Sonia Thompson on Creating Inclusive Marketing Strategies
Explore inclusive marketing with expert Sonia Thompson. Discover practical insights on embracing diversity, storytelling, and learning from mistakes.
2024 edition
top marketers making a positive impact
Celebrating the incredible humans to show up with intention to make an impact in the marketing world.
Featuring exclusive interviews with Sonia Thompson & Tomisin Smith.
CELEBRATING TRAILBLAZERS WHO WANT TO MAKE MARKETING MORE ACCESSIBLE IMPACTFUL INCLUSIVE HUMAN FUN
fab
founder & ceo
Back again, with another year and another list of incredible marketers making waves. As I say every time, this is a labour of love, but I would not have it any other way. Seeing the community come together, plus discovering new marketers is always a pleasure.
Your homework: connect with at last 3 people from this list. Do not forget to also check podcast episodes if you’d like to learn about their stories!
Who are we anyway?
We are a modern marketing school teaching positive impact marketing and how to market to hearts.
Our Top Trailblazers of 2024 is a celebration of marketing done right. It’s about shining a light on the individuals who are more than just marketers—they are the dreamers, doers, and the dynamites igniting a trail of inspiration for all of us.
Nominate
Nominate yourself or a friend (or both?). Our form takes roughly 3 minutes to fill ⏰
Wait eagerly
We start drafting our list for the following year in Winter, so we'll start contacting nominees to get final details 👀
Get the scoop
Nominations close in November. The list will be live in January - so make sure you keep an eye on your inbox!
exclusive features
Being True to You on Social Media with Tomisin Smith
Discover the journey of Tomisin Smith, social media strategist passionate about bringing your true self on social, who successfully scaled her own agency and account online.
Jump to section
Top Voices in Marketing & Beyond
Amanda Natividad
VP Marketing at SparkToro, a versatile professional who excels in content, teaches Content Marketing, and lectures at Columbia Business School.
Frances O Matthews
Founder of The Notion Bar, a Certified Notion Consultant and design-thinker/ops specialist. Empowering 150+ rockstars with tailored, beautiful, and functional systems.
Heather Murray
A digital agency owner and AI enthusiast, shares daily AI insights with a vast audience. She launches lead generation programs and an AI for Non-Techies membership site.
Jeff Felten
Assists creators and solo brands with lead-generating funnels and email improvements. His approach: earn trust, teach thought leadership, and make offers irresistible.
Kevin Shen
A seasoned YouTuber, Passionate about guiding people in setting up home studios for impactful videos, he believes in the mantra “a rising tide lifts all boats”.
Lara Sheldrake
Entrepreneur, business strategist and community expert, hosts events resourcing women through Found & Flourish. She champions community for future leaders and start-ups.
Lex Hearth
Presenter, artist, and DJ, known for ‘Hot Girls’ podcast and BBC features. Cultural strategist with Nike and Reebok. Launching ‘Dance Music Digest’ platform this year.
Miruna Dragomir
Leading growth at Planable for 5 years, expanded from 50 to 5K customers. Simplifying content collaboration for social media teams. Forbes 30U30 alumni.
Rita Cidre
With 15+ years in marketing at Zillow & Qualtrics, Rita now shapes minds at Semrush. Her courses will make almost anyone fall in love with marketing. A Vienna-based marvel.
Exclusive Feature Spotlight
Discover the journey of Tomisin Smith, social media strategist passionate about bringing your true self on social, who successfully scaled her own agency and account online.
I’m really passionate about social media managers getting it right. It bugs me that there’s so much hype about being a social media marketer with zero experience and no need to learn anything. So, I’ve carved out my own little corner of the Internet to teach marketers and business owners the real deal about nailing social media.
Tomisin Smith
Agencies Owners
Adrienne Hunter
Natural-born leader, tech-savvy, and results-driven, Adrienne founded Sage Mind Marketing to encourage meaningful ways to connect with consumers and elevate wellness brands.
Alete’ Dotson
Alete’, founder of Media Mayhem 247, boosts female entrepreneurs with impactful strategies, gaining CBS features and revenue growth. Social media and email expert.
Diana
Diana, blending holistic branding and a decade of global adventures, founded Deeply Rooted Studio. Empowering founders to elevate brands into premium experiences.
Emily Jones
Founder of Two Shoes Creative, excels in purpose-led branding. With extensive design experience, she collaborates with “nice people doing nice things.”
Graham Todd
He’s the co-director at Spaghetti Agency, and a captivating speaker on a mission to demystify marketing, making strategies accessible and exciting for all.
Kumba Dauda
Founder of Wholehearted Social, empowers brands with organic social strategies, amassing over a million followers. She’s worked with brands like L’Oréal.
Martina Gordeen
Founder of SixtySix, crafts connections for talents and businesses. A blogger turned strategist, she’s driven to improve access through curated events and strategies.
Megan Thudium
A B2B content strategist, the founder of MTC | The Content Agency. Specialising in branding and thought-leadership marketing for innovative climate brands.
Shanté Gorman
Shanté Gorman, founder of Sugarpunch Marketing, went from a single mom to a data-savvy fractional CMO, mentoring in ethical marketing and mental health advocacy.
Tomisin Smith
The owner of Twenty Six Digital, she is a seasoned social media strategist aiding product-based businesses, with a rich multinational background.
Vicky Owens
Founder of SSM, she has turned personal challenges into a six-figure social media enterprise, now a top-ranked podcaster, strategist and trainer.
tomisin smith
Content creation is great when you're getting the bells and whistles, and everybody's sharing your post, and the Analytics is looking great. But those posts that did not do well, they're also lessons.
marketing should be fun
Social Media Trailblazers
Elle Money
An Instagram Coach with extensive Social Media Manager experience, simplifies Instagram for business owners. Learn to harness it as a powerful, organic marketing.
Emma York
A devoted digital marketing consultant and business owner for a decade, passionately trains and mentors business owners nationwide to achieve their digital goals.
Gus Bhandal
Gus, with 25+ years in marketing, founded The M Guru, a digital agency. A skilled public speaker and the UK’s top LinkedIn trainer—according to his mum!
Manu Muraro
Founder of Your Social Team, helps ethical brands grow. Worked with brands like Teacheable, Brit+Co, Open Table before focusing on women-founded businesses.
Spread the word, help us amplify the impact
We curate this list each year because we love celebrating people. Our only ask is to help us share this list with your network to introduce some incredible people to the wider online world.
Our mission since the beginning has been to make marketing Inclusive, human and fun.
Even if it doesn’t sound like much, introducing more people to what we do, our mission, and our work allows us as a small bootstrap company to make more of a difference on a day-to-day.
marketing should be human
The Ones to Watch
Annie-Mai Hodge
Founder of Girl Power Marketing, helping to grow businesses internationally by bringing empowerment, energy, and creativity to their marketing strategy. Has built a strong community on her Instagram.
Francesca Crawford
A freelance social media marketing consultant and digital creator, merges creativity with strategic management, delivering tailored experiences for audiences.
Maria Frances Marinay
Founder and Head of Social at beige. social, a global social media agency. With 10+ years experience she is passionate about using digital marketing to build a conscious world.
Nia Patel
Nia excels in personal branding, now a LinkedIn Top Social Media Voice and content creator, focusing on social, wellbeing and career growth via @marketersinprogress.
Preeti Dhadda
Founded in 2021 by Preeti, Curated by Preeti is a WOC-owned agency specialising in strategic, engaging content to boost clients’ social media presence.
Shlomo Genchin
An award-winning copywriter and ‘The Creative Marketer’ creator, has penned ads for Siemens, Burger King, and leads creative at Ground Up Ventures.
marketing should be impactful
Exclusive Feature Spotlight
Explore inclusive marketing with expert Sonia Thompson. Discover practical insights on embracing diversity, storytelling, and learning from mistakes to create stronger communities.
Inclusive marketing is not just a strategy. It’s a commitment to making every individual feel seen, heard, and valued. It’s about creating a world where everyone belongs.
Sonia Thompson
What does positive impact certified mean?
Among our list you’ll also see a few people who are positive impact certified. These amazing humans are part of our alumni community, who have graduated from our 8-Week Marketing Certification. You can find out more below.
For Your Next Podcast Listen
Ashlee Sang
Consultant for conscious and caring leaders so they can grow their impact and their revenue. As host of the Purpose & Progress Podcast, she equips entrepreneurs to take confident, meaningful action.
Jeremy Enns
Founder of Podcast Marketing Academy, guides brands and podcast creators to achieve growth milestones. Offering step-by-step playbooks and marketing education.
Mercy Abel
Impact & Marketing Lead at John Doe Group, leads UNLOCKED, offering paid internships. A multiple Award winner and passionate about promoting Black talent through platforms.
Ramli John
Ramli John, podcaster at Marketing PowerUps and author of ‘Product-Led Onboarding,’ is also a growth coach for firms like Microsoft, Mixpanel, and Ubisoft.
Sonia Thompson
CEO of Thompson Media Group, she is an inclusive marketing strategist featured in Forbes and Inc, and host of the Inclusion & Marketing podcast.
Vicky Shilling
Vicky, the Wellness Business Mentor, guides health practitioners in monetising expertise, offering insights through her book, podcast, and mentoring.
sonia thompson
In marketing, imperfection can be more valuable than perfection, as it humanises and connects with consumers.
Purpose, DEI, Ethical Champions
Alexandra Asanache
Alexandra, ethical digital marketer for 3+ years, embeds values in strategies, offering services/resources for conscious businesses. Expert in holistic strategy.
Andrea Reeves
An ADHD systems specialist, aids neurodiverse creatives and business owners. She cultivates compassionate, values-driven systems with introspection and technology.
Caner Veli
Founder of Liquiproof and Kind Community, empowers sustainable DTC founders. Kind Community is a hub for positive impact, drives businesses toward a better future.
Chris Thornhill
CEO of Growth Animals, a B-Corp Certified agency, blends business growth with positive impact. Advocates ethical, helpful, and inspiring marketing. Mentors for Brightside.
Claudia Guerreiro
disillusioned with traditional marketing, she embraced Conscious Marketing – placing purpose at the core. she champions a community blending social impact and profits.
Daniela (Dani) Herrera
Award-winning DE&I Consultant and Founding Partner at Allies in Recruiting, brings 17+ global years of expertise, fostering inclusive cultures and championing equity.
Erika Rodriguez
CEO of Nadi Marketing, builds partnerships for conscious companies. Founded in 2020, it evolved into an ecosystem fostering conscious community and sustainable impact.
Isabel Sachs
Creative entrepreneur and public speaker with 18+ years experience. Passionate about diversifying the creative industry, she’s worked with Converse, Lipton, and Red Bull.
Julia Firestone
A transformational coach, empowers social impact individuals to find their spark, take up space, and thrive. Overcome your obstacles today and align your vision and values.
Lauralee Whyte
Founder of UK based inclusion focused keynote speaker and entertainer agency. Londoner and recovering Pineapple trinket addict (sort of…).
Lea Tierney
Copywriter and Messaging Mentor. Specialising in brand positioning, personality crafting, and intentional storytelling. Co-host on the Digital (Gold) Dust podcast.
Sarah Potter
A bestselling author and founder of La Dolce Vita®, aids soul-led founders in embracing a life with impact, drawing from her journey of self-discovery and healing.
Slavina Dimitrova
Slavina has 17 years in marketing, excelling in digital strategies and sustainability. She focuses on effective, transparent marketing and anti-greenwashing.
Veronica L Vilches
The founder of The Word on Record and is a multilingual communications expert, helping start-ups tell their stories with purpose and heart with human to human marketing.
Yuval Ackerman
An ethical email marketing strategist that shines in crafting transparent, story-driven campaigns for B Corps. A food-loving digital nomad, when not coming up with bad puns.
marketing should be accessible
Marketing Consultants & Experts
Amy Walters
Founder of Bloom Creative, elevates brands with meaningful refreshes and quality design. A public speaker, she shares insights on design and artificial intelligence.
Anna Burgess Yang
A Chicago-based freelance writer in financial technology, is dedicated to workflows and automation. Creates valuable resources for freelancers and marketing teams.
Anna Skipwith
hellosocial.media founder, excels in community building and empowering small businesses on social media. PR pro turned digital marketing instructor, guiding careers.
Ayo Abbas
Built environment marketing consultant, Digital Woman of the Year 2022, offers B2B strategy, content creation, and training. Clients: top engineering firms and start-ups.
Jen Corcoran
On a mission to empower sensitive, introverted, and empathic female coaches, she enhances LinkedIn profiles using the PACT™ framework. Clients feel reinvigorated.
Madison Clark
A full-time freelance writer, excels in remote copy, content, and newsletter support. Founder of Grief Cards, crafting sympathy cards with a unique touch.
Mark Masters
Founder of You Are The Media and the popular conference Creator Day, he is empowering people to create businesses that others naturally want to be with.
Michelle Mowbray
A Growth Marketing & Advertising Strategist, propels startups to scale-ups. With vast agency experience, she crafts strategic plans for founder-led success.
Minal Patel
Founder of Marketing by Minal to help small business owners master email marketing. With 20+ years of experience, she guides them to connect with their communities.
Sophie Miller
Social media educator and consultant, she is the founder and director of global marketing community of Pretty Little Marketer, which has a following of over 350,000.
Tillie
A brand builder and strategic visionary, crafts bold identities and stunning digital spaces, weaving magic to make her clients stand up and share their genius with the world.
