Class of 2020


They're here! Say hello to the Class of 2020.
Massive congratulations to each and every one of our deserving winners.

Scroll down to find out more and what the judges said about each winner!



Madeleine Barber

Special Projects Editor
Travel Trade Gazette

TTG Media

The scale of Maddie’s responsibilities and ROI really impressed the judges, especially for someone who is relatively new to the publishing world. Maddie appears to be unstoppable in a challenging environment, generating solid and strong commercial work for TTG.

Nathaniel Barker

Deputy News Editor
Inside Housing

Ocean Media Group

Nathaniel’s entry really showed us how important he is to Inside Housing and our judges especially loved the podcast he has helped to produce. A real operator!

Dusty Baxter-Wright

Senior Entertainment and Lifestyle Writer
Cosmopolitan

Hearst UK

Dusty has incredibly impressive stats around her work and has clearly taken to modern journalism like a natural. Working across multiple platforms, she has definitely got an eye for what people want to read and has a creative approach to a saturated specialism. Having her strategic focus at such a young age is rare and impressive.

Becky Burgum

Features Assistant
ELLE

Hearst UK

Becky is not only an engaging writer with excellent ideas, but she has the stats to back up her editorial intuition. Alongside this talent, her drive to create and maintain her own media brand (as if writing for ELLE at 25 wasn’t achievement enough) is seriously impressive and proves her self-starter credentials.

Esther Clark

Deputy Food Editor
BBC Good Food

Immediate Media

Esther is incredibly accomplished and stands out among the crowd. Her entry made it evident how much she is valued in her team at BBC Good Food as well as detailing her incredible story, which shows real drive to get to where she is now.

Jack Courtez

Editor
RN

Newtrade Media

Jack shows real results along with Incredible networking skills securing the trust of shop owners. Jack’s work is a great combination of investigative journalism and business-mindedness, and he truly deserves this win.

Olivia de Courcy

Beauty Editor
Harrods Magazine

Harrods Publishing

Olivia’s work is excellent because she clearly keeps the reader and buyer in mind, and it is obvious to see that she has reached an exceptional level of creativity.

Chris Dillon

Editor
Vape Retailer & The Retail Success Handbook

Newtrade Media

Chris is producing results within trade press by continuously creating relevant, paid-for content for local independent retailers. His entrepreneurship shines through with the launching of new magazines and our judges thought Chris a burgeoning publisher – so keep an eye out!

Gabriel Gottardo Da Silva

Art Editor

Hearst Content Agency

Gabriel had an excellent entry: simple, strong and effective! Gabriel has clearly made a name for himself and has real ownership over his work. It’s clear to see why Hearst recently made him Art Editor!

Rob Horgan

News Editor
New Civil Engineer

Metropolis / emap

Rob is clearly a very talented and hard-working investigative journalist who should be very proud of the impact his work has had. He has so much passion for his industry and made it clear to the judges that he’s an adept relationship-building, all while doing really impressive B2B work.

Edie Jefferys

Video Producer

Hearst UK

Our judges said they would give Edie a job on the spot! At a time when the industry is screaming out for good, young video producers, she seems to the be the answer.

Victoria Jowett

Beauty Director
Cosmopolitan

Hearst

Victoria’s entry really wowed the judges! She has stretched into areas of great passion and helped to shape the future of what she does, which is exactly the kind of thing we look for in our young inspiring leaders!

Beth Kennedy

Editor
Chemist + Druggist

Informa

Beth convinced the judges with her entry that she is working from the best B2B editors’ playbook. The sector Beth is in is not the easiest to get to grips with, but she has done just that. Did someone mention a PPA Awards entry next year? Here’s hoping.

Esther Kezia Thorpe

Co-Host
Media Voices Podcast

Media Voices Ltd

Esther was almost in a category of her own due to her unique job role, but she is clearly very accomplished in many areas. She’s an all-round talent with a real entrepreneurial drive and is willing to take a risk when she needs to.

Alyson Lowe

Audience Growth Manager
Vogue

The Condé Nast Publications

Our judges could sense Alyson’s ambition the second they saw her entry and that she proved not only editorial roles get to have all the fun! She has raw competitiveness, intelligence, signs of great leadership and vision.

Emily Maitland

Account Manager
Dare Magazine

The River Group

Emily is a hard worker who has achieved some great things already in her career. Emily continually brings solid results to her work and balances the business and creative aspects of it perfectly. Her understanding of data and how to drive eyeballs and engagement seriously impressed our judges who see a bright future for her.

Pui-Guan Man

News Editor
EG

Reed Business Information

Pui-Guan’s work creates tangible action, creating history for her publication and being recognised by the national press. She thrives during a challenge, showcasing inspiring leadership and strong journalism.

James Manning

International Editor
Time Out

Time Out Group

James embodies the Time Out spirit and clearly has the creativity and drive to deliver some of the brand’s most interesting and successful projects. During this challenging time, he’s still able to execute solid innovation which is really impressive!

Joe McDonnell

Head of Insight

WGSN

Joe is truly valued at WGSN and has done some really impressive things with the opportunities granted to him. His entry showed real entrepreneurial energy and vision, and he has the leadership skills to make him one to watch.

Liberty Mendez

Recipe Developer
BBC Good Food

Immediate Media

Liberty is sprightly and talented and her professional journey from the age of 16 is inspiring. She impressed the judges with her strong editorial development, and they loved her passion and skills.

Tom Miller

Production Manager
George at ASDA

Hearst UK

Our judges noted that it’s difficult to stand-out in production, but Tom achieves this with ease. He is an enthusiastic and positive individual and very good at what he does. If you needed an example of a perfect PPA 30 Under 30 candidate, this is it!

Gabriella Minchella

Senior Fashion Assistant
Red Magazine, Good Housekeeping & Prima

Hearst UK

Gabriella really gets the tone right, and at such a young age that is simply brilliant! Her work is of real quality and is brilliantly executed across the board.

Costanza Pearce

Reporter
Pulse

Cogora

Costanza is driven, determined, well connected, accurate, articulate, and hungry for stories – everything a good reporter should be. Her stories both resonate with her readers and have seemingly affected real change. This impressive work bodes well for her career and she is clearly an editor of the future that we can’t wait to meet!

Olive Pometsey

Junior Digital Editor
GQ

The Condé Nast Publications

Olive has a very strong voice – especially for her age! Her range of topics handled in her work is very impressive, which is so important for journalists in this day and age and her brilliant writing is clearly appreciated by the audience.

Helen Pye

Deputy Editor
Hitched

The Knot Worldwide

Helen is a very good all-rounder and show s a 360-degree approach to storytelling on different platforms, not just in her copy. The judges noted how she had increased margins and her excellent response to Black Lives Matter which demonstrated an awareness of the broader news environment.

Matt Richardson

Picture Editor
British Airways & Mandarin Oriental

Cedar Communications

Matt submitted an incredibly strong selection of photography and our judges were blown away! His entry left no room for doubt that he was exceeding expectations across the board and he clearly bring real quality and enthusiasm to his work.

Sabrina Sahota

Digital Journalist
MadeForMums

Immediate Media

Sabrina is a shining example that robust and ethical testing and reviews are a very important and rigorous part of journalism. Sabrina is a motivated, adaptable and self-starting individual – an obvious winner of the PPA 30 Under 30.

Rebecca Thair

Editor
Happiful Magazine

Happiful

Our judges loved Rebecca’s commitment to diverse voices, which was made even more impressive given that she is working at a smaller publisher without many central services. It’s wonderful to see Happiful, a relatively new title, flourishing with Rebecca at the lead.

Hiten Vara

Digital Marketing Executive

Immediate Media

Hiten is an individual who’s really driven by the needs of the business and it’s getting him impressive results. Our judges thought he was clear, considered, and commercial, all while being a solid pair of hands that does incredible work.

Alice Wilkinson

Deputy Editor
Waitrose & Partners HEALTH Magazine

John Brown Media

Alice is clearly a hard-working, 360-thinking, conscientious editor who is always thinking about the next step and driving the brand forward. Her breadth of work is impressive and focuses on facts-based journalism which indicates she’s got the skill for robust, research-led journalism.