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Over the last year we interviewed a range of inspiring people, who are shaping the way brands, creators and customers interact through social media. We call them Architects of Next: a label we use for anyone who is working hard to change the way the world works. We want to encourage more Architects of Next – giving them confidence and motivation that their dreams aren’t crazy, that their ideas aren’t alone, and that they’re pushing an agenda the world needs and wants. We’ve p

Bian Salins has driven social media approaches to more areas of business operations, in more businesses than you, almost certainly. That breadth of experience makes for some different perspectives on the challenges marketers and brands face. A journalist by background, Salins embraced digital early. Starting at Rediff.com, India’s first online venture, blogging and live chat was at the core of engaging with their audience. From there she moved on to become Features Editor at

He’s really got under the skin of what social media should be for brands: experimentation, real customer understanding and constant interactions. A degree in psychology and 10 years as a radio DJ in Tel Aviv has given Erdman the perfect grounding to really understand how people want to engage with brands. During his time on the radio, he was the voice and substance – creating brand promotions that talked to the listener. He is driven by a healthy dose of realism that people d

“Mean Write Hook”. Pretty funny, eh? Anthony Leung, social media manager at Pret, appreciates the value of a good pun, right down to his Twitter username. The focus on wit was much needed in his previous role at JUST EAT, the takeaway aggregator who built their marketing on customer-orientated humour and irreverence. Shifting from promoting a purely online food delivery business to one which is resolutely bricks and mortar, with a long-standing keenly defined brand, could pha

Paul Beadle is head of social media and digital communications at Nationwide Building Society, and demonstrates the practicality needed to make social work in a regulated, crucial and tough to market-in category. The stereotype of social media pros is that they’ve seen more of a keyboard than the world. Not so for Paul who began working life as an engineering apprentice, aged 16. That didn’t last, however, and fittingly for someone growing up in the shadow of the airport, he

You don’t meet many people called Sedge. Nor many people like Sedge, for that matter. Social media, trainer-obsessive, Northern fashion gadget heads don’t come around too often. But they’re undeniably cool. Sedge could easily be the face of the emerging generation of senior marketers, who focus on evidence, people, and therefore results at scale. Her current role, as Global senior social & community manager at ASOS, is testament to that, having shaped and grown a social marke

How do you use social media and digital engagement to build a challenger brand, in a fiercely competitive sector, to a savvy customer base? Lots of people talk about it, but Architect of Next Nikki Towler does it as Bare Escentuals’ Senior Online Manager for Europe. Bare Escentuals is the beauty brand which launched the mineral makeup revolution with bareMinerals. The brand’s USP around natural-looking skin with good-for-you ingredients means the marketing has to be equally n

Our #ArchitectsofNext series focuses on people in other organisations creating what comes next, but also introduces our very own architects… Design and data. Beyond the alliteration, they can often be seen as worlds apart. Not for Cat O’Brien, who is taking her design background into exploring the world of digital engagement. Her experience reads like many people’s dream: Manchester United, London 2012, Saracens rugby, and most recently the Baku European Games. From dressing

“Unicorn” is an overused word in the digital sphere these days. Now applied to startups passing the $BN valuation mark, it used to be reserved for people with special combinations of talents, who were near mythical in their breadth of skills. People like Vikki Chowney. Vikki’s career has spanned journalism, blogging, PR, community management and content strategy. It’s rare to meet someone who gets words, numbers and people. Now she’s driving content strategies across Hill+Kno

Social data can feel abstract. Numbers, spreadsheets, APIs. The preserve of the rational, the scientific, the abstract. But social media and ‘big data’ can drive competitive advantage. That’s what drives Daryl West, Social Media Insights Manager, at O2. His story is not that of the typical researcher. A serious footballer, who played at semi-pro level, he worked his way through the marketing ranks, working in sports media analysis. A passion for sport shapes both his lifestyl

Great stories rarely begin with “He opened the spreadsheet…”. Jake Steadman, who leads international research at Twitter, sees a different world – one where a 21st century fairytale might be powered by R, SQL and visualisation. Data and story telling might be less alien than you realised. Data and research jobs used to be seen as the preserve of the geek. Hard-working, well meaning individuals who prepared the admittedly important, but rarely consulted stacks of documents eve

In the first of a regular series we’re calling #ArchitectsOfNext, we sat down with David de Koning, Head of Communications at Funding Circle. As one of the UK’s most disruptive and innovative businesses, he discusses his views on the evolving role of social media and data. This series aims to inspire others with firsthand insight into how people shaping innovative digital engagement models think and deliver their work. David de Koning is not the conventional face of finance.