Anna Higgs - Head of Entertainment, Facebook

Anna Higgs is a creative leader working at the forefront of storytelling and audiences.

As Head of Entertainment Media Partnerships for Northern Europe at Facebook, Anna leads a team partnering with producers, music artists, creators and public figures to help connect great work with the right audiences. Because side hustles are all the rage, Anna is also a columnist for Creative Review, specialising in career coaching advice for creatives with the ‘Ask Anna’ monthly feature and is Deputy Chair of the BAFTA Film Committee.

Before joining Facebook Anna was Creative Director at global culture channel NOWNESS, bringing the best emerging and established filmmakers together with bold audience strategies. During her time there, she developed, commissioned, produced and distributed dozens of series, hundreds of single films and curated thousands of acquired short films. She also spearheaded a move to 50/50 gender balanced commissioning across all films, winning a Webby Award for Best Cultural Site along the way.

Prior to NOWNESS, she was a commissioner and Head of Digital at Film4, leading cinematic innovation with projects including Ben Wheatley’s A Field in England, Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard’s 20,000 Days on Earth, Ken Loach’s The Spirit of ’45 and Lenny Abrahamson’s Frank. This move built on a strong track record as an independent producer working across film, TV and digital projects.

Anna’s work has seen her named as one Creative Review's ‘Creative Leaders 50’, alongside the likes of Felix Barret, Gorillaz and Maria Balshaw. In 2012 she was selected as one of the inaugural Time Out ‘Culture 100’, a celebration of the innovators, visionaries and pioneers behind what's now and what's next. A search for the most original and influential people in the UK creative and media industries alongside creative innovators such as Danny Boyle, Stella McCartney, Grayson Perry, Jonathan Ive, Zadie Smith, Thomas Heatherwick and Alan Rusbridger.

Zach Leonard - Managing Director, Digital, Evening Standard & The Independent

Zach Leonard is Managing Director, Digital, for The Independent and London Evening Standard titles of Lebedev Holdings. He has previously led digital for The Times and Sunday Times, and The Financial Times, launching FT.com’s subscription model in 2002. Before specialising in digital and social media, Zach developed his marketing expertise within New York advertising agencies and at Fidelity Investments, building interactive channels for clients and consumers. He is a Trustee of the Contemporary Art Society, which invests in emerging artists to place their work in public UK public collections.

Rob Greig - Chief Technology Officer, Royal Opera House

Robert Greig is the Chief  Technology  Officer at the Royal Opera House and is in this position responsible for the way the Royal Opera House uses digital platforms to broadcast its content. As a pioneering cultural institution using the digital shift to its own advantages, Robert Greig will talk about assets and drawbacks of this approach.

Prior to his position at the Royal Opera House Robert Greig worked as Operations and ICT Manger for the Curve Theater as well as IS Manager for Sheffield International Venues.

Rachel Ball - Manager, Content Partnerships, YouTube

Rachel is the Manager of Content and Partnerships at YouTube, therefrom working in one of the core fields of digital content promotion and distribution.

Some of Rachel’s previous work-experience include senior positions at leading global media institutions, inter alia PHD Media, Moxie Pictures and Jessica Brown Productions.

James Bromley - Managing Director, MailOnline.com, Daily Mail

James is the founder of Fire Radio, a UK-based dance music radio station in 1999 and a small student mobile phone sales enterprise. In 2008 Bromley become Managing Director of Mail Online, the online presence of The Daily Mail, a London based newspaper. Due to Bromley’s focus on free content MailOnline is now the UK's largest online newspaper with 44mil unique visitors each month.

Bromley is also member of the Board the UK Association of Online Publishers as well as director of the British Interactive Media Association.