Pepper Hot 30 UK Social Marketing Shortlist Party 2026

To celebrate the very first Pepper Hot 30, we brought together our shortlisted UK nominees for an invite-only evening, dedicated to the people helping shape the future of social media.

Pepper Co-founder Joe Friend kicked things off with a look at just how far the industry has come. Many of the roles in the room simply didn’t exist 10–15 years ago. Today, social has evolved into one of the biggest drivers of brand relevance, culture and business growth.

Our Hot 30 Spotlight then put the focus on some of the people working at the heart of that change. We heard from LADbible’s Alex Hick, Hotel Chocolat’s Rebecca Youngs, The O2’s Saleha Rahmani and Experian’s Yusuf Aleem, who shared their experiences in their current roles, the lessons they’ve learned and their predictions for social over the year ahead.

Pepper Chief Strategy Officer Danny Collins then took us through Pepper’s three social predictions for 2027, looking at the shifts we believe will shape the next chapter of the industry.

Most importantly, the evening was a chance to bring together an incredible group of social marketers, share ideas and celebrate the inaugural founding class of Pepper Hot 30 nominees. We had a fantastic turnout, brilliant conversations and the perfect start to what we hope will become a much bigger celebration of the people behind social.