Every year we are blown away by the quality and quantity of entries we receive for the Influencer Marketing Awards that represent the pace at which the industry is evolving and thriving.

With new talent entering the industry all the time, we believe it is of utmost importance to recognise those who are early in their influencer marketing careers, bringing with them fresh takes and innovation. This is why we established the Rising Star award, which this year, is sponsored by Tatam Digital.

Allen Mao, winner of the IMA Rising Star award in 2021 will also be interviewing this year’s Rising Star nominees, handing over the crown to a brand new industry innovator. He says:

“Receiving the Rising Star recognition in the 2021 Influencer Marketing Awards was truly a long-lasting honor. Earning this award validated my approach to pushing boundaries within our industry to prove that influencer marketing can be an effective channel to deliver full-funnel impact. This recognition also provided me with opportunities to grow as a thought leader and to make connections with fellow change-makers around the world, even a year later!

The Rising Star is someone who is able to boldly navigate the ambiguous, approach our work in new ways, and go above and beyond to deliver results. We have an incredibly inspirational group of Rising Star candidates this year who are all making their unique impact on the evolution of our industry. I encourage audiences to show their support and recognize the awesome work of these candidates by casting their votes.”

Joining Allen on the judging panel is Julien Wettstein, EMEA & LATAM Head of Creator Management at LinkedIn, CEO of Digital Voices, Jennifer Quigley-Jones, and Founder of SevenSix Agency, Charlotte Williams, who all bring a wide range of expertise and insight to the panel.

One winner will be decided by an algorithm of 70% for each of the judges’ scores, while a crucial 30% is reserved for the final industry vote.

Meet this year’s candidates

Angelo Simon – Campaign and Talent Manager, Audiencly GmBH

Before starting his career in the influencer marketing industry, Angelo was a full-time YouTuber, meaning that he brings first hand experience to his role at Audiencly. And just two months into his role as Campaign and Talent Manager, Angelo managed to activate one of the team’s largest and most successful campaigns. 

This May marks Angelo’s eight months in the influencer marketing field, and his team are impressed with how much he has achieved over such a small period of time. Not only is Angelo efficient in the way he works, but he also brings with him a great creative imagination and natural charisma.

His peers said: “With this amount of potential and determination, our candidate has an enormous perspective in the field of influencer marketing.” 


Charly Booth – Influencer Partnerships Manager, Engage Hub 

Originally joining Engage Hub as an intern, in the last year alone, Charly has gone from Influencer Manager to Influencer Partnerships Director – securing two promotions in this short time.

Charly has taken this all in her stride and works tirelessly to deliver up to date, fresh campaigns for clients. She’s even made the brave move from Manchester to London – setting up a new team in the London office.

Charly’s people-first attitude saw her introduce a government Kickstart team to the agency, helping to get young people into the job market and off Universal Credit. She has recognised the value in young people, and the exceptional knowledge they have from being brought up with social media.

Her peers said: “Her input to the company well-being scheme has also helped to make Engage Hub what it is today, and improved the lives of so many of our staff.”


Emily Martin – UK Head of Delivery, TAKUMI

Bringing a vast amount of knowledge and passion to her role, during her time at TAKUMI so far, Emily has supported the Agency Partnership team in launching and managing over 85 campaigns involving over 1000 influencers, which have driven over £1.5M in revenue. 

The vital role Emily has played in developing and standardising TAKUMI’s processes and supporting the wider team have gained her the trust and respect of everyone in the business; so much so, that she recently progressed to the position of UK Head of Delivery, after just one year and year months in the business. 

Her peers said: “Emily is constantly proving that she has the expertise, organisation, and leadership skills that will shape the future of the company, providing a centre of excellence for colleagues, clients, and influencers alike.”


Isabella Muggeo – Client Services Manager, gen.video

With past experience in e-commerce and an immense passion for social media, Isabella’s goal was to take this to the next level and dive headfirst into her influencer marketing career. Since joining gen.video, Isabella has been able to navigate through the most challenging campaign scenarios, all with an optimistic view and glass half full mentality.

For Isabella, social media has been more than a realisation that she can carve out a career. The best part for her is the human element. It’s a gateway into a world where she’s able to connect, interact, and engage with people. At the end of the day, that’s what makes her the happiest.

Her peers said: “Her journey to get to where she is today is well-deserving of an IMA nomination. The passion. The drive. The desire. The hard work is evident in everything she touches.”


Joseph Black and Oliver Jacobs – Founders, UniTaskr

In the first-ever double nomination for Rising Star, Joseph and Oliver’s peers believe that the pair both deserve recognition for what they have achieved. They launched UniTaskr, an innovative ‘task app’ connecting businesses with students back in 2016, and now, are successfully bridging the gap between students and influencer marketing.  

Following the launch of UniTaskr, more recently, the pair launched SHOUT, a nano-influencer marketing agency through which it taps into a network of student nano-influencers and content creators to help brands engage with Gen Z audiences. Recently, TikTok announced SHOUT as the world’s largest nano-influencer organisation, with an estimated combined reach of over 500 million followers.

Having accomplished much in a short time, Joseph and Oliver have positioned themselves as rising stars in the student freelance work and influencer marketing space.

Their peers said: “With a focus on social impact, continued inventiveness, and the potential to make a difference, they are truly deserving of winning this award.”


Olivia Prendergast – Social Strategist, Ogilvy

With experience managing both social and influencer workstreams, Ogilvy hired Olivia as a “secret weapon” to bring all of the pieces of an influencer campaign together with strategic thinking. Not only does Olivia keep campaigns running smoothly, she takes them to the next level by finding connection points and integrating unique insights to make campaigns emotionally effective.

Personally, Olivia has a passion for equality and inclusion, raising her hand for work on the Equal Rights Amendment and challenging herself and her teammates to identify diverse groups of creators that represent the audience brands are speaking to. She also has a keen sense of how to connect to influencers on a deep level.

Olivia believes the future of influencer is personal – connecting influencers to brands who represent what matters to them, and partnering with real people who are part of the diverse audience we’re speaking to. 

Her peers said: “Olivia’s ability to build relationships with influencers, finding their personal passions, and co-creating content that is both emotionally resonant and effective makes Olivia a rising star.”

You have until midnight on Thursday 26th May to place your all important vote for who you think deserves to take home the Rising Star award this year – so act quickly, and share your voice.

We also want to remind you that voting is open for the Industry Choice of SAAS or Technology award, and will also close at midnight on Thursday 26th May.

We can’t wait to award all of the deserving Influencer Marketing Award winners at the Sheraton Grand Hotel on 9th June – and we hope to see you there!

Share this post