2021 Creative LIAisons Coaches

Maddie Raedts

Founder & CCO IMA
IMA/MediaMonks
Amsterdam

When she co-founded IMA at the age of 22, Maddie Raedts had no way of knowing that influencer marketing would grow into a billion-dollar industry, but she had a vision. She believed in the power of human-to-human connections. Since 2010, when she played a key role in the development of the fashion inspiration platform Fashiolista.com, Maddie has been at the forefront of the influencer marketing movement, and she is now leading an international team of 100+ people that is responsible for pioneering how brands work with social media, influencers and communities to engage audiences across the globe.

In 2019, IMA merged with MediaMonks and S4 Capital, and Maddie is now focused on leading, growing and owning the Fashion & Luxury category while launching new markets. In this evolved role, Maddie takes the S4’s end-to-end social proposition to a global scale, building creative, branding, social and influencer solutions for prestige brands such as Bally, PernodRicard, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Samsung, Bally, Moncler and Farfetch to drive cultural relevance.

As Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Raedts is pushing the industry toward diverse, disruptive and authentic campaigns, fueled by the communities that are reshaping the culture online through their unique voices. Her vision for the future of the industry she raised is simple: that influencers and end-to-end social media capabilities play a vital role in any modern marketing campaign - empowered by equal rights and an adequate balance of creativity and long-term sustainable solutions for brands rooted in culture.

Maddie was featured in Forbes’ 2017 ‘30 under 30’ Europe: Media List, as well as in The Drum’s 2017 ‘50 under 30’ and the M&M Global Meet the Millennials 2016 list. She is currently a contributing editor for Forbes, as well as a speaker and jury member on global events, shining her light on the rapidly changing social media and advertising landscape.

Comments

"Developing young talent means accelerating industry transformation. It means encouraging learning to its full potential, where school knowledge and working knowledge come together to not only push the industry for a brighter future, but also to promote real change in the present. I believe learning goes both ways and creativity is never a single force, so coaching young talent is just as important as learning from them, in a collaborative effort that combines different thinking, cultures and backgrounds. Because historically creativity has been exclusive to some, it’s an honor to help change that. This program fosters young talent just as much as it fosters the industry and creativity itself."