Abigail Hughes

Abigail Hughes is currently Director of Global Partnerships in ITV Studios. She is an accomplished and proven executive in Media with extensive expertise gained through her tenure in global organizations as a key member of high-performing senior teams at Sony Pictures and BBC Studios. With a background including independent consultantcy, Abigail has successfully contributed to a diverse array of commercial ventures and digital transformation projects with a focus on business process improvement and technology enablers. Demonstrating robust leadership skills, Abigail has played pivotal roles in business sponsorship and project leadership across numerous initiatives, earning a stellar reputation for adept stakeholder management and the successful delivery of global business transformation projects. She has spearheaded structural changes, focusing on change management, and possesses a wealth of experience in leading, expanding, merging, and streamlining teams. Abigail has also been instrumental in establishing and leading internal as well as third-party partnerships, collaborating with senior stakeholders at the board level. Her responsibilities have included devising commercial models, formulating go-to-market strategies, and ensuring the financial success of partnerships. Her expertise extends to content distribution, covering areas such as sales, rights management, technical and business operations, and commercial strategy.

MENTEE: Alex Grzesista, Delivery Lead, AdSignal 

Alex Coakley

Loyal and commercially minded with more than 15 years of experience in streaming and digital content. Specialising in the sports industry - with particular focus on the monetisation of premium rights.

MENTEE: Hannah Leigh, Project Manager, RedBee Media

Alex Redfern

Currently the CTO of EVS, Alex has lived and worked across Europe and the USA in his 15 years in the broadcast industry. Alex started in Technical Support roles, before moving towards Project Management of major sports events, then into PreSales, and currently leading the R&D team responsible for all product delivery.

MENTEE: Ceri Greenwell, Studio Manager, The Open University

Amruta Shankar

I have 20+ years of experience in driving business growth by bringing innovative technology solutions to the market. I have risen through the ranks to lead large cross-functional teams across diverse industries over my career. My formal training in Engineering and an MBA from LBS, along with mentorship from successful leaders have informed my approach to effective technology leadership.

MENTEE: Sinead Kandiah, Live Operations Supervisor, IMG

Angelica Stephenson

Angelica is a product and tech generalist, with tenacity, discipline, flair and an eye for detail without losing sight of the bigger picture. After spending many years working in broadcast engineering, project management and solutions architecture, she switched into product management, where she has enjoyed leading teams to build AR-based experiences and AI/ML capabilities for Sky Live, the interactive smart camera for Sky Glass. Angelica is an established speaker, with her unique approach to evangelising the benefits and challenges of emerging technologies featuring in tech conferences and podcasts, as well as industry publications. She is also the co-founder and former chair of Sky’s Digital Ethics Network, an employee- based network on a mission to bring ethical thinking to designing and developing solutions with emerging tech. Angelica’s latest role is as a Head of Product for Sky Business.

MENTEE: Amanda Mandiki, Design Engineer Professional, BT

Anna-Louise Buick

Anne-Louise is the Senior Vice President, Marketing for Telestream, leading the Telestream global marketing organization responsible for all the marketing elements of Telestream’s GTM activities. Previously Anne-Louise was Vice President, Global Revenue Marketing at Avid, overseeing Field, Channel and Demand Marketing, leading marketing campaigns to drive revenue as well as worldwide channel marketing engagement. Prior to joining Avid, Anne-Louise was Head of Media Marketing and Communications at Ericsson, establishing a go-to-market framework to ensure the successful launch of new products, services and solutions, designing marketing programs to support business objectives and ensuring consistent and effective communication of customer value for the Media Solutions business.

MENTEE: Georgia Harris-Everitt, Group Head of Marketing / C-Founder / Event Manager, 5 Values

Barney McDonald

Media & Entertainment is underpinned by many weird and wonderful technologies. Barney has been at the heart of their evolution since 1994. And has the grey hairs to prove it. He's developed a unique perspective, always bridging the gaps between engineering, business & creative teams, focusing on relationships above all else. A boss once described him as "the engineer everyone wants to talk to". Connecting people together has become his hobby as well as his livelihood. He’s developed an uncanny knack for what works & what doesn’t. What causes friction or brings success. This has now extended into mentoring too. Sharing experience and insight to help folks find their way in this most unusual, but wonderful industry.

MENTEE: Lauren Carter Jones, Head of Events Marketing, MBI

Ben Davenport

Ben, a seasoned B2B marketer, specializing in media and entertainment technologies. Over two decades, he's driven complex file-based media solutions, empowering top tech vendors. With extensive senior marketing experience, Ben now serves as a Fractional CMO for startups and scaling businesses, leveraging his expertise to propel growth.

MENTEE: Monica Goyal, Product Professional, BT

Cat Tate

Catriona Tate is a senior commercial leader in the OTT and CTV space, known for driving strategic growth at the intersection of video viewing innovation and user experience. In her role at Accedo and through her involvement on the Rise UK Advisory Board, Cat is a long-standing advocate for mentorship and inclusion. She is passionate about guiding individuals in the media technology sector to build meaningful and lasting careers. She enjoys supporting others in discovering their purpose and achieving their personal best in work. Cat is delighted to be a mentor again in Rise UK's 2025 cohort.

MENTEE: Joanna Browne, Senior Manager - Metadata Services, Warner Bros. Discovery

Charlotte Layton

With over 25 years experience, Charlotte’s generous and collaborative approach, combined with exceptional business and strategic insight, has seen her deliver commercial success at MTV, BBC Studios & Post Production and The Farm. Her operational experience from studio & location capture, through post production to transmission/playout ensures Charlotte has a comprehensive understanding of the content creation pipeline. Currently co-founder and CCO of Tanooki Technologies Ltd, Charlotte is focussed on harnessing technology to bring the media industry and education/training closer together, levelling the playing field for current and future talent. Tanooki Technologies has a post production facility, Racoon, offering full picture and sound services to both scripted and unscripted content across the world. Charlotte is also co-creator of the group's SaaS product, tanooki, a global collaboration and productivity platform bringing creators together and enabling them to access content and toolsets in a secure community. Determined to drive positive cultural change, Charlotte also provides mentorship to those just starting their careers in media as well as those looking to step up into leadership roles.

MENTEE: Carolina Madeira, Planning Supervisor - Technical Lead, Vubiquity

Charlotte Wheeler

Charlotte Wheeler is the Director of the Broadcast Tech & Sport Group and the Event Director of the UK’s only annual trade event, The Media Production & Technology Show. Charlotte has worked for MBI, the publishers of Broadcast, Screen International for nearly 20 years and started her career on the industry tradeshow , originally called The Production Show, and then BVE from March 2004. Charlotte has worked with many of the key manufacturers and brands within the broadcast technology markets over the years developing relationships as exhibitors and sponsors across a multitude of events. In her role at the Broadcast Tech & Sport Group, Charlotte manages a team of editorial, sales and marketing experts and has been part of many new successful launches over the last 5 years including the Broadcast Tech Awards, Broadcast Sport Awards, TechFest and Broadcast Sport events, all highly regarded by sponsors and media executives alike. Charlotte is passionate about being an advocate for women across all sectors and through her work in MPTS has been one of the only Media & entertainment focussed tradeshows to achieve a 50% gender split in her content programming and introduced a company wide, a no ‘man-el’ policy at their events. Charlotte has been an active advocate of Rise since it’s inception and has run a number of events celebrating women in the media industries, across the country. Charlotte has been a mentor twice for Rise and an active member of the advisory board in recent years and looks forward to many more to come.

MENTEE: Georgina Brett, Production/Post Production Manager, Freelancer

Clare Butler

Clare Butler is an award-winning marketer with 30 years B2B experience, most of which has been in the tech/telco space within multinationals and startups. A commercially focused and customer-centric marketer, she is well versed in bringing the full end-to-end spectrum needed to drive growth and believes in data to accelerate change in organizations. In recent years, mainly because she has 2 young girls and years-worth of wishing there was more representation of women in the industries worked in, she has become interested in ways to actively address gender inequality in the hope for a brighter future for her kids, and others that are currently experiencing challenges. Clare is grateful that Grabyo is a supportive employer in helping her, and other colleagues, drive initiatives to upskill women in the sector and people from diverse backgrounds to help drive change. She is privileged and honoured to be a Rise mentor for 2023 and is looking forward to developing new friendships and really moving the needle in a subject that is important to all of us. From a personal perspective, Clare is a friendly, people person, and has had the privilege of representing her country at Softball for 7+ years and been National Champion for 10 years. She has jumped out of a perfectly sound aircraft in the name of charity, has been lucky enough to have travelled to many countries in all continents of the world, all of which has helped shape her into the person she is today - a kind, grateful mum who is committed to enjoying work and life in general.

MENTEE: Sarah Nichol, Product Manager, All 3 Media

Dom Foulkes

Dom is a streaming leader driving innovation in digital services at Channel 4. He currently oversees the delivery and support of online services, specialising in live encoding, compression technologies, workflow automation, and content securely. He previously managed the build of IP production, MCR and playout systems at DAZN.

MENTEE: Patrycia Foltynowicz, Camera Assistant / Junior Camera Op, Limitless 

Donna Mulvey-Jones

Experienced Head Of Post Production in a broadcast production environment with a demonstrated history of leadership. Having worked for over 20 years in Nonfiction production across leading UK production companies and for over 5 years at Netflix. Experience managing post production, running internal facilities, leading teams and strategy in best in class and global businesses.

MENTEE: Sandrine Ferraro, Digital Media & Dubbing Coordinator, Fremantle

Fran Burnham

I’m a sales-driven leader with 24 years of experience propelling business growth in fast-paced B2B environments, including publishing, media, events, and intelligence. Leading high-performing sales teams is my passion. I’m dedicated to creating strategic sales plans that drive revenue, optimize processes, and expand market reach. With integrity at the core of my values, I love collaborating with like-minded individuals and supporting them in achieving their personal and career goals. My experience spans high-growth environments at both corporates and PE-backed organisations. Skilled in change management, recruiting, coaching, financial forecasting, business integration, and commercial strategy, I lead by example as a sales leader passionate about growing businesses and advancing careers.

MENTEE: Bina Mistry, Revenue Operations Manager, Deltatre 

Gabby Redfern

Gabby is Group Director Content Services at Sky, with more than 30 years’ experience in content operations having previously held several senior international technology and operational roles in the television industry.

Gabby joined Sky early in 2022 from BBC Studios where she was EVP of Global Operations. Prior to this she was SVP of Media Operations at Discovery, overseeing teams based in Europe and the Middle East. And before that Gabby was VP of Technology & Operations at Turner Broadcasting, responsible for the media technology strategy and management of tech and operations for EMEA. 

During her career Gabby has launched more than 150 TV channels and overseen the launch of numerous VOD services and other products. She’s worked in more than 25 different departments spanning creative, engineering and operations.

MENTEE: Kate Horlor, Development Coordinator / Assistant Producer, BBC Studios

Heidi Shakespeare

Heidi Shakespeare is the CEO of Memnon, a global leader in audio-visual preservation and media migration. With over 25 years of experience in the broadcast, media, and entertainment industries, Heidi is a recognised thought leader and a driving force behind innovation in legacy content transformation. As Memnon’s CEO, Heidi leads with a clear vision: to ensure the world’s content is preserved, discoverable, and accessible. Her keen understanding of market trends—combined with a deep commitment to innovation—has positioned Memnon at the forefront of technical advancements in large-scale media migration and digital archiving. Heidi is also a passionate advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, embedding DEI into Memnon’s culture, leadership, and global operations. She believes that a diverse workforce and inclusive mindset are essential to building future-ready solutions and sustainable business success. Under her leadership, Memnon has expanded its global presence, integrated AI- enabled solutions, and secured key industry partnerships that give clients access to best-in-class technology and thought leadership. Heidi’s goal is to establish Memnon as the global leader in mass media migration while maintaining its reputation as an industry trailblazer. Before assuming her current role, Heidi held pivotal leadership positions at Iron Mountain and Bonded Services Group, where she gained extensive experience managing complex archiving initiatives and driving commercial growth across the media and entertainment sectors. Known for her strategic mindset, collaborative leadership, and unwavering commitment to inclusive innovation, Heidi brings a rare mix of operational discipline, creative vision, and global business acumen to everything she does.

MENTEE: Donjeta Geci, Senior Bid and Project Manager, Sony Europe

Jackie Howes

Recently winning the 2020 IABM Award for Technology Leader of the year, Jackie is recognised as a person who is at the forefront of disruption and innovation within the broadcast and media industry. Through inspired leadership she has helped to deliver ground-breaking technology and business benefits. Jackie has over 20 years of experience working in the broadcast industry and has worked for a number of different companies, always working in a role that bridges the gap between traditional IT and broadcast engineers. Today, as the Director of Media Infrastructure Architecture at Discovery, Jackie is directly responsible for scoping, defining and coordinating both large and small Infrastructure systems that have a direct impact on the company’s technical capabilities and profitability. She works alongside global teams and external suppliers to architect infrastructure ecosystems that supports the technical and operational aspects of production and broadcast systems. Jackie is a strong believer in sharing knowledge and endeavors to create an environment where every individual is able to choose the path they wish to take.

MENTEE: Rachel Ellis, Project Manager, dB Broadcast

Jenny King

With over 20 years in the television industry, specialising in sport and news, I’ve managed technical operations for some major global events. My career has taken me to some incredible places, working with brilliant people. Outside work, I stay active with cycling, swimming, running, and my true passion—slalom waterskiing.

MENTEE: Mia Kofoed-Kristiansen, Studio Coordinator, Picture Shop

Jess Horst

Proactive and results driven, Jessica is a successfully established broadcast professional with 20+ years in linear television who has extensive experience working for major commercial networks in Australia & UK, and now globally, for the BBC International News Channels. A previous Rise Mentee in 2023, she is a passionate supporter of the programme, and can often be found at an industry event mingling amongst past and present Rise cohorts. Social and approachable, Jessica is never one to turn down an opportunity for a cheeky networking session. She is an avid lover of dogs, decent coffee and live music. Still working out how to take a decent selfie!

MENTEE: April Thompson, MCR Specialist - Service Delivery, Encompass Digital

Krystan Scarborough

Kirstyan is Vice President, Broadcast Services, EMEA & APAC for Encompass Digital Media. She has over two decades of experience of managing client services and leading operational teams to deliver service excellence. Her remit is to manage the provision of content processing, TV & radio playout, OTT streaming, VOD and distribution services to clients across the broadcast media industry.Kirstyan joined Encompass in 2017 from Turner Broadcasting where she was Senior Director, Partner Services, responsible for managing their outsourced channel playout portfolio. Prior to that she held the role of Director, Broadcast and Digital Operations, managing the in-house playout and VOD services.Before she joined Turner, Kirstyan spent 4 years as Operations Manager for Channel 5 at Ascent Media after a number of years in other playout management roles.

MENTEE: Colleen Relle, Multiskilled Technical Operator - Floor Manager, BBC

Katie Colledge

Katie is a PR and content specialist with more than 20 years’ experience delivering successful, integrated, communications campaigns across film, broadcast and live production sectors. Having worked in senior in-house marketing and comms positions at leading technology manufacturers, as well as tech PR agencies, Katie has extensive experience of finding authentic and compelling stories within a customer community. Most recently, she led global marketing for ARRI Solutions, developing strategic marketing and communication plans to promote high-quality virtual production workflows and facilities across the globe. Fluent in French and German, Katie effectively manages European and international campaigns, working with senior stakeholders and multiple project partners. As a proud northerner, Katie focuses on advancing regional initiatives for Rise that support women in the sector based outside of London.

MENTEE: Sadie Thomas, Sales Manager, SVG

Laurissa Yeung Shea

With over 25 years of experience in the Media, Broadcast, and Gaming sectors, Laurissa has successfully navigated the evolving landscape of these industries bringing expertise in both technology and team operations, always focused on aligning systems with real-world needs. As Application Owner at Warner Bros. Discovery, she manages the Broadcast Booking system for TNT Sports UK. Her role focuses on optimizing workflows to deliver effective solutions working closely with expert teams to continuously improve content and task management, resource scheduling and budgeting workflows. As a mentee in 2020, she has experienced firsthand how powerful mentorship can be. She believes that no matter where you are in life, connecting with like-minded people can lead to exciting new paths and conversations, creating a ripple effect, inspiring and uplifting others along the way.

MENTEE: Milena Cave, Head of Production, The Farm

Liz Clarke

Liz Clarke is a seasoned Media & Entertainment executive with over 25 years of proven leadership in post-production, advertising, and film & television. As a senior client operations and sales leader, she has built her reputation on driving revenue growth, fostering global relationships, and successfully leading multinational teams through complex organisational transformations. Throughout her distinguished career, Liz has demonstrated exceptional expertise in project management, taking projects from initial client brief through to final delivery while optimising workflows and managing stakeholder relationships. Her client-centric approach has earned her the trust of top-tier international broadcasters including Channel 4, Five, France TV, TF1, RTL networks, Sony and Warner Discovery. Her tenure as Vice President Client Operations at Mirriad showcased her ability to orchestrate complex operations across multiple continents, managing teams in the UK while collaborating with colleagues in Italy, India, Brazil, Australia, and the USA. During this role, she successfully led the company through critical technology transitions from tape to file to 4K delivery, while maintaining strict SLA adherence and securing repeat business from major international clients. Liz's operational excellence is complemented by her strategic business acumen. She has consistently delivered significant improvements in efficiency and cost savings, grown company turnover by double digits, and mentored team members to industry recognition, including an RTS Unsung Hero Award winner. A committed professional development advocate, Liz has completed advanced training in management excellence, project management, and leadership. She is an active member of the Royal Television Society (RTS), the Digital Production Partnership (DPP), and Rise (Women in Broadcast), reflecting her dedication to advancing the industry and supporting women in the sector. When not driving transformation in the media industry, Liz pursues her passion for flying when possible (doing silly stunts), travel, hiking, and exploring film history and entertainment

MENTEE: Nasim Beachham-Patterson, Client Services Manager, ITV

Natalina Manni

Hello, I’m Natalina Manni and I lead Publisher Operations Globally at TikTok. Previously I oversaw Content Strategy & Operations for Europe, Russia and Israel. Me and my team are responsible for delivering our Global Content partnership and high value operations, helping our publishers' content grow and reach new audiences and communities. We work closely with our product team to leverage key platform developments and with xfn teams to build revenue for our Publisher community. I have over 14 years of experience in both traditional and emerging media and since 2021 at TikTok, I have designed the strategy and process and managed the delivery of some of the biggest sponsorship activations including the foundational partnership for Cannes Film Festival and Eurovision. Originally from Canada, I moved to the UK in 2010 to complete a Masters in Cultural and Creative Industries at King's College London

MENTEE: Rio Gayle, Producer, Flight Story Studios

Natascha Cadle

Natascha is Co-Founder and Creative Director of ENVY Post Production. ENVY opened its doors in 2006 and has 6 buildings in Central London with currently around 270 staff working on Broadcast and Advertising and working with brands like Sky, Adidas, Aston Martin and working on shows like Gogglebox, The Apprentice and The Traitors. ENVY recently acquired Absolute Post and their sister animation company Blind Pig broadening the services available to clients. Natascha began her career working as a runner and progressed through the ranks working in Engineering and Production for Channels like Showtime, Channel4 and ITV and eventually becoming a Creative Director for a Sony and Disney Movie Channel. Having extensive knowledge of the Production process and knowing the Post Production needs of producers, she was the ideal choice to design the brand, the rooms and interiors of ENVY. In 2008 Natascha created the ENVY Academy which is a specialist training programme for new talent and an information source for students. Natascha and her colleagues travel the country talking to students at universities and colleges trying to bridge the gap between education and work. Natascha is very keen on promoting diversity into the industry and has mentored for WFTV, RISE and Wonder Women TV. She is on the Advisory Board for Screen Skills and a Director for UK Screen Alliance and a Production Company called Echo Velvet. Natascha has won a RISE Business Award which celebrates talent, skills and expertise of exceptional women across the broadcast technology and services sectors, and she has received an outstanding contribution award at Promax UK which is the leading voice of British Television Marketing and Creativity plus she was honoured to be featured in the WFTV (Women in Film and TV) top 100 list. Most recently Natascha and Dave received an outstanding achievement award by UK Screen Alliance for their contribution to the Post Production Industry.

MENTEE: Gemma McGuillion, Senior Manager of Access Services, Sky

Neave Spikings

Neave is a Senior Systems Engineer at dB Broadcast where she has worked on projects and proposals across the breadth of the broadcast industry, including supporting consultancy on large-scale business transformation programmes, creating high-level designs and equipment proposals, and configuring and implementing a range of technology systems for clients

MENTEE: Abi Duck, Media Planning Executive, AMC Networks

Paul Davies

I built and led Yospace’s marketing function, helping it grow from an emerging technology company to global leader, achieving a successful exit in 2019. At Platform Comms, I led accounts for some of the biggest technology brands: NEC, Verizon, and Yahoo. I re-joined Yospace as Head of Marketing in 2023.

MENTEE: Beata Kuczynaska, VOD Operations Project Lead, Warner Bros. Discovery 

Rowan De Pomperai

Rowan de Pomerai is the CEO of the DPP. He brings a highly rounded understanding of the media and technology industries, with experience working in broadcast, production, streaming, and software companies. He joined the DPP in 2018, spending several years as the CTO. In 2024 he became CEO, leading the DPP team to deliver against its strategy to be the leading association for media and technology, delivering ever more value to more member companies around the world.

MENTEE: Beata Kuczynaska, VOD Operations Project Lead, Warner Bros. Discovery 

Sara Shepherd

As the BBC's Head of Transmission, Sara oversees the management and performance of strategically vital services in TV and Radio. With a background in production and operational roles, she drives initiatives at the junctions of business and technology with a focus on evolving to be future-fit. Sara previously co-founded a women's network in the BBC and is a passionate advocate for gender equality. When not at work, you'd quite often find Sara on a beach with her dog.

MENTEE: Kate Batten, Sound Engineer, Plus4Audio

Stephen Tallamy

Stephen is an Emmy Award-winning technology leader with a proven track record in the media and retail industries. Having previously held the role of CTO at EditShare, Stephen is now building the future brick by brick as Principal Engineer at the LEGO Group.

MENTEE: Rebecca Bray, Broadcast Engineer, ATP

Sue Farrell

Dr Sue Farrell is the Broadcast Engineering Manager at Channel Four, where she leads a technical team working with partner companies to specify and deliver on-air services. She was previously a media and technology consultant, providing strategic business and technology advisory services to media companies worldwide. Prior to that, Sue was Head of Architecture at Red Bee Media, reporting to the Chief Technology Officer, managing a team of business analysts and technical architects responsible for broadcast and information technology architecture. She began her career in broadcasting as Technical Manager in the BBC, where she was responsible for the technical delivery of interactive television services and online publishing systems. Her previous experience was as a postdoctoral research scientist in geophysics, working with the U.S. Geological Survey in Colorado, following a PhD in Science at Monash University in Melbourne.

MENTEE: Chloe Schuil-Brewer, Associate Broadcast Support Engineer – SME in IP and Controlsystems, Sky

Thalia Crone

With 20+ years of experience in global broadcast, I have a wide understanding of multiple arenas through the content supply chain. I have managed large-scale change across multiple teams, encompassing company mergers, feed and platform launches, system builds and integrations.
I aspire to always keep learning, listening and supporting.

MENTEE: Irene Muñoz-López, Junior Support Engineer, Amazon Prime Video