Helen has been Head of Radio 2 since August 2020, following roles as Head of Content Commissioning and Network Editor.
Starting her career in BBC News at 5 Live, Today on Radio 4, and Newsbeat on Radio 1, Helen moved into music programming at BBC World Service before producing Front Row on Radio 4. She joined Radio 2 in 2003, producing the Johnnie Walker Drivetime Show and later launching the Chris Evans Drivetime Show (2006) and Breakfast Show (2010).
Helen led the first BBC Music pop-up station, Radio 2 Eurovision, and secured major partnerships with RHS, The Space, and Art Fund. A founding member of the Young Audio Awards steering committee, she was nominated as Individual of the Year at the ARIAS in 2018. Helen is Chair of the Radio Academy and a Trustee of BBC Children in Need.
Olivier Goulet is the Founder and CEO of iligo, a research agency in Paris. Olivier spent 25 years working in the field of market research for companies like Publicis, WPP or Omnicom. He worked at Omnicom as Deputy General Manager for seven years. He later worked at WPP/GroupM as Associate Director.
In 1988, he launched one of the first French online panel, in collaboration with Ipsos. In 2010, Olivier created his own company iligo, a research agency aiming at a better understanding and measurement of marketing levers. Iligo is committed to innovation and emerging technologies and has been awarded many times for it works during the last decade.
Mary Hoogerbrugge is the co-founder of De Positioneerders, a strategic advisory agency specializing in positioning and portfolio strategies.
She began her career as a research assistant to Professor Giep Franzen and spent 12 years at FHV BBDO, rising to Strategy Executive and management team member. A champion of marketing and branding, Mary is the honorary patron of SWOCC and formerly chaired the Effie Awards steering committee, raising standards for marketing effectiveness.
As a partner at Iris Academy, she shares her expertise to inspire organizations and individuals. Widely recognized for her contributions, Mary has received the Jonge Haan Award (1996), Coq d’Honneur (2014), and Coq de Grand Honneur (2021). In 2023, she made history as the first woman named a VIA Legend, celebrating her lifelong impact on the industry.
George Petrakos is a Professor of Quantitative Methods and Information Systems at Panteion University of Athens (PUoA) and has served as Director General of the Research Institute for Tourism (RIT) since 2019 and Technical Advisor for AEMAR’s Audience Rating Surveys since 2016.
As a scientific coordinator, George has collaborated extensively with Eurostat and international organizations, leading projects on data validation, quality, and integration. At RIT, he oversees official surveys, while at AEMAR, he manages and audits radio audience surveys in Athens and Thessaloniki.
