Gaming Week: Gaming Together

Michael has worked on global brands since the beginning of his career. He cut his teeth at Ad Agencies DDB and Leo Burnett London, working on Volkswagen and McDonalds before, in 2008, joining another global brand - Xbox. Ever since, he has overseen a body of creative ideas that have solved problems, challenged norms and grown business. Michael’s marketing campaigns aim at resonating in culture, while rethinking how this powerful gaming brand can connect with completely new audiences.

Jana is the International Xbox Sales Lead at Verizon Media, responsible for advertising on the console across EMEA, Canada, Brazil and Mexico. Prior to joining Verizon Media, Jana worked in advertising at Microsoft for 5 years and spent 3 years at Goldman Sachs in London as a private banker overseeing international clients. She has a degree in Media and Communications from the London School of Economics and an MBA from the IESE Business School in Barcelona. Jana has lived in Paris, London, Zurich and Barcelona and is passionate about languages as she speaks Russian, Czech, English, Spanish and French. She is an avid entertainment enthusiast and loves exploring new games, shows and galleries in her spare time.

Tom Donegan is an experienced third-sector events manager and is currently the Team Leader of the Fundraising and Communications team at SpecialEffect, where he has worked since 2015. With a background in arts festival production and marketing, he brings a creative flare to his work on the charity’s video game-focussed fundraising campaigns such as GameBlast and One Special Day, as well as helping raise awareness of SpecialEffect’s mission to enable more people with severe physical disabilities to gain access to games and leisure technology.

Elena Mancini is the Senior Brand Manager for Pringles Europe. During her time at Pringles, she has successfully grown the brand looking after aperitif as a key occasion and gaming and now works on future product innovations. Elena was the project leader of the Gaming 2021 activation with the objective to make Pringles the #1 snack of choice for gamers. Elena has a strong passion for innovation and food & beverages, having had experiences across different categories including fresh pasta, sauces, ready meals and sweet snacks. Elena has a Business Management Master from Bocconi University (Milan, Italy) and has international experience from living and studying in three different countries: Brazil, the US and China.

With over 15 years’ experience in media, including over ten years in digital, Anthony is a seasoned and strategic sales leader. In his current role as Head of Sales - EMEA at Activision Blizzard Media, he oversees all advertising revenue across the region, playing a key role in driving growth for the business through its premium mobile gaming offering as well as esports media.

Prior to joining Activision Blizzard Media, Anthony was Agency Director at Oath (Verizon), leading a team across programmatic, premium video, cross platform brand and digital performance, as well as bespoke brand creative projects. He has also held key sales roles at Weve, O2 Media, The Telegraph and Bauer Media.