The Big Digital Debate: The Panel

The Big Digital Debate pannel - Who is who

Sarah Power, marketing director, Burger King, UK and Eire

Dublin-born Sarah Power is a classically trained FMCG marketeer, who cut her teeth as retail brand manager at Bewley’s in Dublin in 1999. From 2000 until 2003, Power occupied a number of other high profile roles within the Bewley Group Business, including group marketing manager and a role launching Bewley’s the brand to the UK market.

In 2003 Power took up a senior brand manager role at Richmond & Porkinsons. Accepting a role as senior brand manager for Mattesons in 2005, Power was part of a strategically chosen team of four who were tasked with the relaunch of the Mattesons Meat brand. A role as marketing manager at Mattesons & Kerry Foods followed before Power joined Burger King in 2006.

David Hilton, marketing director, Sony Ericsson UK & Ireland

David has led marketing teams in the internet and mobile markets since 1996. He led various internet product and commercial marketing teams at BT while helping to set up what is now BT Vision. This set him in good stead for his current role at Sony Ericsson.

As well as building the brand and driving sales he also enjoys keeping busy bringing internet services and content into the UK mobile arena. One of his last achievements whilst at BT was taking to market a digital content micropayments service – and given the much lower appetite for paid content it’s a business case he’s glad he didn’t put his own money into!

Daren Rubins, managing director, PHD

Daren is a rare breed because he always knew he wanted to work in advertising, maybe all those hours spent watching Darrin, the advertising executive husband of Samantha in Bewitched, had something to do with it. Across the last twenty years, Rubins has worked at two creative agencies, as well as enjoying stints at Carat, MediaCom and MediaVest.

He has spent the last nine years at PHD, heading up business such as BT, Expedia and the BBC. In his spare time, he is responsible for developing a new industry qualification, The Advanced Certificate in Communications Planning and Execution, on behalf of the IPA.

Grant Millar, managing director, Vizeum

Grant joined Vizeum as managing director five years ago, where one of his first tasks was to integrate 25 seasoned digital experts into the agency. In the mid 1990s Grant was one of the first people in a UK media agency to plan and buy online media, for Barclays PC (later Internet Banking).

He switched client-side in 1998, becoming BT's head of planning and Media where a highlight was overseeing the original marketing communications launch of broadband into the UK. This and his Vizeum-client experience has made him a passionate advocate of a wholly integrated and collaborative approach to on and offline communications and the need for a different approach to media.

Stephen Haines, UK commercial director, Facebook

Stephen Haines is the UK commercial director at Facebook where he brings more than a decade of sales experience to the team. Haines possesses skill in both creating and developing profitable commercial relationships at senior level, which is fundamental in his strategic role at Facebook where he will be responsible for driving revenue growth.

Haines spent the last four years at Yahoo! UK & Ireland as head of agency strategy, generating consistent year on year double-digit revenue growth. His ability to pick winning partnerships, opportunities and technologies will be the driving force in his role at Facebook.

Alex Hole, digital commercial director

Alex joined News International as digital trading director in November 2008 and is responsible for the commercial activity across News International's digital products including thesundaytimes.co.uk, thetimes.co.uk and www.thesun.co.uk and www.newsoftheworld.co.uk.

Previously he worked at The Daily Telegraph, joining in 1994 and working across display sales, before heading up a commercial development team responsible for delivery of innovative advertising solutions using online, data and print. Hole left The Telegraph in 2001 and joined Tiscali UK Ltd, the pan European ISP as UK sales director responsible for building their media offering in the UK and coordinating their sales strategy across 16 countries. Over the last three years at Tiscali he was commercial and media director responsible for their award winning portal.

This article was first published on mediaweek.co.uk