Podcast Upfronts 2023

As DAX Strategy Director at Global, Faye is responsible for defining the role for Digital Audio within communications plans and driving re-appraisal of digital audio across UK, US and Canada. Faye was instrumental to the growth of DAX’s digital audio product; championing new product innovations at DAX including , DAX audiences, gaming and Global’s podcast positioning.

Spencer Matthews is the founder of CleanCo, the largest independent non-alcoholic drinks brand in the UK.  He is the co-host on the hugely successful BBC Sounds Podcast 6 Degrees with Jamie & Spencer.  He also presents Global’s popular podcast, Spencer & Vogue alongside his wife, Vogue Williams. Since its launch the podcast has amassed almost 10 million downloads. In 2022 Spencer also launched his own podcast for Global Player, Big Fish, in which he speaks to leading CEOs, inspiring entrepreneurs, incredible designers and other famous faces to find out what it takes to overcome life’s obstacles and be the best at what they do. In 2022 he filmed a documentary in which he travelled to Everest to find the body of his brother, Michael Matthews, who went missing 23 years ago.  The documentary will be released this year. Spencer is also the director of The Michael Matthews Foundation, which provides education to those who, without help, would be unlikely to receive one at all. MMF also focuses on the construction of durable school buildings, and in particular dormitories for girls – tangible assets which deliver lasting benefits.

Anna Williamson is an experienced TV, radio and podcast broadcaster, No1 best selling author, counsellor, life coach and Master NLP practitioner.

Anna is host to the extremely successful LuAnna: The Podcast alongside friend and co-host Luisa Zissman. With millions of listeners, the girl’s honest and frank opinions on all things topical has proven to be a huge hit. Due to popular demand the podcast airs twice weekly with an additional show Totally Extra available every Thursday and voted Top 20 Listeners Choice two years running.

From the steps of Downing Street to the inside of the White House press briefing room, Jon Sopel has spent four decades reporting on global events and interviewing the people who tried to shape them.

Described by President Trump as ‘another beauty’ his face has graced just about every news programme on the BBC and his familiar voice has carried across the airwaves of BBC Radio from Paris, Kuwait City, Washington DC and Blackpool.

In February 2022 Jon announced he was leaving the BBC for Global to launch The News Agents podcast alongside Lewis Goodall and Emily Maitlis.  In July 2023 Jon launched with Emily The News Agents USA.

Vicky is Head of Factual Podcasts at Global and oversees the most successful daily news podcast in the UK, The News Agents, hosted by Emily Maitlis, Jon Sopel and Lewis Goodall. The only truly multimedia daily news offering reaches its audience via podcast, video and social platforms has been downloaded more 50 million times since its launch in August 2022.

Vicky joined Global in 2012 as Deputy Group Head of News running the largest commercial radio news operation in the country. She went on to lead a team of award-winning journalists and correspondents as Global’s Head of Newsgathering. Prior to joining Global, Vicky spent five years at the Guardian Media Group as News Editor after starting her career as a documentary producer at ITV. 

James Harkin has been a writer and script editor on 17 series of the UK's hit BBC2 comedy panel show QI, as well as producing, writing and editing four series of the BBC Radio 4 show The Museum of Curiosity. He has co-written 13 books including 1,227 QI Facts to Blow Your Socks Off which was a New York Times bestseller. Alongside Andy, Anna and Dan, James is part of the award-winning, hit podcast No Such Thing As A Fish which has recently enjoyed sell-out tours in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and across mainland Europe.

Andrew Hunter Murray was a writer on BBC2's QI for 14 years. Outside his work on the podcast, he's also part of the writing team at Private Eye, Britain's biggest satirical magazine, and he's one of the founding cast members of Austentatious, an award-winning improv show based on the works of Jane Austen. He appears regularly with the others on Zoe Ball's national Radio 2 Breakfast Show, in a segment called The Why Workshop. Andrew's first novel, The Last Day, was published in 2020 and became a Sunday Times bestseller and one of the top 10 fiction debuts of that year. His second novel, The Sanctuary, was published in May 2022.

Mike joined Audioboom in 2018 and heads up partner relations across their UK & Ireland roster, working with some of the industry's biggest shows to drive audience and revenue growth.