For all students and starters with ambition in advertising, communication and marketing.

As owner of Result Recruitment Group, Arno Peperkoorn (he/his) has been working (with people) in the media and creative industries for 25 years. In addition, he is proud co-founder of IncludeNow., a community for and by professionals with the goal to make the marketingindustry more inclusive. Arno is afraid of heights but during ADfest he will take a deep dive with two speakers, to talk about the future of creative professions. Arno has a soft spot for herring and hip hop and his motto is “Speak up but know when to shut up and be humble.”

Ciana Mayam (she/her) is a presenter and program maker. She graduated from the Hogeschool of Amsterdam (HvA) where she studied Media, Information & Communication. One of the interviews she will never forget was with Liesje Obispo for Spot On. “This was the first time that I cried after an interview”. Last year Ciana adopted her first dog: Zion from Greece. Congratulations on your ‘dog-mom-anniversary’! A quote Ciana lives by is: “In order to love who you are, you cannot hate the experience that shaped you.”

After studying Business Administration at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Patritia started working in the communication industry. She worked successfully on several accounts in different positions. This paved the way for her to become Managing Director at TBWA\NEBOKO. Patritia is a real entrepreneur. Five years ago, she started the in-house production unit Vidiboko. Vidiboko has grown into a full-fledged production house with more than 200 productions on an annual basis. Patritia truly believes in diversity in the broadest sense of the word. She gives young people opportunities to develop their careers and helps them by educating them. Furthermore, both male and female (and everyone in between), people from different backgrounds or other sexual orientation should feel welcome and safe within TBWA\NEBOKO. That’s why, on behalf of the agency, she signed the Diversity Charter of the Dutch Government. To make sure that everyone does their best to be as diverse as possible now and in the future. Patritia is a mother of twins and when she’s not working, she loves to box with her husband and girls or enjoy doing activities together with her loved ones. “Never stop laughing!”

Grace Cowlard (she/her) is Creative Director at Adidas. She started working in advertising 12 years ago and if she was a cat, she’d be on her 6th life. Meow! She’s most proud of the social campaign ‘PureBoost Valentine’s Day kiss’, featuring a same-sex couple. It won a Bronze Cannes Lion! A quote Grace lives by is ‘Ask for forgiveness, not for permission’. 

Bernard Hunter is Creative Director at ‘advertising, Social and Innovation Agency Megatron’ DentsuACHTUNG! He has been working in advertising for 21 years. Bernard loves chocolate, but only the 90% dark kind. Samsung Awesome is the work he’s most proud of. His favorite quote is: “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro” by Hunter S. Thompson.

Rozsa Groothoff is Creative Director at Crisp, the online supermarket for better and fresher food. She runs the in-house agency team ‘Brand’ and has been in the advertising industry for 9 years. Rozsa is most proud of building the Crisp brand in less than 4 years, to be a much-loved partner in people’s kitchens. Fun fact: Rozsa picked both her mom and her boyfriend because they are amazing cooks. The motto she lives by is: ‘Find a way to have the cake and eat it too’.

Tim has been working in advertising for about five years now and one of his favorite cases was together with ComplexCon and Snap Inc: ‘Selling out sneakers and activating communities using the power of AR’. Is the sun out and are you’re looking for Tim? Chances are high that you’ll find him in the water on his wakeboard.

Lianne Heite is Strategy Director at Havas Lemz, a proud B-Corp agency that is serious about using ‘creativity as a force for good’ and helping companies and brands to find a better balance between people, planet, and profit.  She’s been working in advertising for 22 years and the work that she is most proud of is Timberland Jamgarden Amsterdam. A case that touches on multiple levels of sustainability: producing responsibly, strengthening communities, and regreening.

Did you know that when Lianne was a child, she could fit a whole orange in her mouth? (Don’t try this at home!). A quote she lives by is ‘I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.’ Credits to David Bowie!

Carren O’Keefe is Executive Creative Director at AnalogFolk, a digital first creative services agency that delivers progressive work. Carren has been working in the advertising industry for 14 years. She’s also a certified yoga instructor and ex-competitive powerlifter. She’s most proud of her work for Nike Mind SETS and she lives by the quote: “Work without applause”.

Rens de Jonge is Creative Director & Partner at KesselsKramer. He started working in the advertising industry 13 years ago. The work he’s most proud of? The Bever campaign: ‘Niemand is een binnemens’ (silver Effie winner in 2019!).  A fun fact about Rens? He likes children’s books. His motto is ‘work hard & be nice to people’.

Anne Merel Verleun (she/her) is Creative Director at Hammerfest. She describes the company as an ‘open workspace where different perspectives come up with creative solutions to make the world a better place’. Anne Merel has been working in advertising for 7 years. When she needs to focus, write a strategy or a manifest for example, she listens to one song on repeat. Sometimes for six hours in a row. The work she’s most proud of is Omroep ZWART. Anne Merel’s motto is talk less, listen more. 

Maarten Boer (he/him) is Creative Director and (co)founder of Buutvrij for Life: creative communication with heart and a grin. He’s been working in advertising for 19 years. When we asked him about the work he’s most proud of he said ‘Many things, but Crisis Schmisis (40 Days of Fasting) was truly special…’ Do you want something to get your teeth into? Believe it or not, but Maarten once wrote a book about dentistry.His motto: ‘If it scares you, do it’.

From Intern to Global Head of Animation to Managing Director: Pierre lives and breathes pure craftsmanship and possesses outstanding people skills. At Media.Monks for 15 years (and counting), he has stood on every step of the ladder, becoming MD at the start of 2022. Throughout this journey, Pierre has cared deeply about pushing people and projects forward. He previously headed the company’s global Animation department that produces award-winning work for clients like Amazon, Google and VICE.  

As Managing Director of Media.Monks’ founding office in Hilversum, Pierre strives for perfection in digital craft and to help lift the company’s Cannes Lions count to 200. He is also doubling down on culture and collaboration—in line with the company’s mission to not only deliver the best work but also be the best place to work 

Pol Hoenderboom is Executive Creative Director at 180 Amsterdam, an international agency with a Dutch heart. He has been working in the industry for 19 years. When we asked him which work he’s most proud of he replied with: ‘Every project has something special. But if I had to pick, it would be Live Looper for The Academic’. Pol is pretty bad at remembering people’s names, but his brain for some reason does feel the need to remember all the cool ads from the 70’s up until now (including the name of the agency and the creatives involved). That’s why his colleagues sometimes call him ‘The Walking Advertising Encyclopedia’.