Corporate Engagement Awards

Kristina has extensive experience of internal communications and engagement from 20+ years working across a range of companies and sectors including FTSE 100, FTSE 250, industrial manufacturing and professional services. Recent roles have focused on creating and delivering communication strategies during times of transformation, acquisition and integration. Kristina has formed and led teams which have won internal and external awards and recognition.

James is the senior corporate and commercial manager at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, overseeing the organisation’s corporate partnerships and licensing programmes. With more than 15 years’ experience in the third sector, James specialises in cause-related marketing and has a strong track record of developing impactful, narrative-focused partnerships. Prior to Battersea, James worked in corporate partnerships at the Royal British Legion. Notable achievements include securing an award-winning partnership with Cadbury.

Katerina Giannini is a senior corporate communications professional with extensive experience across market-leading global organisations. As Corporate Communications Lead at UL Solutions, she oversees external communications strategy across EMEA, advancing the company’s brand visibility through media relations and owned channel activations. Previously, she held communications roles at Boeing, Xerox, JLL and Kroll, and began her career in marketing and brand development at Unilever. Katerina specialises in executive positioning, reputation management, media engagement, employee communications, and content strategy. She holds a BA in History from the University of Exeter and an Executive MBA from Imperial College Business School, London.

Sara is the sustainability manager at Premium Credit Ltd, where she steers the development and delivery of the company’s sustainability strategy, targets and initiatives. With more than 30 years of experience in financial services, Sara has built her career from junior positions to senior leadership roles, including servicing as head of CSR at Legal & General. Sara is a trustee of Crawley Open House, a charity supporting those facing homelessness. She is also chair of the Neurodiversity Network at Premium Credit. Sara has a passion for sustainability and a strong sense of purpose.

Farhia Jabbar is an accomplished Head of Communications with over 20 years’ experience leading strategic communications and reputation management across complex global organisations. Currently working with SDGme, she is a proven team and executive leader who holds an MRes in Leadership and Strategy, and an MBA in Marketing. Her expertise centres on embedding purpose and ethical practice into organisational narrative, aligning initiatives with responsible standards, and driving meaningful social and environmental progress.

Jamie Klingler is a writer, consultant & campaigner for women’s safety. As co-founder of Reclaim These Streets, she was part of the group that successfully sued the Metropolitan Police for breaching her human rights after they banned a vigil for Sarah Everard. She was named ninth in PR Week UK’s list of top communicators in 2021. Her writing can be seen in The New World, British Vogue, the Guardian, Grazia and many more outlets.

Naomi is Global PR & Communications Lead at Carwow Group, overseeing UK corporate, trade and consumer PR across the brands Carwow UK, Carwow DE and Auto Express. She manages a network of UK and German agencies and freelancers spanning broadcast, automotive/finance print and trade press, and leads external and internal comms for major Group news including fundraising and M&A. She built her career at agency MHP Communications and fintech start-up Habito, where she tripled its brand awareness in a year and won Creative Brand of the Year (2022).

Bringing a wealth of experience in corporate charity partnerships, working at organisations such as Macmillan Cancer Support and Dogs Trust, Becky is currently head of corporate partnerships, business development and innovation at English Heritage. Becky has built a career built around a passion for partnerships with purpose and partnerships.

Samantha helps global corporations and foundations design community investment strategies that deliver measurable social impact while strengthening stakeholder relationships and brand reputation. With 20+ years’ experience across two continents, she has supported £20M+ in philanthropic capital deployment, working with organisations from FTSE 100 companies to innovative startups. Her expertise spans the full lifecycle of social impact programmes – from initial strategy development and stakeholder engagement to partnership brokerage and evaluation frameworks.

Over more than a decade, Illen has worked at the intersection of business and social impact to harness the power of the private sector for good. He is passionate about the positive role that companies can play in society by deploying their people, their products and their profits to solve some of society’s biggest challenges. Illen is currently the Global Social Impact Manager for American Express Global Business Travel, the world’s leading B2B travel platform, providing software and services to manage travel, expenses, meetings and events.

Andrew leads Deloitte UK sponsorships & partnerships, he’s responsible for leveraging these relationships to help people to understand who Deloitte is and what they stand for, and to help inspire people who believe business can make a difference on the things that matter.

Prior to Deloitte, he worked agency-side helping brands and rights holders to develop, manage and execute partnerships across several sectors and industries including FTSE100 companies, start-ups, entrepreneurs, sport, media, automotive, FMCG, and fashion to name a few.

He is driven by the transformational impact which sport, activity, and entertainment can have on our lives – demonstrated by his work in this space, including his role as a Trustee of London Sport which helps Londoners live longer, healthier and happier lives through physical activity.

Rob is Group Sponsorship Lead at Aviva, where he leads the development and delivery of Aviva’s UK wide group sponsorship strategy. This includes flagship, long term partnerships such as Manchester’s landmark arts, culture and live music space, Aviva Studios and the newly announced 20,000 capacity Aviva Arena in Bristol, alongside Aviva Stadium in Dublin, helping to build a coherent and impactful sponsorship portfolio across live entertainment, sport and culture.

With more than 15 years’ experience across the industry, Rob has worked agency side, rights holder side and brand side, bringing a well rounded and pragmatic perspective to sponsorship strategy, activation, governance and effectiveness. He joined Aviva in 2021, having previously worked across a diverse portfolio of major properties and brands, including Norwich Union’s British Athletics sponsorship, the Rugby League World Cup 2013, the Rugby Football League, UEFA Women’s EURO 2021, and with global brands such as Gillette, Marriott and Specsavers.

Tanushree has been working in the charity sector for more than a decade, during which time she has worked across various income streams with leading charities such as Macmillan Cancer Support and The King’s Trust. Tanushree found her passion in corporate fundraising after joining the partnerships team at The King’s Trust and has since worked on some outstanding strategic and commercial partnerships. In her current role as corporate partnerships manager at The Royal British Legion, she is delivering impact for funders and the charity through collaborative partnerships focusing on long-term strategic partnerships.

Aaron has more than a decade of expertise in community and stakeholder relations. He has held senior roles at London City Airport, where he led strategic engagement initiatives and currently serves as vice chair of the Newham Chamber of Commerce, championing local business interests and economic development. Aaron’s career spans public and private sectors, with a focus on building sustainable partnerships, delivering impactful corporate responsibility programmes and fostering inclusive growth.

Leah is Head of Partnerships, Engagement and Growth at Breast Cancer Now, the UK’s leading breast cancer charity. Breast Cancer Now has multi-award-winning partnerships with leading companies such as Asda, M&S, ghd, Primark and Everyone Active, among others. Leah has worked in corporate partnerships for almost 12 years and prior to this, spent 7 years working for a leading market research and consulting firm, alongside major FMCG brands.