pro-manchester creative conference 2024

James Cooper was Sky’s man in Manchester for almost 2 decades and is a well known face and voice across the North West. A journalist, broadcaster and highly skilled communicator –  what makes James tick is getting people to tell their own stories. He has worked with some of the biggest names in sport on some of the biggest stories.

James is also a highly experienced events host and presenter.

Creativity has always been at the heart of what he has done professionally and James is  looking forward to showcasing the best of what Manchester has to offer.

After a decade at the BBC, Guy Kilty founded specialist podcast consultancy Dap Dip in 2019. Since then Dap Dip has created the hit original shows The Price of Football and The Price of Music, and helped companies like TalkTalk, Interactive Investor, Bestinvest and Cadent Gas make their own branded podcasts.

Jo comes from a global advertising agency background.She understands the importance of strategic campaign work and its placement in equal measure. Jo has worked across a multitude of both B2C and B2B client sectors, delivering through-the-line campaigns for the likes of: Britannia Building Society, Magnet Kitchens, DAF Trucks, Thomson Reuters and smaller SME businesses. At Truth, Jo has worked across a diverse range of industries to support TTL campaign work, including but not limited to: The Authentic Food Company, M247, Newcastle University London, University Academy 92, Shaws of Darwen and GC Aesthetics. Jo is adept at understanding the wider strategic business objectives,ensuring an integrated campaign supported by research, insight and media planning can maximise its effectiveness and ROI.

Lee is a Chartered Trade Mark Attorney at Manchester based IP law firm HGF and has 30 years’ experience of the trade mark and design law in the UK and overseas. He advises and manages the design and trade mark portfolios of some of the leading brands in the United Kingdom and across the globe and is very experienced in contentious proceedings before the UKIPO and other IP Offices.

Lee has been widely quoted and has spoken on IP matters in the press and on radio and TV, notably in the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Financial Times, The Times, The Sunday Times, BBC Radio 4 and BBC1. He has also written and spoken widely on the impact of AI on trade mark and design law and practice, notably being part of a panel of speakers at the United States Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria, Virginia in January 2019 which included the heads of trade marks of both Amazon and Microsoft. Lee also contributed and spoke at the World Intellectual Property Office’s ‘Conversation on Intellectual Property (IP) and Artificial Intelligence (AI)’ hosted in Geneva in November 2020.

For the past 17 years, I’ve been deeply immersed in the world of education: I’ve had a true 360 view having worked in both secondary state and independent sectors, and deeply understand the journey that young people travel at each transition stage. Leadership experience was shaped over the last 7 years at a large 6th Form college where I held 3 cross college roles, College EDI Coordinator, Head of Programmes, Head of GCSE English as well as being an A Level English Literature lecturer. My career pivot to the world of business was inspired by my current MBA studies at Oxford Brookes University where I realised how I could transfer my skills and passions into other spaces.

As the Head of Programmes at Agent Academy, an award-winning social enterprise, my role involves developing and overseeing high-quality programmes that help emerging talent identify, understand, and achieve their potential. I work in a small but incredibly mighty team where we work in partnership with various North West businesses to ensure our offerings are not only industry-relevant but transformative. My main job involves strategic curriculum development, continuous learning, and fostering collaborative partnerships to create impactful learning experiences and career opportunities for our participants.

With over nine years’ experience in digital PR and content creation, as Business Director, Rosa oversees connective3’s Manchester office, managing a large team of creative professionals. In her career, Rosa has worked across a variety of different projects, from stand-alone campaigns to long-term strategic roadmaps, for brands including Nike, Manchester Metropolitan University, Stena Line, and Ann Summers. She combines her analytical skills with her love of creativity to create concepts that work for many industries, including e-commerce, finance, law, and travel.

Sali has 20 years+ marketing and communications experience starting out in sales and advertising before specialising in customer relationship marketing; working in higher and further education as well as finance and the world of football, with the likes of Burnley FC, Wembley Stadium and The FA.

Her experience spans strategy development and implementation, organisational communications (including transformational change projects) to lead generation and conversion marketing campaigns, training and development and brand management.

Sali is a chartered marketer and accredited PR and communications professional and current Chair of the CIPR NW Group and Vice Chair on the CIM NW Board, where she proudly represents, promotes and champions emerging talent and diversity amongst the professions and its members.

Peter Dickinson is the Founder of KUB and Co-Founder of Vyzion International. He is also a long established business coach and digital marketer and has worked with over 600 businesses from a wide range of sectors over the last 22+ years. Peter has worked with technology for the last 40+ years and holds several degrees including an MBA from the Open University.

Peter and the team launched Vision2Success to help ambitious business owners grow their businesses, disrupt their sectors, and develop a vision that delivers on their goals. Vision2Success offers a range of services, including free workshops, a comprehensive guide to digital marketing in the form of an eBook, free and more in-depth paid online learning, marketing support, and support as outsourced marketing support through our 90-day marketing accelerator programme.

Rachel Chesters is an experienced Marketing and Communications Director with a proven track-record in B2B marketing strategy. Rachel is the Founder of Start Communication Ltd, a boutique B2B marketing consultancy, established in 2016, working with SMEs, large corporates and non-profits across the UK and internationally.

Rachel has over 15 years’ experience in corporate marketing, backed by a strong academic foundation, having obtained Chartered Marketer status and completed the High Impact Leadership Program at UC Berkeley, Haas School of Business. Rachel is also a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (MCIM) and a Fellow of the Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing (FIDM). Rachel is also an Ambassador for the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity.

Rachel lives in Chorlton with her husband and two children and when she’s not working, she can be found inhabiting the parks and cafes of South Manchester.