Your Team

Ali’s 20+ year career spans media, creative and advertiser leadership roles routed in digital-first activation, and has led PHD UK as the Chief Executive since 2021.

Prior to joining, Ali led the digital media strategy on the Co-op and worked with Argos during her time at The&Partnership (formerly CHI & Partners). She also led the successful Sainsbury’s Argos digital media pitch when she was Managing Director of Essence in 2020 prior to joining PHD.

Most shopped item at Sainsbury’s – Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc

Guy’s career began in the digital, mobile and AdTech world. Omnicom Media Group’s acquisition in 2014 brought him into the group, having led OMD and later OMG in Europe, Guy was appointed as CEO of PHD Worldwide in October 2023.

His priority is ensuring “PHD’s teams have the talent, tools, technology and collective commitment to excellence they need to deliver the transformative ideas, solutions and service that drive growth for our clients, our agency, and our people.

Most shopped item at Sainsbury’s – Be Good to Yourself Hummus

Laura Fenton is Chief Executive of Omnicom Media Group in the UK and part of the Global Media Leadership at OMG. She oversees strategy, operations and the development and adoption of transformative capabilities to support Omnicom’s media agencies in the UK. Laura has been in Omnicom for 20 years, starting her career as a graduate within OMD UK, doing a stint at DRUM as Client Services Director, and then most recently leading OMD UK as Chief Executive. Laura is an active member of the IPA Media Futures Group as well as the Meta UK & Northern Europe Advisory Board. Laura is also a committee chair of Omniwomen, Omnicom’s women in leadership collective.

Most shopped item at Sainsbury’s – Laura is a religious Sainsbury’s online weekly shopper with 213 items in her favourites. Her most shopped items include Pilgrim’s Choice cheddar cheese, a 48 box of Weetabix, frozen raspberries, Oatly milk, and dishwasher tablets

Eva has 24 years of experience in media, across a wide variety of categories, during her three year tenure as Strategy Lead for Lidl the brand saw +62% market share growth.

Eva’s career has also given her considerable experience across FMCG, with brands such as Kellogg’s, General Mills and Coca Cola, as well as retail brands such as H&M and Homebase.

Most shopped item at Sainsbury’s – Sainsbury’s Free From Granola 

Georgia has 14 years of experience in measurement across a wide variety of categories, and has acted as Measurement Lead across many luxury and performance focussed brands including Waitrose, Chanel, Volkswagen Group to name a few.

Most shopped item at Argos – Toys and home improvement items!

James has 15 years experience in ad technology and media, leading digital output for global and regional clients across a variety of sectors including FMCG (Diageo). He leads end to end digital capabilities, including data and technology, for clients across the EMEA region. 

Most shopped item at Sainsbury’s – With a new baby it’s currently a tie between Little One’s nappies and wipes…

Lizzie has 17 years experience and has been at PHD for the last 6 years. Lizzie’s background includes FMCG and Luxury but her passion lies in retail, having worked on accounts within that sector for the last 10 years.

Lizzie has worked on the Sainsbury’s Argos group of brands since she joined PHD 6 years ago. Lizzie has been in a client leadership role in her time on the account, with some real highlights including the Argos sponsorship of Coronation Street, every Sainsbury’s Christmas launch, relaunching the Habitat & Tu brands.

Most shopped item at Sainsbury’s – a close tie between Kiddlylicous Strawberry Fruit Wriggles and Organix Jammie Monsters.

Nicola has a proven track record of delivering creative media solutions that spark joy in consumers. With a history of award-winning campaigns most recently evidenced by Audi x Sky partnership sucess, Nicola is driven by results.  She invests time and effort into building collaborative relationships with clients and agency partners alike to get great work over the line. 

Nicola actively contributes to the wider culture of the agency and is the PHD UK ambassador for OMG’s Multicultural Programme.

Most shopped item at Sainsbury’s – It has to be peanut butter, I find a way of putting it in everything!

Bex celebrates her 14th year at PHD this year, in the time that she has been at the agency she has worked in digital, strategy and leadership roles. In her current role as Chief Planning Officer, Bex leads planning across the agency, developing new approaches and ways of working including our Attention Adjusted Reach models and Planning the PHD Way. 

During her time at PHD Bex has played a number of roles across the Sainsburys business, including running the social media activity on the night of the Christmas Truce ad launch at AMV.

Most shopped item at Sainsbury’s – Happy Eggs, our family go through at least 10 a week

Sean is the Chief Product & Technology Officer of Omnicom Media Group UK, a visionary leader and a passionate advocate of the transformative power of technology. Sean leads the group-wide product and technology strategy and oversees an expansive team dedicated to the development and deployment of transformational products, advanced cloud technology, and innovative operational processes.

Sean is the driving force behind OMG UK’s Artificial Intelligence strategy, leveraging his expertise in product innovation to build cutting-edge generative AI applications. He takes pride in continually pushing the boundaries of what is possible, transforming complex AI concepts into practical business solutions that are integrated into the core of OMG UK’s operations. 

Most shopped item at Sainsbury’s – Arla 0% Fat Vanilla Skyr

Shardarne has 10 years’ experience spanning all digital channels with a specialism in programmatic. 1 ½ years working on the Sainsbury’s account in 2017. Shardarne comes with a wealth of experience from working across FMCG, Luxury and Tech verticals. He is passionate about all things data and tech as well as mentoring. He was named Media 100 Future Media Leader 2023 and was recently named on the iList 2024 Shortlist. Current focus is digital transformation both internally and externally on clients such as Kimberly Clark. 

Most shopped item at Sainsbury’s – Tu children clothing line is a firm favourite in our household

In this role, Christian is responsible for operational innovation, leading the group’s newly launched Business Operations function to deliver effective and efficient service offerings to OMG’s clients. This will bring together the applied use of technology, automation, artificial intelligence, operational best practice, and the group’s distributed workforce, to harness and integrate OMG’s Agency as a Platform agile operating model to drive better outcomes.

Prior to this, Christian was Chief Operating Officer at OMD, having joined the agency as a graduate TV buyer in 2001 following on from spells at the British Council and the BBC. In his tenure at OMD, Christian led the 70+ strong investment and trading teams and also spent time running accounts as part of their Client Leadership Group.

Christian is also the Chair of the IPA’s Commercial Leadership group.

Most shopped item at Argos – Argos was my go to retailer for 5 years of what felt like very frequent Paw Patrol purchases

Sophie has over 11 years’ experience spanning all digital channels. She is an active voice within the industry with her monthly column for New Digital Age and representation at events inclusive of AdWeek and the Programmatic Pioneers summit. She also has extensive client experience including her role as the digital lead for Morrisons and is currently supporting Chanel and VWG through digital transformation. 

Most shopped item at Sainsbury’s – A frequent online shopper – Slimline Schweppes Tonic or Sainsbury’s Woodland Free Range Golden Yolked Mixed Eggs

Tom started his career in 2011 at ITV before moving to PHD in 2013 – and has been here for 11 years. Tom’s time at PHD has largely been spent in AV however his role within has pivoted to Head of Video as viewing consumption has changed and Video has increased its importance to the AV mix, delivering full funnel capability for our clients. In his role he leads the Video team and all Video output for PHD ensuring we have the most connected AV & Video strategies that harness all the tools available to us from OMG, whilst developing our own. 

Most Shopped Item at Argos: Argos/Habitat has been the saviour of my ongoing bathroom renovation. Having bought the incorrect IP rated wall lights (I‘m still unsure what an IP rating is) from an online retailer I was able to buy even better wall lights on the very same day to be fitted. I also picked myself up a mop to clean up the copious amounts of dust whilst I was there. 

Shiblu has worked in digital media for over 13 years, across both Paid Search and Paid Social. Their experience extends across both network and independent agencies, having worked at GroupM and Greenlight Digital, respectively, and on accounts such as Unilever, Dyson, ghd and Superdry.

Most Shopped Item at Sainsbury’s: Having recently had to readjust my diet, I frequently buy Sainsbury’s whole Green Beans, Spicy Bean Burgers and Vegetable Pizza and my most recent purchase was a Shark Anti Hair Wrap & Flexology Cordless Vacuum Cleaner from Argos. 

Melinda is Managing Partner for Digital Activation at OMG UK and is responsible for operations, best practice, and programmatic platform partnership development. This ensures we can leverage the best technology in market by evaluating capabilities, pushing standards in digital practices and creating unique products to help our clients stay ahead of the competition.  

Melinda has 15 years experience working in media having started in Communications Planning and has spent the last 10 years working in programmatic activation. Client experiences incudes Diageo, Warner Bros, Global Radio, John Lewis, Specsavers, Virgin Media and New Look.

Most shopped item at Sainsbury’s – Cashews (from the baking aisle); spices (from the world food aisle); and wine when it’s 25% off for 6 bottles!

Since joining OMG in 2021, Rebecca has established and grown OMG’s Direct to Consumer proposition within OMG Transact – Omnicom’s dedicated eCommerce consulting arm. Her remit now spans not only DTC, but also Social Commerce, Marketplaces and eRetail, reflecting the consumer shift towards omnichannel shopping missions. Her work is led by the consumer – she ensures that at every touchpoint, we use a combination of data and expertise to ensure our clients have a consumer-led approach to commerce and growing online. Prior to joining OMG, she was client-side and led a commerce team within the fresh produce space (who were also a Sainsbury’s supplier!), including the set up and running of a DTC site and Amazon Vendor proposition. 

Most shopped item at Sainsbury’s – Every time I go into store, I love seeing what indoor plants I can grab and add to my collection!

As a Managing Partner at Omnicom Media Group, Guy leads the search practice for all OMG UK agencies, ensuring that our search service is second to none, and that our clients are benefiting from the latest technologies, have access to the best search specialists and are benefiting from OMGs decades of experience.

With over a decade of performance media expertise, across both independent and network agencies, Guy has overseen search strategies across some of the UKs biggest brands, including Barclays, McDonalds, Specsavers, Estee Lauder & Warner Brothers.

Most shopped item at Sainsbury’s – Paneer2, PS5 controllers and heated laundry racks.

Holly’s has been at PHD for 5 years, working across a range of clients from schuh and The North Face to Diageo, Sainsbury’s and Argos. Prior to this she has worked across a number of different categories from retail, FMCG and entertainment with a focus on the craft of media planning. In her current role as Planning Partner she leads the planning output across Sainsbury’s and Argos to deliver high quality media plans that are grounded in rigour and creativity. 

Most Shopped Item at Sainsbury’s: Taste the Difference Lemon Curd Yogurt – it tastes like being on holiday!

Mimi brings over 6 years of experience in media, having worked with a diverse range of clients spanning industries such as toy, beauty, sports, film, food, and finance. In her current role as Planning Director, she plans and activates cross-channel campaigns for Sainsbury’s, Argos, and Habitat. Mimi is driven by making campaigns culturally relevant, impactful and implementing creative media ideas that drive attention.

Most Shopped Item at Sainsbury’s: Butterkist Popcorn. Sweet only – absolutely divine.

Claire is group creative director at DRUM heading up the creative and design department and has been working closely with PHD over the past 8 years across the Sainsbury’s group brands to devise culturally relevant activations and partnerships that are born out of audience behaviours.

She understands what it takes to make a piece of work or a brand famous, effective and deserving of people’s time and attention and has won numerous awards for clients in her 20 year career across traditional, digital, content and entertainment focused output.

Most shopped item at Sainsbury’s – Sainsbury’s full fat Greek Style Yoghurt.

Hiot is Managing Partner, Client Leadership at PHD UK. She has over 17 years’ experience across a wide variety of agencies and clients.  She has worked across a range of large and complex clients including L’Oréal, Chanel, Disney, Converse, and VWG.

Hiot has worked in a variety of local and global remits, across a broad range of roles from media planning and buying to business strategy, but has spent the last 12 years predominantly in client leadership roles working on clients’ business and marketing transformation initiatives.

Notably, she led L’Oréal’s digital, ecommerce and data transformation and supported VWG on their business transformation journey into direct and ecommerce .

Tasha has 13 years experience in media planning and has worked on the Sainsbury’s business for 5 years. During that time, she has been heavily involved in all the brands and so has a strong understanding of each of their strengths and challenges and lives and breathes them every day. Previously she has worked on accounts from many sectors including Food & Beverage, Alcohol and Luxury brands.

Most Shopped Item at Sainsbury’s: Tasha lives opposite an Argos and so is a heavy consumer – everything from Tu clothing for her daughter to SodaStream cannisters to Habitat furniture.

Dom has us joined from Havas where he led strategy for O2’s consumer and SMB brands, alongside work on SEGA, Bumble, UKTV and MoreThan. Before that he was Head of Content at Wavemaker creating campaigns for clients including the NHS, Public Health England and the RNLI. Outside of media, Dom took a 5 year career break to work as a physics teacher in Hackney and Leeds playing into his interests in science, data and awkward silences.

Most Shopped Item at Sainsbury’s: Taste the difference Thai sweet chili crisps, just spicy enough to suggest you’ve got some taste when you’re hosting

Soph has 7 years of experience in Biddable, covering a large variety of industries and clients, including FMCG with Mars and Costa, travel with TUI and Air Transat, automotive with PSA, luxury with LVMH and Chanel and most recently entertainment with Warner Bros. Specialising in Paid Social, Soph’s knowledge of the channel makes her an expert in her field, with experience in branding, DR and even B2B, but Soph is particularly invested in creating innovative Paid Social strategies, digital projects to help brands test and learn and building stellar client relationships. This experience is not limited to Social, as she continuously goes above and beyond to understand how Biddable fits in with the wider media landscape to deliver the best results for her clients. Most recently, Soph has lead her channel on 2 award winning campaigns (Barbie and Hogwarts Legacy), with further award submissions short-listed for next month.

Most shopped item at Sainsbury’s – The Pizza Meal Deal… there isn’t an evening we can’t make this work for!! (An insight into my unhealthy lifestyle)

Damien has over 25 years experience in media finance. He has been with PHD for 9+ years and has led all finance and contract discussions with Sainsbury’s during this time.

Most shopped item at Sainsbury’s – Firecracker chicken – it is a go to option for a midweek dinner for all the family.

After 6 years cutting my teeth in Display/Programmatic/Print for large automotive brands (Ford, VW Group), an opportunity arose to make a full-time job out of my side-passion for finding efficiency and improving processes by moving into the fledgling Business Operations team at PHD. In the 3 years since, I have evolved the team from finding its feet to being an integral part of the agency which most other teams rely on to some extent.

Most shopped item: A few years ago I had the pleasure of being ranked #2 buyer of Sunbites Sweet Chilli crisps at my Sainsbury’s Local in Stockwell on my Nectar yearly review, which I was pretty proud of! I get most of my main meals via a recipe box service, so these days it’s probably something boring like milk or bread I buy most in Sainsbury’s. But having recently moved to a new house, my girlfriend gets very excited when we go to a mega Sainsbury’s that has a big Habitat section and she can buy stuff “for the house”!