The International News Media Association (INMA) has honored 30 young professionals as rising stars in the news media industry in its annual 30 Under 30 Awards.
The 30 Under 30 Awards is part of INMA’s Young Professionals Initiative, and this year’s competition garnered 140 applications.
Now in its fifth year, members of the association’s Young Professionals Committee reviewed applications and voted on five award recipients in six categories: Advertising, Data, Editorial, Reader Revenue, Leadership, and Product.
Judges selected candidates who are under the age of 30, employed by a news media company, big picture thinker with an ability to shape the news media industry, demonstrated expertise and accomplishments, and soft skills that make a great leader.
“INMA is proud to elevate these impressive professionals in our fifth class of 30 under 30 honourees,” said Earl J. Wilkinson, executive director and CEO of INMA. “The world of news media is changing rapidly, and these are the leaders we want at the helm during this transformation.”
Beyond global recognition, INMA 30 Under 30 Awards recipients receive membership to INMA for one year, free access to two INMA master classes, and a complimentary ticket to INMA’s Media Innovation Week.
Winners in each of the six categories from 16 countries
Advertising
Marcus Billingham-Yuen, client strategy manager, News Corp Australia, Australia
Jubaer Bin Latif, senior brand specialist, The Daily Star, Bangladesh
Ahmed Saleh Michika, content writer, Tudun Tsira, Nigeria
Thorge Schramm, senior social media & product manager, Nordwest Mediengruppe, Germany
Teodora (Teddy) Tepavicharova, director/programmatic strategy, Condé Nast, United Kingdom
Data
Kevin Cheberenchick, senior insights manager, Bloomberg, United States
Vadim Radinsky, director/product, analytics, data science, MediaNews Group, United States
Ankit Kumar Roy, lead data scientist, HT Media, India
Andrea Skeith, senior data analyst, Gannett, United States
Leslie Wong, assistant manager/data, South China Morning Post, Hong Kong
Leadership
Tamara Bajcic, executive manager/CEO, Demostat Research & Publishing Center, United States
Sanket Jain, journalist, freelance, India
Saher Merchant, audience development director, The Dallas Morning News, United States
Kinya Nina, author/radio host, Sound Mental Health, Kenya
Anastasia Rudenko, CEO/editor-in-chief/media manager, Rubryka Recover Window Media Network, Eastern Variant, Ukraine
Editorial
Eden Benibo, founder/editorial director, Hello Icon Magazine, Nigeria
Aaron Dahmen, senior journalist/producer, Stuff, New Zealand
Kathleen Farmilo, social media producer, SBS News, Australia
Ryo Namiki, journalist, Nikkei, Japan
Mohammad Abdullah Al Noman, editor-in-chief/CEO, Gaznobay, Bangladesh
Product
Madison Flanders, senior project manager, The New York Times, United States
Mikko Kivistö, software developer, Helsingin Sanomat, Finland
Catarina Mexia, product manager, Público, Portugal
Lea Nowack, PM content development, Tamedia, Switzerland
Ben Rubinsztein, product manager/Web, The Telegraph, United Kingdom
Reader Revenue
Evangeline Braithwaite, performance marketing executive, Financial Times, United Kingdom
Caleb Davidson, marketing manager/growth team, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, United States
Adam Frank, senior specialist/lifecycle marketing, The Washington Post, United States
Ana Mendonça, political columnist, Estado de Minas, Brazil
Jeevanand Sumesh, growth product analyst, The Hindu, India
INMA’s Young Professionals Initiative was set up to look at how to engage under-30 rising stars to help them elevate the news media, guide the INMA community, and bring new life and energy to an industry undergoing transformation. The Young Professionals Initiative is spearheaded by the Young Professionals Committee with seven members from around the world.
