Who works for ISBA

Abi is responsible for all internal and external communications at ISBA. Her remit is to support and promote the ISBA manifesto through communication with ISBA stakeholders.

Abi joined ISBA in 2017 after spending six years working at DMGT plc as Communications Director. Prior to this she spent 4 years as Head of Marketing for Metro newspaper. She has held a variety of senior marketing and communications roles mainly in the media sector. Abi graduated from the University of Birmingham with a BA Hons in Drama. For press enquiries please call Abi on 07917 048835.

Andrew is responsible for ISBA's relationships with agencies, ensuring our agency services are up to date and reflect ISBA’s new remit, particularly in media.

Andrew has an extensive background in media and marketing. Most recently as an ISBA member, he had responsibility for procurement of global media and marketing services at Associated British Foods.

He started his career in procurement at GlaxoSmithKline, leaving to take up the role of EMEA Commercial Director for MediaEdge:CIA . Andrew then formed his own consultancy and went on to deliver Marketing Procurement solutions for organisations including Novartis, Philips, J&J, Nokia and ABF on a global basis.

Bobi leads ISBA's TV & Video strategy, helping to drive industry change on key advertiser issues within the TV, video and wider media landscape. 

Previously to ISBA, Bobi led the AV and partnerships teams at the7stars driving forward innovation and growth. 

She also served as the UK Commercial Director of The Walt Disney Company from 2010 to 2017. 

Bobi previously held a number of senior positions in a ten-year career at Viacom where she was most recently Head of Kids and Families for MTV Networks Europe and, prior to that, Head of Third Party channels. She started her career at Sky Media in 1993.

Clare O’Brien is ISBA's Head of Media Performance and Effectiveness.

Prior to her role at ISBA as Head of Media Performance and Effectiveness (and before that as Head of Programmes at the IAB), Clare O’Brien was the co-founder of one of the world’s earliest content strategy consultancies, following a career in publishing industry PR and communication. Her consultancy work was focused around development of content strategy practice for clients as diverse as The BBC, BP, CIPD, Epson, TUI, P&G, Orange, RBS and Barclays. At ISBA, Clare leads industry initiatives around Media Insight & Effectiveness, Programmatic & Performance and Data & Ethics for the UK’s leading advertisers who make up ISBA’s membership.

Claudia is an integral part of the media team, planning and organising the media groups throughout the year, as well as our procurement group. In addition, Claudia works with the Communications and HR team to ensure resources are translated into up to date content aligned with ISBA style and tone.

David joined ISBA in June 2019 and is responsible for all aspects of finance and administration including IT, HR and office management. 

Prior to this, David had been working for two years as a consultant advising trade associations on finance and operational matters. This followed 13 years’ experience in the trade association world as Executive Director, Operations at the British Bankers Association and Head of Corporate Services at the Council of Mortgage Lenders. David had previously gained experience across small and large organisations in the IT, telecoms and property sectors.

A fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, David gained a degree in Geography from Durham University.

Deirdre is ISBA’s Accounts Manager, reporting directly to the Financial Director. In her 20 years as part of the team, Deirdre has seen the organisation change and develop, both in terms of address and leadership. With moves from Hertford Street and Langham Place, to our current home in Covent Garden, and having worked under four different DGs, Deirdre has never had a dull moment at ISBA!

She has previous experience working in finance and business management on the agency side and a number of part time roles whilst her children were growing up. When she’s not balancing the books, Deirdre enjoys sailing, languages, gardening and cookery.

Elvira joined ISBA in 1990 and has been working in various roles and is part of the Membership and Marketing team. She is responsible for the planning, organisation, administration and delivering all of ISBA’s events, including the Annual Conference, Annual Lunch, and webinars.

Elvira went to secondary school in The Netherlands and after completion went to England and the USA to improve her English.

Emma is our Head of Business Development. Part of the membership team, she is focused on growing and diversifying our membership base, giving a voice to new categories.

Get in touch with Emma if you want more information on becoming part of the ISBA community.

Georgia joined ISBA in April 2018.

Georgia is an integral part of the membership team – and works across member retention and recruitment. She also aids the smooth running of our Strategic Policy Action Group and Influencers Working Group. If you have any questions about membership then Georgia is your go-to person at ISBA.

Jane heads up the membership team and works with our members to ensure they maximise all the benefits of membership.  If you would like to find out more about how you can benefit from being part of ISBA, or would like to arrange a presentation for your team to discover more about the full ISBA resource then please get in touch with Jane.

If you want to discuss any aspect of membership then Jane wants to hear from you.

Since 2008 Linda has worked as PA to the Director General and Director of Finance. Key responsibilities are diary management for the Director General, arranging meetings and administration support.

Linda has a keen interest in the theatre and arts, and loves organising holidays.

Mark started at ISBA in 2013 and is responsible for ISBA partnerships and the development of its programme of content for the ISBA membership.

Before joining ISBA, Mark held a number of training and business development roles within the theatre and PR world. He has a Masters in Education from UNSW and a degree in American Studies from Canterbury Christ Church University. Mark is a keen sportsman with a focus on rugby, tennis and swimming. He also has a young family and therefore almost no time to do any of these listed sporting activities.

Phil joined ISBA in January, 2017 and heads up the organisation. He’s responsible for ISBA’s strategic direction and its advocacy agenda. He leads the team of ISBA directors and looks after the day to day operation of the business.

Before ISBA, Phil’s career in the UK and Europe has been in marketing, sales and general management, spanning a wide range of industry sectors, from consumer goods to grocery retail and from marketing technology to lottery and games.

Phil holds a BA in Classics from Jesus College, Oxford. He is a keen runner, skier, year-round open water swimmer and is married with five children.

Rob sets a strategic thought leadership agenda for ISBA policy and manages the development and delivery of our engagement with think tanks and third parties. He leads our Strategic Policy Action Group and Influencer Working Group, and leads our public affairs engagement with Parliament and regulators.

Rob is a former political adviser and consultant who has worked in Parliament, at think tanks and in the private sector. 

Rob spent 12 years working for the Labour Party in various guises – for frontbenchers and backbenchers; in government and opposition; in constituencies and in Westminster. He worked for the Parliamentary Labour Party, attending Shadow Cabinet meetings; in the Whips Office; and advised the Shadow Minister for Social Care. 

Subsequently, Rob spent over three years at Edelman, the world’s largest communications agency, supporting clients including FTSE 100 companies and multinationals in the FMCG and tech sectors on their public affairs programmes. He then ran communications and policy for the counter-terrorism think tank The Henry Jackson Society, before becoming a freelance consultant. In 2019 he played a senior role in planning and launching The Independent Group of former Labour and Conservative MPs.

Sarah is responsible for all content at ISBA, including the website, social media and member communications.

She joined ISBA in June 2019 after spending six years at the IAB in the marketing and communications team, and a spell in the Post Office communications team.

Sarah graduated from the University of Winchester with a BA Hons in Media Studies and English.

Steve has spent the last 18 years of his career in the digital advertising industry. He’s the Director of Media for ISBA, leading a team delivering industry education, standards, research and shaping and campaigning for effective, responsible industry self-regulation across all media platforms on behalf of marketers. He is also a permanent member of the Joint Industry Committee for Web Standards (JICWEBS) overseeing digital trading standards for the UK including brand safety, viewability and ad fraud. Prior to the ISBA, Steve spent 5 years as Director of Data & Industry Programmes at the Internet Advertising Bureau in the UK leading a team covering Display, Search & Data, 8 years at Microsoft Advertising leading a variety of account management/client service teams and 4 years as Head of Operations at Agency.com, a leading full service digital marketing agency.

Stuart joined ISBA in July 2021. He has worked in and around British politics for nearly 10 years, having worked in Parliament and for political campaign groups. He is a former political adviser to Chuka Umunna, providing political advice and managing his communications and press engagement during the 2017 and 2019 General Elections and the Brexit referendum. In 2019 he played a senior role in planning and launching The Independent Group of former Labour and Conservative MPs.

Prior to joining ISBA Stuart worked in public affairs at the British Business Bank, building relationships with Ministers, Whitehall, Parliament, and wider stakeholders as the Bank delivered government-backed finance to support UK businesses through the Coronavirus pandemic.

Vanessa is the Data Administrator at ISBA, managing and maintaining the integrity of our data and ensuring that the right people get the right information.

Vanessa graduated from London South Bank University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business IT and worked at an American University before joining ISBA. Out of the office, Vanessa spends her time working with women and young people through her charity work, is a big basketball fan and enjoys all things food related – dinner is always planned by 11am.