B2B Rising Stars 2013

B2B Marketing set out to find 10 marketers worthy of being crowned a ‘Rising Star’. Maxine-Laurie Marshall reveals this year’s list.

We asked you to nominate client-side marketers making an impact in their organisations and are names to watch in 2013. We then whittled them down to the top 10.

This year’s ‘stars’ range from a recent college graduate to a head of marketing with years’ of experience. Entrants weren’t judged on seniority but what impact they’d had on their marketing teams and the business as a whole.

There were a couple of common themes among this year’s winners; sophisticated use of data and internal engagement. Big data is a buzzword causing confusion among many B2B marketers for over a year as they struggle to cope with it. Some of our Rising Stars have turned the brands they work with into being more data-driven by understanding and conveying complex information in a way that’s digestible for others. Not only has this enabled different strategies to be put in place that have improved the bottom line, but it’s also brought marketing closer to other parts of the business.

One of this year’s stars raised the company brand to the top of employee priorities after only a year, and another developed such a strong relationship with other employees that she can now influence the behaviour of stakeholders at all levels of the business.

Marketing often has to fight for respect and credibility within the business, 
and these marketers are demanding it by their actions. They are providing results, leveraging data to support activity and building internal as well as external relationships.

So, without further ado, here are our 2013 B2B rising stars:

Rebecca Swindell 

Organisation: IBM UK
Twitter: @RSwindell

Why she’s a name to watch: Rebecca joined IBM via an acquisition in 2011 and has since gone above and beyond her daily role as a marketer developing and executing campaigns. She’s a social media evangelist and finds time to educate others in the company. Her enthusiasm and knowledge of how to use social media effectively have enabled her to influence the behaviour of stakeholders at all levels. Her efforts have had an international reach as she’s been part of IBM’s social media team for major events in the US and is part of the team shaping IBM’s digital strategy for the future.

What the boss says: “Rebecca has shown great leadership over the last 18 months or so, particularly regarding the use of social media in our marketing. She is a true inspiration for others and I am delighted to have her within our community.” Brendan Dineen, director of demand programmes, IBM UK & Ireland

Paul Higgins

Job title: Head of marketing
Organisation: TalkTalk Business
Twitter: @TTB_Business

Why he’s a name to watch: Paul was tasked with solving a pretty big problem; the marketing team was fragmented, its outputs disparate and it was without any means of effective measurement, meaning its impact was questionable. Two years into his three-year mission to turn this around and the business has seen a 40 per cent year-on-year increase in demand for the SME channel on a 20 per cent less cost basis. By obtaining tangible metrics marketing can no longer be called into question.

What the boss says: “Paul is driving our transformation into a class-leading online business. We compete and beat businesses spending 10 times more than we do on their B2B marketing. Paul is an innovator, a deliverer of results, but above all else he’s grounded in making our business more successful.” Andrew Lockwood, product & marketing director, TalkTalk Business

Helen Tupper

Job title: Head of customer experience & thought leadership
Organisation: BP Castrol
Twitter: @helentupper

Why she’s a name to watch: It doesn’t seem to be in Helen’s nature to rest on her laurels. She understands that for marketing to develop and grow, she needs to do so as well. Helen took ownership of her professional development in a quest to never stop learning. After her degree, Helen completed the advanced management programme at Ashbridge Business School and last year The Marketing Academy gave her one of 30 scholarship places out of 500 applicants.

What the boss says: “Helen’s diverse background enables her to bring valuable input 
into my marketing leadership team. Through her passion, ability to work cross functionally and influencing skills she has changed the conversation about the way we approach customer insight and experience management across the global business, and in her role now she is empowered to deliver on all that it will entail.” Adrienne Liebenberg, marketing director, BP Castrol

Gareth Case

Job title: Head of marketing
Organisation: Xchanging Technology Services
Twitter: @gareth_case

Why he’s a name to watch: Gareth was responsible for rebranding Xuber, the insurance software arm of Xchanging, from strategy to launch, in under six months. Looking to tackle brand awareness issues, Gareth made the new brand a talking point with his guerrilla marketing campaign. He integrated traditional advertising with video, social media and guerrilla activity, including taking over the streets of London with a branded bus ferrying ‘Xuber butlers’ – complete with free coffee for passers-by – around the capital.
What the boss says: “Gareth has displayed outstanding leadership, vision and creativity while exceeding all objectives. Gareth has launched the Xuber brand creating high awareness, while marshalling both team and agency to deliver quality output to time. Gareth Case is a B2B marketing star who I am proud to work with.” Garath Lauder, sales & marketing director, Xchanging

Rob Coveney

Job title: Communications manager
Organisation: GL Noble Denton
Twitter: @robcoveney

Why he’s a name to watch: Rob has recognised the importance of internal communications, as well as external, and through a campaign has found true brand champions. He’s also included staff profiles in advertising to reinforce the proposition that GL Noble Denton’s staff are the brand. Rob has also focused on getting the most out of the company’s data and used it to create a 300 per cent uplift in social media coverage.
What the boss says: “Throughout my career I have worked with inspiring leaders and directors in their own right. At 27 years old, Rob shows levels of maturity and professionalism that illustrates he is firmly on this path. Working with pragmatism, focus and humour, Rob bonds his teams together ensuring a result is delivered.” Peter Richards, global marketing director, GL Noble Denton

Katrina Diamond

Job title: Director of marketing
Organisation: ProductionHUB
Twitter: @ProductionHUB

Why she’s a name to watch: As the newly promoted director of marketing Katrina understands the importance of developing relationships. She consistently fosters partnerships and in the last year alone has negotiated media trade partnerships worth approximately $2 million. The marketing programmes she heads up have increased ProductionHUB’s web users and activity and she’s doubled the amount of 
new customers on a monthly basis.

What the boss says: “I would be unable to perform my duties as the president of ProductionHUB without Katrina’s support, guidance and initiative. She is the glue that keeps it all together. She is my secret weapon.” John Pokorny, president, ProductionHUB

Anum Hussain

Job title: Inbound content strategist
Organisation: HubSpot
Twitter: @anummedia

Why she’s a name to watch: Anum began her time at HubSpot as an intern but mastered marketing extremely quickly. She’s moved from managing the company’s social media group to now setting its content strategy. She only graduated in December and at the time of nominations had only been a full-time employee for 30 days.

What the boss says: “Anum makes marketing decisions at a managerial level as opposed to someone who is a month out of education. I am honoured to have her on my team.” Rebecca Corliss, inbound marketing manager, HubSpot

Nicol Allen-Burt

Job title: Business insights manager
Organisation: Brother UK
Twitter: @Brother_UK

Why she’s a name to watch: Nicol has underpinned Brother’s move to be a more data-driven organisation through the implementation of detailed market trend analysis of both competitor information and wider market trends. Her input has not been limited to the collection and analysis of this data, but also includes its effective presentation through varied data visualisation techniques. Knowing not everyone in the organisation is as data-savvy as her, Nicol is able to convey complex and technical information. She also pushes herself to develop new skills including the programming of business intelligence tools for self-service reporting.

What the boss says: “Nicol is a curious and enthusiastic member of the team, whose thirst for knowledge and application to her work have provided us with many competitive advantages. I feel reassured that the work we do can be continued if ever I get run over by a bus.” Dawn Holmes, head of business intelligence, Brother UK

Maiko Davison

Job title: Marketing executive
Organisation: Toshiba Medical Systems UK

Why she’s a name to watch: Maiko has managed and developed relationships with customers, employees and the management team to transform the way her company markets itself in the UK. Over the course of a year she increased brand on a list of employee priorities from being fifth to number one. Beginning her career at Toshiba as a general assistant, she has risen to run the UK marketing while gaining a masters degree 
in marketing.
What the boss says: “Toshiba is lesser known in the medical field and Maiko is instrumental in driving a completely new way of marketing, putting the customer first. I am pleased to recommend Maiko for this nomination. Her work ethic and achievements are outstanding. Maiko has delivered the work and output of five people.” Mark Hitchman, managing director, Toshiba Medical Systems UK

Rosie Brewster

Job title: Marketing manager
Organisation: Emap
Twitter: @rosie_brewster

Why she’s a name to watch: Rosie’s use of measurement and analysis techniques has helped differentiate her campaigns from the competition and enabled her to understand her customer base. Her market understanding is impressive enough to have been acknowledged beyond her marketing team; by her editorial colleagues. Events she worked on over the last year have seen almost 20 per cent growth, campaigns she’s delivered have seen an increase in ROI and engagement. Rosie knows what makes her audience tick and how to turn this into positive results for the company.

What the boss says: “Rosie’s performance in 2012 exceeded all expectations. Her professionalism and output has transformed over the course of the year. A valued asset to the team, I believe Rosie will continue to thrive in our high performance culture.” Jemma Kew, head of events marketing, Emap

 

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