OnBD with ALF

Listen back to highlights from the first season of OnBD with ALF, hosted by Amanda Rosevear, General Manager of ALF Insight.

Featured topics and guests include BD100’s Jody Osman who tells us what he thinks distinguishes a ‘great’ business development person from a ‘good’ one.

Becky Hipkiss from We Are Futures offers insights on outreach and explains her belief on why ‘people buy people’, whilst global media and tech leader, Evelyn Oluwole, shares follow up advice including common mistakes to avoid.

Rob Biagioni, CEO of Time Out, tells us about building community and deepening engagement with their audience to steer content and support commercial aims. And Kim James from Havas Media Network talked us through the steps they take when considering their own growth strategy.

Katie Street, founder and MD of Street Agency, spoke to us about overcoming some of the challenges of business development, and sales trainer Debra Sharron offered advice on honing your skills as a salesperson and what she means by ‘consultative selling’.

Charlie Celino, Commercial Services Director at News UK, discusses how AI is transforming planning and buying infrastructure but why he believes a human touch will always remain central.

Plus, we hear back from all our season one guests on the advice they would give their younger selves. Topics include authenticity, speaking up, patience, networking, relationships, trusting your gut, and starting your pension sooner!

00:00 Summer Bonus Highlights
00:19 What Makes Great BD
02:28 Outreach That Cuts Through
04:10 Follow Up Like a Pro
05:01 Audience Engagement at Time Out
05:52 Building Growth Communities
07:36 Authentic New Business Content
10:38 Consultative Selling Skills
13:11 AI in Media Sales
14:54 Advice to Your Younger Self
24:52 Final Thoughts

If you want to do business with the UK’s leading brands, request an ALF Insight demo
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, host and General Manager of ALF Insight, Amanda Rosevear, meets Evelyn Oluwole, a global media and tech sales leader to discuss why ‘follow-up’ should be viewed as a strategy not a task.

Evelyn highlights common mistakes when it comes to follow up and shares her advice and tips for adding value to cut through noise, the role that AI should and shouldn’t play in your communications and her recommendations for building relationships.

Plus, what should you do if your emails continually get ghosted? Amanda and Evelyn debate different approaches for leaving the door open.

If you want to enhance your follow up, then this is a must-listen.

00:00 Welcome and introduction to Evelyn
01:30 What Follow Up Means
02:42 Three Follow Up Mistakes
06:52 Add Value Not Noise
09:28 Stakeholders and Account Mapping
14:01 Trust and Retention Mindset
15:46 AI and Human Touch
22:24 McDonalds Follow Up Example
26:59 Timing Next Steps and Value
32:23 When to Stop Following Up
36:39 Dear John Email Debate
40:00 Quick Fire Round
42:00 One Follow Up Challenge
43:36 Final thoughts and goodbye

If you want to do business with the UK’s leading brands, request an ALF Insight demo.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amanda Rosevear, host and General Manager of ALF Insight, chats to Becky Hipkiss, who leads new business at marketing agency, We Are Futures.

In 2025 Becky was named as BD100’s Rising Star with judges citing her "purpose-driven mindset, tenacity and clear results" and in this conversation, she shares her expertise on effective outreach strategies, relationship building, and pipeline health.

Discover practical tips on how to cut through digital noise and build meaningful connections that lead to long-term success.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
01:27 Bad Outreach Red Flags
03:59 Channels That Cut Through
06:57 Email vs LinkedIn Messaging
10:41 Creating Cut Through
13:04 Building a Flexible Framework
18:22 Staying Top of Mind
23:06 Pipeline Roles and Relationship Equity
27:16 Metrics That Matter
30:22 Personalisation at Scale
33:32 Team GB Outreach Win Story
38:55 Quick Fire Questions
42:48 Wrap Up and Key Takeaways

If you want to do business with the UK’s leading brands, request an ALF Insight demo.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, General Manager of ALF Insight, Amanda Rosevear, is joined by Rob Biagioni, CEO of Time Out.

Rob shares his journey through the media industry, offering insights on adapting to digital transformation, and strategies for engaging audiences in a rapidly changing landscape.

This includes how Time Out is pivoting in the face of AI challenges, why they won’t succumb to the drive for ‘negative news’ clicks and how their 4,000+ members of the ‘Time Out Loud’ community is being used for editorial direction and advertiser insight work.


00:00 Introduction and Rob's Career Beginnings
02:51 Rob's Journey from Sports Science to Media
08:41 Leadership lessons
10:08 Joining Time Out
11:25 Time Out Markets model
13:10 The Evolution of Media and Audience Engagement
18:14 Moving Away from Page Views to Core Value
19:06 The Power of Human Reviews and Authentic Content
21:29 Using Community and First-Party Data for Insights
30:44 Adapting to Platform Changes and Diversification
34:02 The Future of Media and AI Challenges
34:44 Leadership, Culture, and Learning from Mistakes
35:19 Quickfire Questions

If you want to do business with the UK’s leading brands, request an ALF Insight demo.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Amanda Rosevear, General Manager for ALF Insight, is joined by Charlie Celino, Commercial Services Director at News UK.

Charlie shares insights on navigating the evolving media landscape, the impact of AI on news and advertising, and proactive strategies for future success.

Discover how News UK is leveraging technology and innovation to stay ahead in a turbulent industry.

00:00 Introduction and Background of Charlie Celino
02:59 Role of Commercial Services Director at News UK
04:45 Challenges in the News Industry: AI and Trust
06:21 Advertiser Relationships and Brand Safety Concerns
13:02 Proactive Strategies in a Changing Landscape
16:09 Embracing AI: Opportunities and Internal Initiatives
22:24 Revolutionising Sales with Digital Tools
31:16 The Future of Media Consumption
34:37 Quickfire Insights on Sales and Authenticity
40:24 Charlie’s life as a movie and favourite hype songs

If you want to do business with the UK’s leading brands, request an ALF Insight demo.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.