Old Stamfordian Wins Next Gen Award

Old Stamfordian Rebecca Taylor (OS 15) has been awarded with the Professional Publishers Association’s (PPA) Next Gen Award, which recognises 30 of the most exciting rising stars in UK specialist media publishing, under the age of 30.

The awards are designed to celebrate the individuals whose achievements and skills are shaping the future of the sector. Rebecca collected her award at an exclusive event on Thursday 12 October at the Mondrian Shoreditch Hotel in London.

Rebecca works as Commercial Content Manager for Retail Week, the UK’s leading provider of global retail news, analysis, data and more. Working alongside global retailers and industry leading clients, Rebecca creates and executes content marketing campaigns engaging audiences across multiple channels and mediums, including events, reports, and digital features.

Rebecca was specifically recognised with the award for her “remarkable” performance at Retail Week, having worked at the publication for just seven months before being announced among the winners. She was described by the judges as “an outstanding professional who has gained trust and respect from clients and colleagues alike” in testament to her work at the digital publication.

Upon announcing the winners, Sajeeda Merali, Chief Executive of the PPA said: “There’s so much aspiring and diverse talent in UK specialist media across both consumer and business media. As the industry accelerates and evolves, it’s important for us to recognise and nurture the people that represent the future of our industry. It’s great to see winners from data, marketing, events, and programmatic teams as well as creative, writers and content producers.”

On receiving her award, Rebecca said: “I’m so excited and grateful to have been recognised as one of the 30 under 30 rising stars in UK publishing. To be recognised among such a creative, diverse, and talented group of professionals making up the class of 2023 is such an honour, and I’m looking forward to connecting with them over the next year.”

Speaking about her journey into publishing, Rebecca said “I’d always enjoyed writing, ever since a was very young, but had never considered a career in publishing - and found my way to Retail Week through progressive roles, always picking the path I think I’d enjoy the most!”

“When I studied at the Stamford Schools, I chose to prioritise subjects that I knew I loved. I studied Psychology, Chemistry and Art at A Level – and went on to study undergraduate degree in Psychology at the University of Birmingham. During my Psychology degree, when studying consumer and business models I discovered a passion for marketing and stayed in Birmingham, achieving a distinction in my Marketing Masters degree. I then had several marketing roles before joining the Creative Content Marketing studio at Retail Week.

“What I think has gotten me to where I am today - hugely grateful and delighted to win this award in publishing – is always pursuing enjoyment, saying yes to as many opportunities as I can, really pushing my boundaries , working hard and trying new things, and looking for those open doors to make the next step. Early careers are all about finding what works, what doesn’t and making your own path – staying adaptable, flexible and having fun!”

As well as receiving industry recognition, Next Gen award winners are profiled across PPA platforms, reaching over 20,000 media professionals and invited to engage with the PPA community through event speaking slots, awards judging and with complimentary access to the PPA festival.

Rebecca was also announced as a member of the PPA’s inaugural Next Gen Board in June of this year. The Board was launched as part of the PPA’s new strategy to encourage more inclusivity of younger voices across the specialist interest media sector and seeks to represent the best young talent across the industry.