts transformative strategies that harness emerging technologies and cultural shifts to create impact. Her client roster includes iconic brands such as Nike, Netflix, Oatly, Unilever, EA Games, Coca-Cola, and Snapchat, all of whom rely on her expertise to shape their strategies for an evolving landscape.
Zoe co-authored The New Creator Manifesto, forecasting the shift from the creator economy to the community economy, and her essay Mad Men. Furious Women, a powerful commentary on systemic harassment in the advertising industry, drew international attention, with coverage in The Times, The Guardian, and Fast Company. Receiving excessive harassment and online aggression because of it.
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Recently, Zoe published The Motherload, a report shedding light on the harsh realities of motherhood within the ad industry-detailing the mental load, burnout, and systemic challenges that mothers face in balancing careers and family.
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