At Conker we’re all about your business, but here’s a quick peek into what makes us tick, the life and times of the people who make the marketing magic happen.
Sarah Wallwork
Joint Managing Director
Sarah, Conker’s founder, has transformed the company from a 2007 start-up to an integrated marketing agency with scores of successful campaigns to its name.
Creative, resourceful and a natural born wordsmith, Sarah started her career in international marketing for a global B2B organisation, then served her time agency-side before taking the plunge & setting up Conker.
Sarah is a proud Mum of two tweenage Conkers-in-training. When she’s not out and about on client and Conker missions, Sarah’s idea of bliss is family time with her boys…ideally spent soaking up the sun or shooting down the ski slopes.
Martin Wallwork
Joint Managing Director
Martin joined team Conker in 2015, bringing a varied skill set, together with client-side board level experience, to the mix. In his element when surrounded by stats & spreadsheets or working on marketing analytics and measurement, Martin spearheads Conker’s business consultancy services and he’s a creative powerhouse too!
Martin’s our sports & outdoors meister. You’ll catch him at the weekend on the tennis court, mountain biking on tricky terrain, taking the kids to Taekwondo or at Valley Parade supporting his beloved Bradford City. Who better to ensure that you’re getting the most from your marketing budget than a Yorkshireman with an MBA?
Jo Crolla
Head of Digital
How do you solve a problem like Jo? With data, rigorous analysis and a cool head for strategy, of course. Our Head of Digital’s experience both agency-side and freelance gives her a unique perspective. Building thriving digital delivery teams? Done that. At home in the nuts and bolts of campaigns, with a thirst for what’s new? Can’t get enough of it.
Jo has spearheaded campaigns for clients from FTSE 100 to small owner-managed businesses, loves delving into business attribution models and has a degree in Creative Advertising to boot.
Outside of devising the latest ecommerce strategy or search campaign, you’ll find Manc Jo with her two sons and cockapoo Bernard, whizzing between sports clubs or out hunting geocaches on local trails.
In the Conker office though, our Head of Digital is often in high demand. Lead generation? Problem solving? Fine art? Comedy night recommendations? Jo is your port of call.
Anna Flanders
Account Director
Anna lives and breathes sport – reflected in her prodigious experience of sports marketing and events. Most notably was Anna’s role as Head of Marketing & Communications at the Netball World Cup – where she first crossed paths with Conker! The team loved working with Anna so much, snapping her up agency-side was a no-brainer.
As one of our Account Directors, Anna’s strategic insights, meticulous planning, demolishing of deadlines and all round marcomms expertise means she’s a true pro at smashing targets and delivering on client campaigns. A 1st Class BSc Honours in Psychology brings an added dimension to Anna’s approach when it comes to understanding the driving forces behind customer behaviour.
Outside the office, you’ll find Anna on the netball or korfball (who knew?!) courts, in the stands at a Derby County game or walking with her beloved pet pooch Igor.
Emily Taylor
Senior Account Manager
Emily is a PR & social supremo who gets serious results thanks to strategic insight matched by meticulous marketing planning and flawless delivery. Her content and chameleon-like copy hits the mark for our clients whatever their business! Returning to the North following a tour of duty in international marketing & sales at a major London children’s publisher, Emily crafts copy as naturally as breathing. Emily’s flair for the visual shines through in her ability to create the perfect design brief and her singularly stylish outfits (read serious shopping habit!)
Away from the office Emily loves nothing more than planning her next city break. She also speaks fluent French – just another of her many talents. Ooh la la!
Simge Vurtak
Digital Marketing Manager
Passionate about all things digital, as Conker’s Digital Marketing Manager, Simge has a keen eye on the latest trends in digital advertising – from developments in paid search, to social campaigns that create clicks (or indeed whatever outcome our clients’ campaigns call for!). Bursting with ideas and enthusiasm, as well as being fluent in 3 languages, Simge’s bubbly personality means she often has the Conker team in stitches.
Having moved to Manchester from Turkey, Sim’s a truffle hunter for the latest delicious Turkish cuisine hotspots. But that’s not all – Simge also loves storytelling of all kinds, from being a frequent theatre goer, to watching pantomimes and even puppetry, snapping up tickets to watch shows across the UK. Who knew that was a thing?!
Amanda Galliers
Account Manager
Marketing strategy, campaign planning and creation, smashing KPIs and client expectations: all in a day’s work for Account Manager Amanda! With a string of impressive credentials, including a bachelor’s in Advertising and an MSc in PR, Amanda is a chartered marketer who has never met a deadline she can’t conquer.
Originally hailing from sunny Spain, Amanda moved back to her English roots and family and has been settled here in the north west for years.
Amanda’s passion for marketing is perhaps only matched by her love of animals. The proud previous owner of a peacock, a peahen, horses, rabbits, cats, dogs, turtles, a parrot to name a few, our resident Dr Dolittle is the current loving mum of two very demanding cats, Bruce and Betty.
Elle Kettle
Account Manager
With serious marketing and PR creds and experience to her name, Elle brings the invaluable insight that comes from having worked both agency side and in-house. Brimming with industry savvy, Elle knows a thing or two about working under pressure and defeating deadlines – not to mention securing stellar media coverage.
Elle started her career with a laser PR focus, over the years diversifying to bring her creative flair, knack for story-telling and project management skills to the full marketing mix.
When she’s not knuckling down on a Conker client campaign, you’ll find expat kid Elle on a plane (she has travel in the blood – having lived in Oman, Amsterdam, Borneo, France, Germany and India – phew!), at the front of a festival crowd or simply with her nose in a book. Unless her kitten Taco is sharpening her claws, that is!
Dominik Jones
Account Executive
Account Executive Dom is our creative copywriting whizz. A bilingual (half Czech), English Literature graduate who went on to pursue a master’s in marketing, Dom comes with some impressive academic credentials. Marrying his love for words with his passion for all things marketing saw him dive headfirst into the world of tech PR, honing his storytelling and copy skills in the B2B world. With a knack of communicating the complex in a simple way, Dom is ready to use his experience across all his Conker clients.
Hailing from rural Wales and having grown up on a farm, this country boy is enjoying all the city of Manchester has to offer. You’ll catch Dom enjoying live music, from jazz to hip hop, or feasting at all the latest spots in the city. Still an outdoors-lover at heart, when he gets the chance, Dom loves swapping the city for the fresh air, hiking, camping and even bouldering.
Natalie Whittaker
Senior Account Executive
Content crafter, creative virtuoso and pun master extraordinaire – just a few of Natalie’s top talents! Our Account Executive loves nothing more than bringing client briefs to bold and brilliant life, whether that be an expertly edited video piece or a snappy social plan.
The Lancashire lass moved to the big city for her Media Production BA, swiftly followed by a Politics MA, where she presented her thesis in two international political conferences and chaired a panel at the International Association for Media and Communication Research.
A true aficionado of all things creative, in her own words, Natalie’s “hobby is hobbies”. From crochet and film photography to books on unusual plants and fungi, Natalie’s passions don’t end there – she can also add a side hustle as a wedding singer to her many talents!
Charlotte Friesner
Senior Account Executive
Expect the unexpected with Charlotte – our Account Executive is equally at home producing powerful copy as she is behind the DJ decks! One smart cookie, after wrapping up her BA in History from The University of Manchester with a cool first, Charlotte moved into web design and social media marketing before diving into agency life at Conker. We love her enthusiastic approach to smashing social media plans and she’s bursting with ideas for content and design.
In her downtime, you can find our resident historian stuck in a book, immersed in gaming, finding peace in nature or spending time with her two cats Albie and Josie – when she’s not curating the perfect music mix, that is!
Join team Conker!
We’re always on the lookout for new talent
Fancy joining the Conker team? Based in leafy Didsbury, South Manchester, joining Conker means being part of a pacey, integrated marketing communications agency that’s going places.
Full of spark, with an exciting client list and further growth on the horizon, we’ll help you Conker your career ambitions! Sound like a good fit? We’re always on the lookout for new talent to add to our growing team, so get in touch!
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