The Rising Affiliate Victors Awards

With 18+ years in the B2B Software industry, I now lead Sage’s global Affiliate Program, focusing on building high-quality, meaningful partnerships in the B2B SaaS space. I’m passionate about driving growth through affiliate marketing and working closely with affiliates to create long-term, valuable collaborations.

Previously, I led Sage’s transition to a global paid media agency, driving efficiency and alignment across regions. Feel free to connect if you’re interested in exploring affiliate partnerships or growth opportunities with a leading B2B brand.

Alona Malinovska is Managing Director at Webgains, leading UK affiliate network. Being part of the Webgains leadership team for over five years, Alona is specialised in leading best-in-class teams, nurturing innovative, creative culture, forming the direction of affiliate programs, and helping brands drive incremental and sustainable growth via performance channels. She frequently writes and speaks about affiliate marketing trends, strategic recommendations, and channel best practices.

A leading figure in the digital marketing and ad tech world in Europe, Florian is Managing Director EMEA. Based in London, he develops and executes Impact’s rapid regional growth strategies and is responsible for the day-to-day management of the local commercial and customer success teams.
Before joining Impact in May 2018, Florian held senior positions for blue-chip technology companies including CJ Affiliate by Conversant, Gartner, and most recently, Managing Director of IgnitionOne. His 2 decades of industry leadership include active roles on the IAB’s Performance Marketing Council and Legislation and Standards Committee.

Michael Cole is the SVP of Marketing at Everflow – the Partner Marketing Platform for tracking, managing, and optimizing every performance-driving partnership and marketing channel. Over 1100 companies use Everflow to scale up their partnerships, discover deeper insights into what works, and automate their management processes. Michael got his start in the industry at a boutique affiliate agency that launched and managed affiliate programs for brands including BigCommerce, Shopify, and ZipRecruiter.

Gaurav Arora is an experienced professional in the digital marketing and partnerships sector, currently serving as the Director of Global Partnerships at Skimlinks, a Taboola company, since January 2024. Gaurav holds a Master’s degree in International Marketing from the University of East London and has a diverse background that includes roles such as Head of Client Success at Astound Commerce and Director of Client Development for UK & APAC at CJ. Gaurav has proven expertise in revenue growth, client satisfaction, and team management across various high-profile companies, including iProspect, Annexio Limited, and Awin Global. Notably, Gaurav possesses a strong understanding of affiliate marketing and ecommerce strategies, having managed key clients and partnerships to drive operational excellence and long-term growth.

With a career spanning over two decades in leadership roles across tech and digital landscapes, Richard brings a wealth of experience to his role as CEO of Game Lounge. Richard’s journey in the performance marketing industry is distinguished by his recent tenure at Webgains Affiliate Network, where he served for 7 years as CEO driving the company towards unprecedented growth with his forward-thinking strategies and data-driven approach.


Before leading Webgains, Richard held senior positions at renowned organisations such as Yell, BBC, PWC and Nokia, and also ventured into entrepreneurship with the founding of a travel startup.


Richard is a firm believer in the power of innovation and technology. With his expertise in AI and Machine Learning, he will play a crucial role in leading Game Lounge towards continuous evolution, keeping the company at the forefront of the online gaming and entertainment industry. Richard is based between the vibrant landscapes of Malta and Marbella, and his leadership style is characterised by a dynamic and inclusive approach, fostering a culture of excellence and creativity within the team. His philosophy is to never stop learning!


Beyond his executive responsibilities, Richard is deeply committed to mentoring the next
generation of tech leaders. He acts as a Non-Executive Director and board advisor to several technical scale-ups. His passion for nurturing talent and investing in potential is reflected in his role as an angel investor and mentor to many at the beginning of their careers.

Heather has more than a decade of experience in the affiliate industry, with a strong understanding of affiliate operations, partnership development, commercial negotiations and building global strategies. Heather co-founded the Publisher Board in 2019, with the mission to improve industry standards and promote best practices.

Red Barrington started her career in affiliate marketing in the heady days of Google arbitrage and when no one had even heard of a voucher code! With over 20 years’ hands-on practice, Red now delivers successful customer acquisition strategies for a range of global ecommerce clients, including Helly Hansen, Cambridge Satchel Co., Liberty Global (Flow), Sage and Vodafone. Red is also a Chartered Marketer and develops digital training programmes for corporate organisations and professionals for Oxford College of Marketing.

Jenny Gonzalez has been in the performance marketing industry for the last decade, becoming a veteran of the online dating industry. She has developed a deep passion for affiliate marketing, online marketing, and branding. Gonzalez embraced that passion and used it as fuel to successfully grow market share and achieve significant milestones for various online dating advertisers that have benefited from her expertise. In late 2019 she decided to switch sides and move to the publisher side of the industry. As a publisher she has been using her in-depth experience in key roles of the industry to help advertisers and a small group of like-minded publishers, improve both conversions and acquisition costs, through a more comprehensive use of technology across several verticals. She is a public speaker and a serial entrepreneur who is deeply passionate about what she does for a living and aims to inspire people curious about the industry to better understand the fascinating world of online marketing.

Matt Frary has always been ahead of the curve in affiliate marketing since the early days, launching companies like: SmarterChaos, She Is Media, DealTaker, Elite Media Partners, and ROI Rocket. His journey has always been about spotting trends before they explode—and that’s exactly what Affiliate 3.0 is about. In this article he shares his thoughts on the future of Performance Marketing
Jim Nichols (from LinkedIn)
High performing leader with more than 15 years of digital and traditional marketing experience helping drive company growth by helping brands make the most of their marketing investments. Career focused on finding barriers to growth across organizations and leading cross departmental teams to genuine solutions. Builder of more profitable and enduring client relationships and teams.

Sarafina Wolde Gabriel has 2 decades of experience in digital marketing and more than a decade’s worth of expertise in leadership within the iGaming and marketing sectors.
Sarafina joined Paysafe’s Income Access, a digital marketing technology and services provider, in 2004 as a leader of its in-house affiliate management team. Serving as Director of Affiliate Marketing, she successfully managed the affiliate department, which collected six awards for the iGB Best Affiliate Network. She then served as the company’s CMO until 2016, which saw the company pick up five awards in the eGR ‘Best Affiliate Software’ category, as well as three ‘Best Acquisition Partner’ awards.
In her role as the VP of Strategy, Sarafina focused on providing direction for marketing and developing innovative solutions, fostering key business partnerships and ventures to acquire new business, as well as expanding the company’s global presence. In 2022, Sarafina made the decision to leave Paysafe after serving for 18 years and took on a new challenge as a senior director with GeoComply, a leading geolocation and fraud prevention company, where she focused on new business development and helping expand the company’s international presence.
Currently serving as CEO at Rightlander, a marketing compliance company, Sarafina’s responsibilities include developing business strategies to help grow and expand into new markets and verticals, evaluate new product opportunities and build strategic partnerships.
Prior to joining Income Access, completed a Masters Degree in Marketing from the University of Surrey in the UK following a Bachelor’s degree in International Business and Marketing from Concordia University in Montreal, where she was elected as the President of the African Students Association for 2 consecutive terms. During her gap year, she worked with the WTO (World Tourism Organisation) in Lisbon.
Sarafina enjoys running, traveling, going on safari and is a fanatic of Arsenal football club, aka the gooners!

High performing leader with more than 15 years of digital and traditional marketing experience helping drive company growth by helping brands make the most of their marketing investments. Career focused on finding barriers to growth across organizations and leading cross departmental teams to genuine solutions. Builder of more profitable and enduring client relationships and teams.

Ishtvan is a staunch advocate for incrementality, ensuring that each affiliate campaign contributes positively to a brand’s broader goals without merely cannibalizing existing successes. His strategies emphasize consistent growth and sustainability.


His approach is rooted in a philosophy that affiliate marketing should not only aim for short-term gains but also drive genuine brand growth and customer engagement. Ishtvan has helped countless brands achieve substantial, sustainable growth by elevating the standards of their affiliate programs.

James is a seasoned professional with more than 16 years of experience and has held various roles spanning marketing, sales, client services, and partnerships. His expertise covers multiple industries including ecommerce, technology, and performance marketing. While remaining keenly involved in prevalent industry topics, James’ diverse and extensive background positions him perfectly to continue expanding CAKE’s global offering.

With almost two decades of digital marketing and affiliate experience within the retail, payments and the fast paced iGaming industry, Lee-Ann Johnstone is an award winning digital marketing strategist and affiliate management coach. In 2019 she started Affiverse, a Google News approved curated content hub and affiliate marketing agency. Born out of a passion to help brands and affiliates connect and build profitable affiliate businesses, Affiverse has grown into a trusted provider and authoritative brand in the iGaming industry.
Lee-Ann was also recently voted one of the Top 10 Most Influential Women in iGaming by IGB Affiliate in 2019 and helps brands implement best practice within their affiliate marketing programs. She runs an exclusive Affiliate Manager Coaching program: AMPP (Affiliate Marketing Performance Program). Lee-Ann’s ethos is all about keeping Affiliate Marketing, Simple.