Business Developer of the Year, sponsored by The Drum
Bianca McLeish,
Global Associate Director, Global Business Development
Publicis Media
Bianca was crowned Business Developer of the Year having been called a ‘powerhouse’ by her management team. She is a mentor to three young women and an inspiration to all who work with her. Her submission showed evidence of how a complex global pitch was coordinated across multiple teams, during a difficult time and a personal note was included from the client who confirmed what a great job Bianca had done managing the entire pitch process. She embodies everything we love about our industry and is an incredibly worthy winner of the 2020 Business Developer of the Year Award.
Rising Star, sponsored by JFDI
Alana Herington
New Business Manager
Ketchum
The shortlist was fierce in the Rising Star category featuring talent from a range of agencies, giving us all hope that our industry will continue to flourish in the face of adversity for years to come. However, having started her role on their first day of lockdown, our winner Alana Herington’s submission stood out. She gained significant achievements across the board from amazing in-bound marketing statistics, to creating and managing a high-level pipeline of briefs, to working on group partnerships. We can’t wait to watch where her career will lead.
Business Development Team of the Year, sponsored by DNA
MassiveMusic
MassiveMusic’s business development team won a range of new accounts in 2020 which was commendable. But more impressively, they did so by remaining true to their core values and passions by developing a branded product, which prospect clients couldn’t resist. Their enthusiasm for new business and to innovate in the pursuit of commercial success, against a tough backdrop, sung out from the submission, as did the personality of the team (surely the only agency biz dev team to also be a band?!)
Win of the Year, sponsored by Winmo
TMW Unlimited
It wasn’t the size of TMW Unlimited’s win (although it was significant), but the way it was won which impressed the judges. Tenacity, empathy for the client during a tumultuous time and a dogged determination to show that TNW Unlimited was right for the business, against incredible competitive odds, over a very lengthy time frame were all evident. They showcased a true reinvention of the pitch process for the times we have lived through in 2020.
