Agenda
Social Media Conference Cymru 2026. Wednesday 30 September. Holland House, Cardiff city centre.
Social Media Conference Cymru 2026. Wednesday 30 September. Holland House, Cardiff city centre.
Some of the incredible speakers we're able to welcome to the SMC Cymru stage each year wouldn't be possible without the support of our sponsors. Thank you in particular to our headline sponsor for 2026, local media planning and buying agency, Hello Starling.
In a fiercely competitive market, Aldi Ireland stands out with a clear, purpose-led approach to social - proving that relatable, values-driven content makes an impact. Amy Lynch shares practical examples of how Aldi communicates its brand values through storytelling, maintaining a consistent tone and personality across every touchpoint to bridge the gap between online and offline.
Key takeaways:
How Aldi Ireland uses relatable, purpose-led content to stand out in a competitive market.
Practical ways to communicate brand values through storytelling
How to plan a social strategy that keeps pace in a fast-moving landscape.
Amy Lynch O’Connor is a seasoned social media strategist and leader with extensive experience driving engagement and brand growth for major companies including in her previous role as Social Media Lead for Ryanair and in her current role managing the Digital and Content team in Aldi. Renowned for her creative storytelling and data-driven approach, Amy has led viral campaigns, built thriving online communities, and developed impactful multi-platform strategies. Passionate about innovation in digital communication, she continues to help brands connect with audiences and stay ahead in the fast-evolving world of social media.
Why do some posts stop you mid-scroll while others disappear unnoticed? Phill Agnew, host of the UK's #1 marketing podcast Nudge, draws on behavioural science to reveal the cognitive biases shaping how people really respond to social content, and shows how marketers can put these same principles to work to capture attention and drive engagement.
Key takeaways:
Why your posts get overlooked despite your best efforts, and what behavioural science reveals about how to craft posts that actually earn your audience’s attention
Real examples of behavioural science at work in social content that performs
A repeatable approach for applying these principles to your own social media marketing.
Phill Agnew hosts Nudge, the UK's #1 marketing podcast. It's a critically acclaimed behavioural science show that has featured world-renowned guests such as Richard Shotton, Rory Sutherland, Tali Sharot, Jonah Berger, Dan Pink, and Chris Voss. With a knack for demystifying complex psychological concepts, Phill translates cutting-edge behavioural science into actionable insights for marketers, business leaders, and everyday professionals. His podcast has been downloaded by hundreds of thousands across the globe, establishing Phill as a trusted voice in behavioural marketing.
Not every brand can be funny, risky, or reactive, but that doesn't mean they can't be engaging. This session looks at how brands in serious or heavily regulated spaces, from charities to public sector organisations, can create content that connects, stays culturally relevant, and earns attention without compromising on credibility.
Key takeaways:
How to turn serious or sensitive subject matter into engaging content
How to be culturally relevant and jump on trends when there's a long approval chain
Practical tactics for charities, public sector, and other highly regulated brands to build strong social presences within real constraints.
Eleshea Williams is a charity marketing and social impact specialist with experience at leading charities such as Amnesty International and UNICEF UK. She’s passionate about creating campaigns that drive meaningful change through ethical storytelling, youth engagement, and digital advocacy.
With a background in social media strategy and human rights communication, Eleshea helps global non-profits connect with younger audiences and build authentic online communities that inspire action.
She’s an advocate for making the charity and social impact industry more accessible to early-career professionals and continues to champion inclusive, creative approaches to marketing for good.
Dr. Alex Connock explores how agentic AI - systems that plan, decide, and act autonomously, is transforming the way brands communicate, content gets created, and audiences are reached. This session offers a view of what's already shifting, what's coming next, and how to position yourself and your organisation ahead of the curve.
Key takeaways:
Understand the fundamental difference between generative AI and agentic AI, and what that distinction means for brand strategy, content pipelines and campaign planning.
An understanding of how autonomous AI agents are beginning to influence content discovery, audience targeting and the creation and distribution of content, and what that means for creative professionals in practice.
Challenge your perception of where the competitive advantage lies and how that's changing everything for content and marketing teams designing, supervising, and collaborating with AI agents.
Dr Alex Connock is an academic in the media business and AI, who has written a trilogy of books spanning the contemporary media business - Media Management and Artificial Intelligence (2022) Media Management and Live Experience: Sports, Culture, Entertainment and Events (2024) and Entrepreneurship in Media and Entertainment (2025.) All are published with Routledge.
He is also a leading international and industry speaker on the media business and how it is being changed by AI.
Academically, Alex is Senior Fellow at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, teaching AI, Marketing and Media Business courses at BA, MBA and EMBA level. He co-launched and ran Oxford postgraduate diploma in Artificial Intelligence for Business from 2021-3, and is Lecturer at St Hugh’s College, Oxford in Management. He won an Oxford award for Teaching Innovation in 2025 and an Oxford University award for Teaching in 2026.
Alex is also Professor in Media and Artificial Intelligence at Exeter University, and Professor in Media Innovation at Sunderland University. He has a PhD in video optimisation for e-commerce and degrees from Oxford (PPE) Columbia (Journalism) and INSEAD (MBA).
Entrepreneurially, Alex has created and grown multiple media companies. From 2012-17 he was Managing Director of TV and digital production business Endemol Shine North (now Workerbee). Between 1998 and 2011 he co-founded, and ran as CEO, the media group Ten Alps (now Zinc Media) with Bob Geldof - producing hundreds of programmes for UK and international broadcasters, as well as substantial digital and branded content output, including the UK government's Teachers TV project. He has worked directly for BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and PEOPLE Magazine.
He has been six times shortlisted as Entrepreneur of the Year.
This is a uniquely challenging public‑sector campaign where the Senedd had to find their voice and purpose as a non‑biased organisation. Their central question for months was: What’s our call to action when we can’t tell people what to do? What are we saying? What’s our role?
Key takeaways:
Tactics for making complex public service information accessible and engaging
Balancing risk and reward working with creators, influencers and humour as a public sector organisation
How to build a campaign strategy around purpose when a direct call to action isn’t an option
This is a uniquely challenging public‑sector campaign where the Senedd had to find their voice and purpose as a non‑biased organisation. Their central question for months was: What’s our call to action when we can’t tell people what to do? What are we saying? What’s our role?
Key takeaways:
Tactics for making complex public service information accessible and engaging
Balancing risk and reward working with creators, influencers and humour as a public sector organisation
How to build a campaign strategy around purpose when a direct call to action isn’t an option
Siân Pitman is a communications and social media specialist with a passion for creating content that people actually want to engage with. Working for the Senedd, she leads digital campaigns and social content designed to make complex topics feel accessible, relevant and human - particularly for younger audiences, and on a very tight budget!
Siân is also an experienced copywriter and content strategist, creating content for brands across travel, lifestyle, hospitality and tech. A former beauty blogger turned content-appreciator, Siân is a keen storyteller interested in exploring how organisations can balance strategy with personality to build stronger engagement online.
Outside of the world of social Siân balances being a film geek with travel and a love of spin classes and pilates.
For the broadcasting and streaming industry, social media has become one of the most powerful and most demanding marketing channels they own. This panel brings together leading voices from ITV Studios, 4Studio and S4C to explore how social content has evolved into a critical tool for driving audiences to commissioned programming, building talent profiles and sustaining viewer engagement across an entire series run, but also how social media viewing is now just as valuable as traditional TV viewing.
The panel will discuss the formats working hardest on social right now, how broadcaster expectations around companion content are rising, and where the boundary between marketing content and original digital commission is starting to blur.
Key takeaways:
The volume of social content required to support a modern broadcast commission is substantial. The panel explores how that expectation is being built into briefs, budgets and workflows from the outset.
Hear how ITV Studios, 4Studio (Channel 4) and S4C are using platform-native content to drive tune-in, build audiences and extend the life of commissioned programming, and which formats and approaches are delivering results right now.
Where the line is drawn between marketing content and original digital commissioning.
Alan is the Social Channels Lead at 4Studio and a member of the RTS NorthWest Committee, he manages the Senior Content Strategists and Channels Teams across all Channel 4 genres. A creative and data led team leader with Cannes Lions, BAFTA nominations, and multiple Broadcast Digital Awards, Alan has driven growth for some of television’s most significant social media channels and brands and has successfully overseen content plans and strategies on multiple social platforms, engaging and delighting millions weekly.
Prior to joining Channel 4/4Studio as SCL in January 2025, for the last 8 years he’s been the Digital Creative Director at Lime Pictures with responsibility for the digital team's output across Lime’s growing portfolio. He’s worked with broadcasters including C4, ITV, Netflix and Disney on properties such as Hollyoaks, TOWIE, Celebs Go Dating, Free Rein and Sexy Beasts.
During his time at Lime, his teams have won a plethora of awards, with recognition from The Broadcast Digitals, Digiday, Drum, MIND, Lovies and RTS Awards, as well as being a BAFTA, Cannes Lion and Webby nominee.
For the broadcasting and streaming industry, social media has become one of the most powerful and most demanding marketing channels they own. This panel brings together leading voices from ITV Studios, 4Studio and S4C to explore how social content has evolved into a critical tool for driving audiences to commissioned programming, building talent profiles and sustaining viewer engagement across an entire series run, but also how social media viewing is now just as valuable as traditional TV viewing.
The panel will discuss the formats working hardest on social right now, how broadcaster expectations around companion content are rising, and where the boundary between marketing content and original digital commission is starting to blur.
Key takeaways:
The volume of social content required to support a modern broadcast commission is substantial. The panel explores how that expectation is being built into briefs, budgets and workflows from the outset.
Hear how ITV Studios, 4Studio (Channel 4) and S4C are using platform-native content to drive tune-in, build audiences and extend the life of commissioned programming, and which formats and approaches are delivering results right now.
Where the line is drawn between marketing content and original digital commissioning.
Claire Hoang is currently the VP of Social Media for ITV Studios. She supports the 60+ different production labels and Zoo 55 with Social Media Marketing. In the past, she also worked for the BBC on shows like Songs of Praise, The Chelsea Flower Show, Strictly Come Dancing and as the first YouTube Channel Manager for BBC Children's. She's also been Digital Exec for the ITV Soaps and for The Greatest Dancer (Fremantle).
Her CV also includes agency experience working with both Dentsu Aegis and Wavemaker as well as Thomas Cook Airlines.
For the broadcasting and streaming industry, social media has become one of the most powerful and most demanding marketing channels they own. This panel brings together leading voices from ITV Studios, 4Studio and S4C to explore how social content has evolved into a critical tool for driving audiences to commissioned programming, building talent profiles and sustaining viewer engagement across an entire series run, but also how social media viewing is now just as valuable as traditional TV viewing.
The panel will discuss the formats working hardest on social right now, how broadcaster expectations around companion content are rising, and where the boundary between marketing content and original digital commission is starting to blur.
Key takeaways:
The volume of social content required to support a modern broadcast commission is substantial. The panel explores how that expectation is being built into briefs, budgets and workflows from the outset.
Hear how ITV Studios, 4Studio (Channel 4) and S4C are using platform-native content to drive tune-in, build audiences and extend the life of commissioned programming, and which formats and approaches are delivering results right now.
Where the line is drawn between marketing content and original digital commissioning.
Tecwyn Davies is S4C's Head of Digital and Streaming and is responsible for S4C's multi-platform and digital-first publishing strategy.
Tecwyn's career before S4C has seen him build audiences and increase engagement for major sports, media, and entertainment brands with roles at the Six Nations Tournament, FIFA, the Premier League, and the Rugby World Cup. He has overseen the creation of websites, apps, streaming services, and gaming platforms that have reached millions of users worldwide.
The S4C Social Media team leads on the production, curation and sharing of content on social and digital platforms, working closely with the production companies.
For many organisations, the success of paid social isn't measured in straightforward sales or easy numbers - which makes proving its value a challenge. This session covers how to set meaningful objectives, what actually needs tracking, and how to report the true impact of paid social to senior stakeholders.
Key takeaways:
How to set meaningful objectives and measure the impact of paid social when success isn't only about sales.
How to report the value of your campaigns to senior stakeholders in terms they care about.
Meta wants AI to run your ads. What to do for organisations who can't afford to get it wrong.
Francesca Farrow is the founder of Lunax Digital, a creative marketing agency she has led for the past 10 years. With 15 years of experience in marketing, Francesca helps ambitious brands become the go-to names in their industry through strategy-led marketing that connects and converts.
Known for blending psychology, content, paid media and commercial thinking, she has worked with businesses across hospitality, healthcare, franchises and charities. Alongside her agency work, Francesca also works closely with startup entrepreneurs through organisations and programmes including Welsh ICE and Business Wales, giving her a strong connection to the South Wales business community and the realities of building and scaling modern brands.
While AI search is reshaping how brands get discovered, the credibility signals that build trust have always mattered: PR, social presence, reviews, and community conversation, and now LLMs and search engines are evaluating them together to decide which brands to surface. This session explores how to build genuine brand trust across all your touchpoints.
Key takeaways:
Why you shouldn't invest in social media in isolation - brand trust is built across channels
How LLMs and search engines read your social presence to judge brand credibility, and what that means for the touchpoints you prioritise.
Practical ways to strengthen your brand's trust signals across platforms so you stay visible as AI-driven search (GEO) becomes an important new gateway to discovery
Gareth is the founder of the Liberty Marketing Group, a collective of specialist digital marketing agencies, consultancies and training providers. The group includes Balance (dedicated to the financial services sector) and Foundation (the beauty and wellness specialists).
He has been in digital marketing for over 20 years, starting out as a self-taught SEO and PPC nerd. For the past 17 years he’s been agency side and leads a team of 40 marketers that help a wide range of brands grow online.
Whether you're a student, just starting out, or weighing up your next move, building a career in social can feel uncertain - so who better to learn from than those who've done it and those who hire for it? This panel brings together a content professional who's worked her way up to top roles and an agency director who recruits and develops social media and marketing talent, for an honest conversation on how to get noticed, get hired, and get promoted.
Key takeaways:
What employers look for in new talent in 2026 - essential for anyone early in their social media career.
What it really takes to progress to senior roles in social, for ambitious marketers hungry for their next move.
Honest advice on getting noticed and going after the career you want, whatever stage you're at.
Bec has over 15 years’ experience in PR and marketing, working both in-house and within agencies to deliver integrated campaigns across a wide range of sectors including destination marketing, retail, B2B, education, construction, and professional services.
Her career includes roles with leading UK retail property owner Landsec, where she worked on the marketing team at Cardiff’s St David’s Shopping Centre. In this role, she helped drive footfall and retail sales across 180 national and independent brands through major events, large-scale advertising campaigns, social media management and centre-wide PR activity.
Bec has also worked within the marketing team at Swansea University and at Cardiff-based agency, Golley Slater, delivering campaigns for clients including Folly Farm, Otley Brewing Company, and Willmott Dixon.
Since joining reTHINK PR & Marketing in 2021, she has led marketing and content strategies for Quadrant Shopping Centre, Swansea BID, Gower College Swansea and a range of organisations across education, professional services, and the public sector.
Passionate about developing future talent in the industry, Bec regularly delivers employability and marketing talks in schools across Swansea, Swansea University and University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
Working in social is a lot. Let's talk about it. This is an honest conversation about the real pressures of working in social: the always-on culture, the very public mistakes, the comparison, the burnout. Our speakers have been in the weeds of it and are here to share what they've learned, what helped, and what they wish someone had told them sooner.
Key takeaways:
Honest perspectives on the pressures unique to social media roles
The confidence that what you're feeling is shared, and that there are ways through it
Practical things that have actually helped - from people who've been through it
Lauren Hill is Co-Founder of Marketing Collab, an embedded marketing agency that places independent marketers into organisations as their dedicated marketing function, and Co-Founder of Clwb Marketing, a growing community supporting over 200 marketing professionals across Wales.
With over a decade of experience across sales and marketing, Lauren worked her way up to Head of Marketing, leading strategy and helping businesses grow before building something of her own. Along the way, she realised that opportunities rarely just appear. You have to position yourself for them.
Under her personal brand, The Honest Marketer, Lauren writes and speaks candidly about career progression, confidence, imposter syndrome, and the real impact marketing has on business success. She is an active, unapologetic advocate for the marketing industry, regularly challenging how businesses resource and value their marketing function, and is never shy about defending her fellow marketers when the profession is underestimated or overlooked.
Through her own presence on LinkedIn, Lauren has built an audience that spans marketers and business owners alike. She speaks to both with equal directness: making marketers feel seen, while pushing business owners to think differently about the role marketing plays in sustaining and securing their position in the market.
Lauren is also a strong advocate for building a personal brand early. She regularly speaks to students and young professionals about why they should not wait until they feel ready to show up online, and why their digital presence can open doors, create connections, and shape a career long before the first full-time role.
Working in social is a lot. Let's talk about it. This is an honest conversation about the real pressures of working in social: the always-on culture, the very public mistakes, the comparison, the burnout. Our speakers have been in the weeds of it and are here to share what they've learned, what helped, and what they wish someone had told them sooner.
Key takeaways:
Honest perspectives on the pressures unique to social media roles
The confidence that what you're feeling is shared, and that there are ways through it
Practical things that have actually helped - from people who've been through it
Sean Cook is Head of Social at Penguin Random House UK and has spent over a decade working in social media and content leadership roles at organisations including Deliveroo and News UK. During that time, he has built and led teams responsible for reaching millions of people every day, navigating everything from major cultural moments and high-pressure campaigns to the challenges that come with an always-on industry.
Named one of The Drum's Future 50 marketers and recognised for award-winning work throughout his career, Sean is passionate about creating environments where creative people can do their best work without sacrificing their wellbeing.
Creators consistently outperform brand accounts on engagement, which means working with them is no longer a nice-to-have, it's a core part of the marketing mix. This discussion cuts through the confusion with two perspectives - a creator and an agency who work with influencers every day - on what the process looks like and where brands most often go wrong. From finding the right fit to knowing what to write in the contract, this is the session that fills the gap between knowing you should do it and actually knowing how.
Key takeaways:
What a fair brief, budget and contract actually looks like - from both sides of the table
What a good creator - brand relationship looks like, and what to avoid
The ASA rules on disclosure and how to make sure your campaigns are compliant
Gwen has over 7 years’ experience working in creative communications agencies. She is currently at Golley Slater, one of Wales’ largest integrated agencies, where she leads PR, social and influencer campaigns for clients including Welsh Government, Transport for Wales and Bluestone National Park Resort. As a bilingual communicator, she has a strong understanding of how brands can tell authentic, engaging stories through influencer voices, helping content land in a way that feels natural, relevant and meaningful.
Creators consistently outperform brand accounts on engagement, which means working with them is no longer a nice-to-have, it's a core part of the marketing mix. This discussion cuts through the confusion with two perspectives - a creator and an agency who work with influencers every day - on what the process looks like and where brands most often go wrong. From finding the right fit to knowing what to write in the contract, this is the session that fills the gap between knowing you should do it and actually knowing how.
Key takeaways:
What a fair brief, budget and contract actually looks like - from both sides of the table
What a good creator - brand relationship looks like, and what to avoid
The ASA rules on disclosure and how to make sure your campaigns are compliant
Llio Angharad - a proud North Walian travel and food content creator, passionate about Welsh history, local businesses, and telling the stories behind the places that make Wales so special. From tiny family-run cafés and brilliant independent food spots to beautiful stays, coastal towns and hidden corners you’d normally drive straight past, she loves showcasing the people and experiences that give Wales its character.
Llio is especially interested in the human side of content. the stories, graft and personality behind a business, alongside the food that makes your belly jiggle a bit and the places that turn into proper memories. She genuinely believe some of the best experiences in the world are right here in Wales.
Three members of the community take to the stage to share their boldest opinions and biggest talking points in social, marketing, and creative. Expect honest disagreement, different perspectives, and a reminder that in this industry there's rarely a single right answer.
Key takeaways:
A range of genuine, differing viewpoints on the topics dividing the industry right now
Hear the reasoning and considerations behind each side, so you can form a more rounded view of your own
Permission to sit with nuance - a reminder that good social and creative thinking rarely comes down to simple right or wrong
Got an opinion to share? Get in touch!