21 July, London - Brand Champions has been shortlisted in all four categories it entered at this year's UK Agency Awards.

The independent female-lead marketing agency has been named as a finalist in the following categories:

• Independent Agency of the Year – Large

• Best Agency Culture

• Emerging Talent Award: Alayna Hilmi-Phillips, Marketing Executive

• Operations Professional of the Year: Kerry Nicholson, Chief Operating Officer

The shortlistings follow a strong run of recent recognition for the agency, with Founder and CEO Fiona Wylie shortlisted for the MAD//Fest Female Leaders Award and at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards.

Alongside the agency-wide recognition, Marketing Executive Alayna Hilmi-Phillips has been shortlisted for the Emerging Talent Award. Alayna joined Brand Champions in October 2025 and has quickly made an impact through her creativity, curiosity and ability to turn consumer insight into marketing strategies and campaigns that deliver. She works on the Costa Coffee account and has completed multiple Service on Standby (SOS) placements, embedding directly with client teams to provide hands-on marketing support.

Alayna said: "Being shortlisted this early in my career is a real honour. Brand Champions took a chance on a graduate and trusted me with real work from day one, which has made all the difference. I'm proud to be part of this team and to be recognised alongside so many talented people."

Chief Operating Officer Kerry Nicholson has also been shortlisted for Operations Professional of the Year, a new category spotlighting the operational leaders who keep agencies running. Kerry has led a significant operational transformation at Brand Champions over the past two years - improving profitability, introducing scalable resource planning and forecasting, embedding AI and automation, and building the operational foundations to support the agency's continued growth. 

Kerry said: "Being shortlisted for Operations Professional of the Year means a lot, especially as it's a new category that shines a light on the people working behind the scenes to keep things moving. Over the last two years at Brand Champions, I've focused on building strong foundations that support the business as it grows, but none of that happens without a great team around me. It's a fantastic recognition and gives me even more motivation to keep learning, improving and making a difference.”

Fiona Wylie, Founder and CEO of Brand Champions, said: "We are incredibly proud to have been shortlisted in every category we entered this year. Recognition for our culture and our overall performance belongs to the whole team - it's their standards, day in and day out, that got us here.

Seeing Alayna and Kerry recognised individually means just as much, if not more. From a marketing executive in her first year to a COO transforming how we operate, that range says everything about the talent we have and are building at Brand Champions. We're looking forward to celebrating with all the other finalists.”

The four shortlistings recognise Brand Champions' continued growth as an agency and the depth of talent across the business - both client-facing and operational. Winners will be announced at the UK Agency Awards ceremony on 1 October.

For more information, please visit www.thebrandchampions.co.uk.

For quotes and interview requests, please contact hannah@thebrandchampions.com.

About Brand Champions

Brand Champions is an award-winning, independent marketing agency specialising in on-demand and embedded marketing talent across multiple sectors, including pharma/healthcare, FMCG/QSR, travel and retail. Founded by industry veteran Fiona Wylie, who has over two decades of professional experience working with renowned household brands such as British Airways, Nestle and Pfizer, and a team boasting a cumulative 250 years of experience in marketing, Brand Champions is uniquely positioned to tackle complex marketing challenges.

Through its SOS (Service on Stand-by) model, Brand Champions deploys experienced marketing professionals into client organisations at pace (from short-term campaign and launch support, to longer-term interim cover), giving brands the senior expertise they need, exactly when they need it. With a team of specialists spanning strategy, brand management, and marketing execution, Brand Champions works with some of the UK's most recognised consumer and healthcare brands.

To learn more about Brand Champions, visit: www.thebrandchampions.co.uk

Alayna Hilmi-Phillips, Marketing Executive at Brand Champions

Alayna is a junior marketing professional who loves digging into insights and the 'why' behind consumer behaviour to shape and execute strategies and impactful campaigns.

She’s endlessly curious about people and what influences the decisions they make. She completed a Fine Art degree, and has previous marketing experience at CamMed Therapeutics, Suzy Lamplugh Trust x L’Oréal and ANM Comms.

Kerry Nicholson, COO at Brand Champions

Kerry’s career started in customer service and learning & development, spending over a decade helping organisations such as Virgin Media, Virgin Holidays, River Island and Royal Caribbean Group improve communication, engagement and performance. Along the way, they developed a passion for understanding how people, technology and processes come together to create exceptional experiences.

Today, as COO of Brand Champions, Kerry focuses on building the systems, structures and culture that enable sustainable growth. Over the past two years, they’ve led significant operational transformation across the agency, improving profitability, introducing scalable resource planning and forecasting, embedding AI and automation, and creating the operational foundations needed to support ambitious growth targets.