Power 100: Next Generation

Hailing from a diverse range of brands - from Unilever and Marks & Spencer to Virgin Radio and Cobra Beer - each of the young men and women featured on these pages took a differing route into the industry. However, one thing that they all have in common is the huge impact they have had on the brands for which they work.

Alex Kelly, 29

Job title Menswear marketing manager, Marks & Spencer

Achievements Having run Marks & Spencer's most successful menswear campaign to date - a glossy, through-the-line drive starring Take That - Kelly is marked as one to watch. An extrovert who studied animal science at university, he is at home behind the camera, overseeing shoots for the brand's camp-aigns, and has brought photographers such as Bryan Adams and David Bailey into the M&S fold. Kelly started out at marketing agency Storm, where he worked on brands including Moss Bros and Hugo Boss.

Dream job 'Heading up a dynamic and innovative fashion brand.'

Advice 'Don't specialise too soon unless you are really excited by the sector. Find your consumer through multiple channels.'

Peter Charles, 30

Job title Senior brand manager, PepsiCo UK & Ireland

Achievements Known for his enthusiasm and boundless energy, Charles has made a huge impact at PepsiCo since his arrival in 2005. He took on his current role as senior brand manager on Doritos in 2006, and last year developed the 'You make it, we play it' campaign. He has moved to increase the group's digital activity with greater focus on social networking sites. Away from work Charles is a sports enthusiast and counts running and playing football among his hobbies. Dream job 'Working at Doritos: it's fun and exciting.'

Advice 'Know your market inside out.'

Lucy Gleeson, 27

Job title Business insight and strategy manager, McDonald's

Achievements Known for her sharp analytical mind, Gleeson joined the fast-food chain two years ago with a wide-ranging brief encompassing new product development and promotional marketing strategy. 2007 was something of a comeback year for the Big Mac, while new products on which Gleeson has worked include the company's premium chicken line. She also worked on its Monopoly promotion, which involved millions of pieces of tailored packaging. Her youth belies a clear determination and ambition.

Dream job 'Working on an emerging brand.'

Advice 'Choose to work for a brand you are passionate about, and always remain objective.'

Alex Brittain, 27

Job title Innovation manager, Mars

Achievements Since joining the Mars graduate scheme straight from university, Brittain has risen rapidly through the company's ranks. His latest promotion, two months ago, has put him in charge of innovation and new product development across the group. Brittain made his mark as senior brand manager on Galaxy, for which he oversaw year-on-year growth of 18% as well as its sponsor-ship of the British Book Awards and Channel 4's Sex and the City.

Dream job 'To continue the momentum I have already achieved.'

Advice 'Have confidence in your own judgement.'

David Stratton, 27

Job title Senior brand manager, Beck's, InBev

Achievements Stratton's career could have been very different - as a teenager he had trials for Grimsby Town Football Club. The soccer team's loss turned out to be InBev's gain, and Stratton has made great strides in establishing Beck's Vier in the UK and developing its 'Different by choice' positioning. The brand has been the most successful draught launch of the past 10 years, and Stratton, who describes every trip to the pub as a 'focus group', is obviously dedicated to the cause. However, he does not spend all his time at the bar - he is a keen sportsman, and ran this year's London Marathon in little over four hours.

Dream job 'To continue to work with great brands and great people.'

Advice 'Make sure you work on a brand you are passionate about.'

Anouska Feiler, 30

Job title Marketing director, Red Bull

Achievements The down-to-earth Feiler began working at Red Bull as a student brand manager in 1996. After graduating she joined the energy-drink brand's communications and athlete management team. Following stints in every one of its marketing positions, she was quickly promoted to her current role. Feiler, who is a keen surfer, clearly relishes a challenge and the freedom of working for such a fast-growing challenger brand. Under her stewardship, Red Bull has continued to punch above its weight via sponsorship of high-profile events and a content-focused marketing strategy that is the envy of many in the drinks industry.

Dream job 'I love business strategy and would love to turn a brand around.'

Advice 'Go the extra mile and trust your gut feeling. If you work hard, everything will work out well.'

Aude Neveu, 29

Job title Senior brand manager, Prada and Comme des Garcons

Achievements The epitome of French chic, Neveu landed an internship at Dior as an assistant brand manager after her graduation. Having always been attracted to the glamour of premium fashion brands and beauty products, a move to fragrance marketing was an easy decision. Since joining Prada and Comme des Garcons in 2004, Neveu has worked across the brand, from product launches to events and media campaigns. Attention to detail and building strong relationships with retailers has ensured record growth for Prada's fragrance brands.

Dream job 'Marketing director of a top luxury brand.'

Advice 'Know your market and customers if you want to be at the forefront of trends.'

Robin Fenwick, 27

Job title Marketing director, Formula One and partnerships, Hilton

Achievements Fenwick has an enviable job jetting off to Grand Prix events across the globe. It is an ideal vocation for a man who started his career in TV production at Sky Sports before moving agency-side to work at sports specialists such as Octagon. He also worked at F1 team McLaren to handle sponsorship and driver appearances - kite-surfing in Barbados and power boating with, then team driver, David Coulthard were all part of the job. Since joining Hilton in 2006, Fenwick has been promoted twice and extended its F1 rights to 2011. Definitely a man to watch.

Advice 'Sports marketing is difficult to get into; you have to start at the bottom and really work at it.'

Dream job 'This one.'

Adam Barriball, 30

Job title Communications manager, Cobra Beer

Achievements With a role that encompasses sponsorship, events, below-the-line activity and PR, it is fortunate that Barriball is extremely energetic. Following a stint agency-side in Los Angeles and a role at Aardman Animations, Barriball followed his passion for travel to Australia. After returning to London to work at Beatwax on youth marketing projects, he joined Cobra in 2005. He has since overseen marked growth of the brand, which is extending beyond a strong association with Indian restaurants into the pub and bar sector. Barriball is also on the advisory board of BIG Juice, a smoothie and juice bar brand launching this summer.

Advice 'Prioritise what is important.'

Dream job 'I love working at Cobra; it's a unique, multicultural environment.'

Cheryl Calverley, 28

Job title Marketing manager, Pot Noodle, Peperami, Marmite and Bovril, Unilever

Achievements It was the confident Calverley who oversaw Paddington Bear's defection from marmalade to Marmite. With a wide brief at Unilever spanning four of the UK's biggest food brands, she is adept at managing a demanding workload. After leaving university with a first in psychology, Calverley joined the Unilever graduate scheme and quickly decided to go into marketing. Over the past two years she has worked on product launches such as Guinness Marmite and Squeezy Marmite.

Dream job 'Working for a cutting-edge brand.'

Advice 'Never take no for an answer.'

Peter Spiers, 28

Job title Marketing executive, entertainment, E4, Channel 4

Achievements Next month, the sports-mad Spiers will depart to Sky to become senior marketing manager for 'core platform products'. The move is testament to Spiers' innovative work at C4, including campaigns for Skins and Fonejacker. Since beginning his career at Ogilvy & Mather, where he worked on the prestigious Ford account, Spiers has continually proven his worth. He likens his job to 'conducting an orchestra' - ensuring all parts of the marketing mix run smoothly.

Dream job 'The head of marketing at Burton Snowboards.'

Advice 'Make friends with as many people as you can across the industry.'

Carol Smith, 28

Job title Marketing manager, UK & Ireland, Andrex, Kimberly-Clark

Achievements After graduating from Strathclyde University, Smith swapped the Scottish mists for sunny Madrid, where she won a place on Kimberly-Clark's graduate consumer marketing programme. She became a brand manager for Andrex in 2004 and is now its marketing manager (it is the UK's biggest non-food brand). She oversaw the launch of the Andrex Quilts range, and led a tie-up with Comic Relief, which was advertised on 23m packs.

Dream job 'Managing my own beauty and cosmetics company.'

Advice 'If you feel completely safe and comfortable with an idea, it's probably been done before.'

Kevin Hydes, 29

Job title Marketing manager, Costa Coffee

Achievements Hydes did not have a typical start in marketing, having begun his career as a Whitbread restaurant manager. This might explain why he is credited with understanding the company, which owns Costa Coffee, so well. After completing a CIM qualification at night school, Hydes gained a marketing assistant role at Beefeater, before scaling the Whitbread ranks to take responsibility for Costa Coffee's £1.7m marketing budget.

Dream job 'A re-emerging fashion brand like Ben Sherman or Fred Perry would be a challenge.'

Advice 'Success doesn't always lie with the glory jobs at brands such as Innocent or Virgin. A brand you can turn around is a real challenge.'

Zaida Whittington, 29

Job title Online manager Europe, Apple

Achievements Working on the most glamorous of technology brands is perfect for Whittington, who studied business management at the London College of Fashion. After swiftly working her way through the agency world, via a stint at eBay, Whittington joined Apple where she worked on the launch of iTunes and the brand's memorable 'silhouette' campaign for the iPod. She also launched the first ad on the 3G phone network. Joking that 'my whole life is on my iPhone', she is likeable and ambitious.

Dream job 'Head of global digital at Apple; I aim to be at Apple for a long time.'

Advice 'Think creatively. Don't think something can't be done - no idea is the wrong idea.'