Simon Walker - Founder & CEO, Marquee TV (Netflix for arts & culture fans)

Simon Walker is a founder, investor and advisor working where the creative industries meet digital technology.

Simon’s vehicle, Maidthorn Partners, is the UK’s specialist incubator for global passion niches.

Founded in 2008, and based in London and New York, the Maidthorn group are venture builders supported by an elite global network of over 150 senior experts across media, music, arts, fashion, publishing, entertainment, sports and technology.

Maidthorn is passionate about building valuable digital-first brands in global content-led niches. The group successfully creates, incubates, funds and launches new ventures – some with partners, some on our own. Examples of Maidthorn teams delivering our mission of ‘super-serving the under-served’ include Love Home Swap (sold to Wyndham Hotels in August 2017 for $50m), Marquee TV and CountryLine.

In a world of serial entrepreneurs working with broad portfolio VCs, Simon is proud to take a different approach he calls ‘parallel entrepreneurship’ – building a family of related ventures that leverage the brightest and best in the Maidthorn network. All Maidthorn ventures have female founders and female investors. #MadeByMaidthorn.

With his expertise and experience in global niches and growth ventures, Simon and his team also support strategy and development for a diverse portfolio of clients – from the most successful global media and technology groups to the most disruptive digital challengers.

Simon’s background is as an accomplished innovator with over twenty-five years’ experience in the digital and creative industries. As leader of the global strategy & business development functions at the BBC, EMI Music and EMAP plc, Simon was at the heart of the media and entertainment business’s transformation to digital in the 90s and 00s.

Simon holds an MA from Keble College, Oxford and lives between central London and coastal Dorset with wife Kirsty and their three daughters.

Nicole Yershon - Director, Ogilvy Labs

Nicole Yershon began her career in advertising 25 years ago at Simons Palmer and GGT. She joined Ogilvy in 2000 with a brief from the chairman to “bring the agency into the 21st Century”. In doing so, Nicole has overhauled the agency’s broadcast and video editing facility, making Ogilvy London the lead agency in the Group for the management and broadcast of digital assets. In 2008, Ogilvy London’s Digital Innovation Lab was founded, fuelling unprecedented creative campaigns and building partnerships between industries and across media channels thus pushing the agency’s innovation activities.

Adam Freeman - Managing Director EMEA, Bloomberg Media

Adam Freeman is the first Managing Director of Bloomberg Media for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, responsible for leading Bloomberg’s multi-platform media operation - comprising web, mobile, television, digital video, print magazines and live events - across the regions.

Prior to joining Bloomberg in May 2014, Freeman founded and ran Mutual Media, a digital advertising start-up, and served as Chairman for Metropolis Music Group, Europe's most successful music recording, creative and production studio.

Previously, Freeman served a 13-year tenure at The Guardian – most recently as Executive Director of Guardian News and Media – where he worked alongside the editorial leadership to drive the digital transformation of its print brands and spearheaded the expansion of its global commercial operations. Freeman held a variety of positions at The Guardian, including Director of Media Consumer Media and Digital, General Manager; and leadership roles in sales and marketing, publishing, advertising and business development.

Based in London, his interests outside work include coaching rugby, all things digital and trying to keep up with his young family.

Simon Cronshaw - Co-Founder, REMIX Summits

Cultural entrepreneur & Co-founder of REMIX Summits - further details and full bio →