Meet the Speakers Taking the Stage in Madrid 2027

Ben Jeffries

Founder and CEO of Influencer

Ben Jeffries has reshaped how the world's biggest brands connect with their audiences. As CEO and co-founder of Influencer, he has grown the business from a specialist agency into a global influencer marketing pioneer, with over 200 professionals across London, New York, Los Angeles, Riyadh, Dubai and Berlin.

Under Ben's leadership, Influencer has reimagined the relationship between brands and creators, alongside Waves, its groundbreaking technology platform that has transformed influencer marketing into a measurable science, delivering category-defining ROI for some of the world's biggest brands.

A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and BMW Entrepreneur of the Year, Ben is a leading voice in the creator economy. He advises on creator economy regulation, works with global platforms including TikTok, and regularly speaks at leading technology and marketing events, including Web Summit, CES and Cannes.

Through his leadership, Ben continues to pioneer the future of influencer marketing and raise the bar for modern marketing.

Colja Dams

Co-CEO of VOK DAMS, Germany

Colja Dams has been at the helm of VOK DAMS since 1998, taking over the Wuppertal agency his father founded and turning it into one of the world's leading agencies for events and live marketing. An economics graduate of Witten/Herdecke University, he spotted early on that the events business would go international, and built VOK DAMS into a global group that now produces more than 1,000 events a year across 12+ locations and has won over 200 awards.

Known as an "Experience Marketing Pioneer", Colja has repeatedly set new standards in the industry, from hybrid events and marketing automation to sustainable event management and, most recently, putting AI to work in live experiences. He is a sought-after keynote speaker and the author of a book on events.

In 2026 he was ranked No. 1 in the Top 100 Event Agency Leaders, recognising his long-standing impact on live marketing across Europe and beyond.

Michelle McKelvey

Agency Partnerships Lead for Europe, OpenAI, UK

Michelle McKelvey is Agency Partnerships Lead for Europe at OpenAI, based in London. She works directly with agencies across the continent, helping them and their clients get to grips with one of the biggest new opportunities in marketing: advertising inside ChatGPT.

As ChatGPT Ads rolled out across 31 European markets in 2026, agency partners were among the first routes in for brands, putting Michelle at the centre of how the industry is learning to show up in conversational AI.

In Madrid, she'll share a front-row view of what's working, what agencies need to know, and how independents can get ahead.

Emma Hillary

Chief Client Officer, Verity Relationship Intelligence, UK

Emma Hillary is Chief Client Officer at Verity Relationship Intelligence, formerly The Client Relationship Consultancy, which has spent more than 20 years helping agencies strengthen their client relationships through analytics, expert advice and technology.

Having grown up in agency client service herself, Emma knows first-hand what makes agency–client relationships thrive, and what quietly puts them at risk. Today she helps agencies use relationship data to make smarter decisions, keep their best clients and grow.

Bobai Balat

CEO & Founder of TIMA Agency

Bobai brings over a decade of expertise in Nigeria's dynamic Media & Entertainment sphere, excelling as a Sound Engineer, DJ, and Record Producer. With a profound understanding of music, film, digital media, and Africa's burgeoning creator economy, Bobai has collaborated with industry luminaries, from music icon Burna Boy to acclaimed travel YouTuber Tayo Aina. This journey inspired the creation of TIMA, an agency committed to empowering African creators towards sustainable livelihoods.

Today, TIMA is a pan-African influencer marketing agency with teams in Lagos, Cape Town, Nairobi and Accra, connecting brands such as Microsoft, Bolt and inDrive with Africa's top creators. Recognised as one of Business Insider's top BIPOC-led influencer companies, TIMA gives creators cutting-edge business solutions, using data and technology to unlock their full audience potential, and helps brands win through strategic influencer marketing.

In 2026, Bobai launched TIMA Connect, an AI-powered campaign management platform built to help advertisers run creator campaigns at scale across Africa and the Middle East. He sat on the jury for D&AD's inaugural Creator Content category and has spoken at the United Nations Development Programme in Vienna on the role of Africa's diaspora in the continent's development.

Jules Love

Co-founder of Spark AI

Jules Love is one of the leading experts on generative AI in the creative sector. He is co-founder of Spark AI, a UK-based training, coaching and consulting company that helps agencies and marketing teams make sense of generative AI, and author of the bestselling book Shift - AI for Agencies, published by Rethink Press.

Since launching in 2024, Spark has grown to a team of twelve and worked with more than sixty creative businesses, from independent branding studios to networked agencies and global in-house teams. Spark's 12-week AI Accelerator programme is the most comprehensive AI transformation programme for agencies anywhere.

Before starting Spark, Jules worked at Accenture for nine years, advising marketing teams for blue-chip clients. He then spent fifteen years as an advertising photographer, collaborating with top agencies and shooting campaigns around the world.

Today, he brings that creative and commercial experience together with a deep understanding of AI. He has studied Applied Generative AI at MIT, teaches AI Strategy at Oxford University's Saïd Business School, and has been named one of BIMA's 100 most influential people in digital and tech.

Michelle Linaker

Brand Strategy Consultant, Trustee at Pride of Britain fund

Michelle Linaker is a values-led creative and commercial leader with more than 25 years' experience building influential brands, growing audiences and producing high-profile live and broadcast events. For the last 11 years as Director of Pride of Britain and Pride of Scotland Awards, she led the strategy and production behind nationally recognised events reaching millions. Her career spans senior roles with Emap, JWT, War Child, Bauer Media and Live Nation, alongside work with leading media brands, global artists, creators and major cultural events. A trustee of the Pride of Britain Fund, Michelle brings warmth, energy and extensive live-event experience as host of day one of the Indie Summit.

Madeleine Pluck

Senior Account Manager, thenetworkone, Global

Madeleine Pluck is Senior Account Manager at thenetworkone, the global network of independent agencies. She works with agencies and clients across markets worldwide, matching brands with the right independent partners and helping members grow their businesses.

With a front-row seat to how independents pitch, win and work around the world, Madeleine brings practical insight, and plenty of energy, as host of day two of the Indie Summit.