BIMA Hot 100, 2014
Adam Levene
Adam Stewart
Adel Zakout
Alice Bentinck
SVP Strategy Monitise Create
Group Head of Digital Vodafone Group
Co-Founder / Managing Director Despark.com / Clippings. com / OpenBuildings.com / Boom! Burgers & Steaks
Co-Founder Entrepreneur First
@adam_levene
What I do could be described as… helping global businesses innovate for the connected age. My mum however will always think I work in ‘IT’.
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Since launching his career in mobile in 2007 aged just 18, Adam has worked to pioneer the mobile as a highly creative and effective channel for global businesses. In November 2010, Adam joined Grapple Mobile as Chief Strategy Officer where he led it to become Innovative Agency of the Year 2012 (MI Awards) and a two-times ‘Agency to Watch’ (The Drum/ NMA). In September 2013, Grapple was acquired by Monitise plc for a total consideration of £39m, becoming Monitise Create. Adam is now one of the youngest Senior Vice Presidents of a publicly listed UK business at just 25 years old. He is a popular industry commentator (The Telegraph, The Sunday Times, Management Today), a former BIMA Awards judge, and in 2012 was awarded the NMA Rising Star award.
@adster1
Not many people know... that I am a qualified professional tennis coach, and travelled the tour for 3 months.
Adam is commercially responsible for Vodafone Group’s digital vision and strategy across 22 countries and over 45 partner markets globally. He is expanding the value chain, building deeper relationships through the development of innovative digital services across over 350 million customers. Previously Adam has been on the Executive team at Rakuten’s Play. com and in senior management positions at Royal Bank of Scotland and Marks & Spencer. He grew up and was educated in Australia, and has developed a strong career in the UK since arriving in London 12 years ago. Adam is known for his broad skill set. As an entrepreneur setting up an online marketing agency through to his more recent corporate leadership experience, his energy and passion for digital is endless.
I’m where I am today because… I fell in love with a girl - who I spent all my money on!
Adel is an Architect turned Entrepreneur who has had a passion for digital since he started tinkering with a 386 in 1994. He started design and build agency Despark.com while still a student and it is now an award-winning 50-strong digital boutique, across studios in London and Bulgaria. Entrepreneurship is core to Adel’s identity – Despark.com helps startups define, design and build their web/mobile products and provides brands with a “startup as a service” model to innovate their services. Despark.com has also formed partnerships with other leading UK agencies. Adel also started OpenBuildings. com, the “wikipedia for buildings” and Clippings.com, the curated marketplace for furniture from emerging designers. He is also a foodie – and runs a gourmet burger joint, Boom! Burgers & Steaks, just for kicks!
@Alicebentinck
I’m where I am today because… of my fantastic co-founder, Matt Clifford, and our amazing team.
Alice co-founded Entrepreneur First, a tech startup accelerator, that selects talented individuals before they have a team or idea. EF typically takes graduates and spends a year with them helping them build their own startup. Last year EF created 11 startups now valued in excess of $30m, with two funded by Y Combinator. The second cohort has just graduated and the third recruited, with 1 in 3 eligible Cambridge University Computer Scientists applying to the programme. Alice also set up ‘Code First: Girls’, a free programming course for female students to help build the pipeline of women founding and working in tech startups. Alice was previously at McKinsey & Co, the strategy consultancy.
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