in-Cumbria's Business Awards 2023. We take a look at the finalists in each category....

Marketeer of the Year

Sponsored by 32 West 

Emma Sherlock, Stan Sherlock Associates 

Emma is a director at Stan Sherlock Associates, making the move to heading up its marketing after working in the BBC. Since making the move she has enjoyed finding new ways to get the company’s message across via traditional print media, as well as creative online marketing and social media. 

Her work has seen brand awareness and online searches for the business increase over the last year and Emma has also been hard at work on employer branding, in order to recruit and maintain the right people as the company grows.  

One of the initiatives she is most proud of is the company’s refill room, which provides washing up liquid, liquid detergent, softener and antibacterial spray to staff free of charge, encouraging them to reuse their plastic bottles whilst saving cash at the same time.  

She has also created and maintained active social media accounts on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube, carefully curating images and information to ensure clients are informed and the company is an attractive option for new business.  

Emma loves the creativity of social media as a platform for sharing information and marketing and also ensures the company has a strong presence in the local media, announcing new staff, new projects and collaborations with other local businesses. She has also joined the CIM Marketing Leadership programme to become a chartered marketer.  

In Cumbria: Oliver Hodgson has made a name for himself in Cumbria by running PR and events company Platinum

Oliver Hodgson, Platinum Live 

With a passion for storytelling and crafting impact-driven marketing strategies, Oliver Hodgson is a 19-year-old marketeer on a mission. 

Oliver is the founder and managing director of Platinum Live, a communications agency founded in West Cumbria, which he launched in March 2020 a week into the UK’s first lockdown at the age of 16. 

Fast forward three years and Platinum Live has grown to a global creative communications agency, winning several industry awards and now well exceeding six-figure annual revenue, an agency known for implementing conversation-starting and thought-provoking campaigns. 

Oliver has worked with some of the most well-known firms and familiar faces in the UK, including Mitie, Porsche and Kendal Calling and regularly features on the likes of Sky News, GB News and ITV.  

Oliver led the strategy for Gary McKee, aka Marathon Man, during his 365 challenges in 2022. Objectives of the 12-month campaign were to generate awareness and visibility for Gary and provide opportunities for him to discuss the importance of cancer awareness, and mental health and generate global awareness to aid fundraising ambitions. In the end, Gary’s incredible efforts and mindset combined with Oliver’s headline-setting strategy and action plan raised a staggering £1.4 million for two cancer charities. 

Oliver also leads the strategy for Whitehaven Alive, an annual food, drink, and music festival on Whitehaven Harbour. The inaugural event took place in September 2022 and was hailed a success with over 6,500 people attending. 

In Cumbria:

Mark Metcalf, West Port 

Since Mark joined the business in late 2020 he has worked to redevelop the West Port brand from the ground up.  
Mark brings a wealth of marketing knowledge and skill to West Port including branding, graphic design, photography, web design, illustration and general marketing.  
He has raised brand awareness with a new website, regular email marketing and social media posts.  

This has had a significant impact, bringing on board some major repeat businesses who account for 60 per cent of its production. LinkedIn, in particular, is starting to gain regular traction within the industry adding over 1,200 followers and increasing engagement by an average of 30 to 50 per cent per post.  
He also took responsibility for the company’s presence at the Fire Safety Event this year, from design of the stand to the graphics, and also executed a pre-show campaign via email, website, email signatures and social media channels. The show led to an increase in sales with a new fire doors production line on the cards for 2024 to cope with demand. 

He has also been instrumental in elevating the internal marketing of the business to help improve production efficiency and quality control.