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.

Lea Simpson - Strategy Director, TH_NK

Lea is Strategy Director at TH_NK, a new kind of digital agency that combines the smarts of consultancy with the flair of a creative agency. In her role, Lea heads up the agency’s consulting practice, which includes Data Science, Strategy and Business Analysis. She is also a writer, speaker and general tech pundit. She tends to write and talk about technology, business, innovation and how they intersect with culture.

Terence Teh - Editor, Nowness

NOWNESS is the award-winning video channel premiering exclusive, daily films celebrating the very best in global art and design, music, fashion and beauty, food and travel and culture. Over the past year, NOWNESS has won two Lovie Awards, a Webby Award and a Berlin Fashion Film Festival award. Leading contemporary culture through film.

Jo Holdaway - Director of Strategic and Commercial Data, Evening Standard, Independent & i

Stephen Nuttall - Senior Director, YouTube EMEA

Steve joined Google in 2012 and is responsible for all of YouTube’s partnerships in EMEA. The region represents about 40% of YouTube’s world-wide business.

He was formerly Group Commercial Director of BSkyB. Prior to this, he was a founder of Sportal.com, commercial director of ENIC Sports, and Business Development Director of Telepiu (now Sky Italia).

He is a member of BAFTA, the Royal Television Society, the MCC and the Queen's Club.