The 4 Under 40 Emerging Leaders Award honors individuals who have already made significant contributions to marketing and its sub-fields and have demonstrated leadership, collaboration, and continued service. These marketing visionaries are making their mark and stand ready to lead the future of the industry.
The 2024 AMAF 4 Under 40 Emerging Leader Award recipients are bold risk-takers and mentors who break down barriers and will continue to influence the industry for years. Congratulations to this year’s recipients!
2024 Recipients (in alphabetical order):
Digital Marketing and Creator Management Expert
Stephan Brown is a digital marketing and creator management expert originally from Philadelphia, who moved to Los Angeles to cultivate his skills in the fast-paced world of social media and community management. With over six years of experience, he became a Senior Creator Growth Strategist at TikTok, where he played a pivotal role in the platform’s explosive growth. Working closely with over 500+ creators during his tenure, Stephan developed innovative strategies to enhance video and Live streaming content. His leadership was instrumental during TikTok’s early days and through the pandemic boom, solidifying his reputation as a key player in the creator economy.
Currently based in Barcelona, Stephan is pursuing a master’s degree in Digital Marketing & Growth Hacking at EAE Business School Barcelona. He is transitioning into marketing roles outside of the talent and influencer space, with aspirations to work in digital marketing and AI. Stephan’s journey has taken him across 31 countries, and his passion for travel informs his next career chapter. With a commitment to pushing boundaries in marketing, Stephan is ready to apply his skills in new and dynamic sectors.
James Gutteridge
Manager of Paid Marketing, Analytics and Systems at the University of Victoria
James Gutteridge is a results-driven marketing leader with over a decade of experience shaping marketing strategy. He began his career on the agency side, quickly developing expertise in programmatic media, analytics and brand management before transitioning in-house and eventually joining the University of Victoria. As Manager of Paid Marketing, Analytics and Systems, James leads a cross-functional team remotely from Calgary, driving impactful marketing initiatives that support UVic’s strategic goals.
At UVic, James has championed a data-driven approach to marketing, making key metrics accessible across departments to improve decision-making and optimize strategies. By democratizing data, he empowers teams to move beyond manual reporting, fostering collaboration throughout the institution. His leadership enables teams to track performance, identify trends and allocate resources effectively, ensuring the best return on ad spend (ROAS) and overall impact.
Beyond his technical expertise, James is deeply passionate about mentoring, knowledge sharing and fostering communities of practice, cultivating an environment where collaboration and innovation thrive. Known for his collaborative approach and innovative thinking, James has played a pivotal role in positioning UVic as a leader in these areas.
Dan King
Area Business Manager at PolyNovo
Dan King is an award-winning marketer and leader recognized for developing high-performing teams that significantly impact the organizations and markets he serves. He is extraordinarily passionate about the Medical Device space and has dedicated his career to building and serving teams focused on disrupting markets through innovation and education.
During his career, Dan has held roles in R&D, Marketing, and Sales and has served on leadership teams for PolyNovo and Philips. Career highlights include consistently achieving significant growth, leading one of the first teams to achieve FDA Breakthrough Device Designation and a De Novo clearance, and contributing to disrupting the wound care market by driving the adoption of the world’s first synthetic dermal substitute.
Dan is especially passionate about developing and supporting teams. He strongly believes that individuals are capable of great things, but great teams change the world. He is proud to have his PolyNovo team’s work recognized by the American Business Awards for Best Marketing Department and the Medical Device Network for Marketing Engagement.
An avid learner, Dan has obtained advanced degrees in Organizational Leadership focusing on innovation and change management, an Executive MBA with specialties in finance and data analytics, and several professional certifications.In his free time, Dan loves spending time with his family and would especially like to thank his wife, Bridget, whose love and support mean everything. He would also invite readers to see the fantastic work his teammates at PolyNovo are accomplishing across the world here.
Nandini Nandakumar
Global Marketing Director, Smirnoff, Diageo at Diageo North America
Nandini Nandakumar is an intrapreneurial Marketer and a collaborative leader with over a decade of experience in Marketing Fortune-500 brands within Consumer goods, retail and e-commerce. She is a global marketer having worked across Asia, Europe and North America and has a track record of delivering strong business performance on legacy and turnaround brands. What fires her up is having an impact on consumers’ lives, business and society at large. She is a bold & brave leader, who holds the performance bar high but also leads with empathy. She is currently the Global Marketing Director for Smirnoff with Diageo North America. Nandini. A strong advocate of the importance of leadership in marketing, she is also one of the peer mentors in the Marketing Leadership Masterclass with Thomas Barta & Syl Saller.
In her current role, she has spearheaded the positive drinking platform for Smirnoff and in partnership with the Creative Equals team anchored a program called Creative Comeback – which gives women and non-binary gender an avenue to work on a live brief. The program was a huge success with the responses making way into actual execution plans of the brand and the participants having an avenue to showcase their work to the best of agency networks in New York and by way of which opened doors for their coming back to work. She has also been on panels in New York and featured on podcasts. She is also recognized as LinkedIn’s ‘Top Voice on Brand Strategy’.
A strong advocate of the importance of leadership in marketing, she is one of the peer mentors in the Marketing Leadership Masterclass with Thomas Barta & Syl Saller.
In her previous role she was the Head of Marketing for Spirits with Diageo Ireland and also served as a council member in the Marketing Society of Ireland. In her eight years with Diageo, she has spearheaded multiple portfolios. Under her leadership brands have showcased their strongest performance, highest equity and have celebrated multiple accolades and she has left the legacy of being a leader who has lead and built tribes of marketing leaders. As a believer in inclusivity, she champions Diageo’s progressive gender portrayal by consciously going beyond the stereotypical casting.
An engineer and MBA by vocation, she loves the art and science of marketing and believes in the power of marketing to impact business, consumers and society at large.