There are paid social managers who talk about high-stakes campaigns. And then there are the ones who have actually run them.
Ellie McGuigan is Senior Paid Social Manager at Cancer Research UK and one of the panel speakers joining us at Social Media Fest 2026 in London this May. She has spent five years doing paid social where it actually counts, inside two of the UK's largest charities: British Red Cross and now Cancer Research UK. That is not agency-side comfortable. That is high-stakes, purpose-driven, prove-your-ROI-or-explain-yourself territory.
Her track record speaks for itself. At British Red Cross, she helped drive over three million pounds in income for the Ukraine Crisis Appeal through paid social in a single month. At Cancer Research UK, she led the development of the organisation's Paid Social Playbook, a piece of work that aligned best practice across the entire organisation and set the standard for how paid social functions at one of the UK's most recognised charities. She won the Q4 Marketing and Digital Champion award off the back of it.
Her panel session, The Reality of Brand-Side Paid Social in 2026, is the honest conversation the industry needs. She is bringing the behind-the-scenes view on what paid social actually looks like right now: working with the algorithm rather than against it, understanding what creative diversification really means in practice, and being honest about why leaning too hard on AI creative tools risks scaling sameness rather than genuine standout.
One of the most significant developments she has been watching closely is Meta's Andromeda algorithm update, alongside a broader industry focus on long-term creator relationships and the increased use of automation in media buying. Her view is clear: automation is changing the landscape fast, but the brands winning are the ones keeping human judgment and human-ness at the centre of the work.
That tension between AI efficiency and human connection is what she sees as the defining challenge for paid social marketers in the years ahead. Maintaining authenticity and relatability in a world increasingly shaped by automated systems is not a nice-to-have. It is the whole game.
What to expect from her session: Practical steps you can take back to your organisation, honest watchouts on AI in the paid social space, and real insight from someone who has had to make every pound count.
"Be curious. Put yourself out there beyond your organisation's four walls. You will learn, you will be inspired, and you will feel supported by a community of like-minded people. A win-win."
Want to hear more from Ellie? Join us at Social Media Fest, London. 19 and 20 May. Get your tickets at socialday.co.uk