Team

FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR

Stephen leads Spark Ninety and is an expert in the media, advertising and technology industries with over 20 years of experience advising senior management at corporates, start-ups, investors and government. Former clients include Google, Meta, Netflix, Amazon, Sky, ITV, UK Government, the BBC, Warner Media, NBCUniversal, A+E Networks, Ericsson, Arqiva, Irdeto, and DMGT. Stephen’s previous roles include strategy director at MTM and senior manager at What If Innovation.

DIRECTOR

Simon helps clients to identify and develop responses to technology enabled opportunities. He started life at Deloitte, and has since worked across advisory, consulting and industry, including assignments with rights holders, broadcasters, producers, publishers, advertisers, tech firms, private equity and venture capital. Former clients include Liberty Global, Discovery, Endemol Shine, Epic Games, CVC, UEFA, IOC, Bauer and Vodafone. His specialities include strategy, investment, M&A, innovation, and tech ventures.

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER

Simon is an expert in programmatic advertising, with experience in leadership roles across agencies, publishers and ad tech companies, most recently Yahoo! He is a former Chair of the IAB Programmatic Trading Committee, and recent strategic advisor to the IAB. He has launched and integrated programmatic stacks across demand, data and publisher companies, and participated in industry and regulatory reviews. He is a thought leadership contributor for New Digital Age.

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER

Henry is a media technology expert, specialising in video ad tech and emerging technology such as AI. He helps clients to benchmark their services, define market positioning, and build growth plans. Henry was VP Advanced Advertising & Innovation at RTL Group where he transformed ad sales, technology and operations. He also led RTL Group’s ad tech strategy, partnerships and CTV standards, including SpotX (acq. by Magnite), VideoAmp, Clypd (acq. by Microsoft/Xandr), Yospace, Smartclip and HbbTV.

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER

Andrew is an expert in TV and video audience measurement and advertising, helping clients to understand market developments and opportunities. Most recently he project-managed the development and launch of CFlight, the ground-breaking UK cross-screen campaign measurement service. Prior roles include head of TV analysis at Enders Analysis, senior positions at Sky Media and Virgin Media-owned TV sales house IDS, and TV-focused positions at agencies AMV BBDO and PHD.

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER

Jessica is focused firmly on people, providing executive coaching and culture change services to help senior managers and teams succeed, involving everything from engaging workshops to strategic advice. Jessica has deep media and digital sector experience, including a successful editorial career, senior roles in design, innovation and strategy consultancies as well as a global in-house strategy role at Nokia. Her recent clients include Future Media and Digital Catapult.

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER

Neale is a senior leader in the video streaming technology and services market. He helps vendors to set direction and strategy, grow revenues, build and enhance products, and optimise operations. Neale recently served as CEO of 24i, a leading streaming as a service provider, where he grew revenues, implemented a SaaS model, and streamlined operations. Prior to 24i, he was CEO of ACCESS Europe, a provider of software solutions for in-car infotainment, multiscreen and IoT.

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER

Raj is a seasoned digital marketing professional specialising in retail media, with experience in helping retail clients develop and expand their media businesses through strategic planning, direction-setting, and implementation across partnerships, technology, and operations. He also advises brands on navigating the retail media landscape, devising strategic plans, and selecting optimal agency partners. Raj has consulted with a Top 5 global discount supermarket, Sainsbury's Nectar Loyalty, a UK Top 3 pure-play online retailer, and Mars. His prior experience spans digital roles at agencies like Publicis and IPG, and advertisers including Warner Bros. UK and PayPal.