Celebrating Talon’s Changemakers: Nicola Fox, Asia Wray and Dilki Weerakoon named Media Week’s 30 Under 30 Winners

Trailblazing Talon Trio: Media Week’s 30 Under 30 Winners 2023

Talon is thrilled to announce that three trailblazing individuals from our team have been recognized as winners in Media Week’s prestigious 30 Under 30 list for 2023.
Asia Wray, Nicola Fox, and Dilki Weerakoon have been recognised for their outstanding talent, innovative thinking and dedication to transforming Out of Home. This acknowledgement not only highlights their exceptional contributions but also underscores the collective spirit of creativity, technology, and data that drives us at Talon.

Nicola Fox (29), Head of Programmatic, Talon

Prior to joining Talon, Nicola Fox spent seven years in outdoor sales at JCDecaux, progressing to become the youngest-ever associate director. She joined Talon in 2022 as business director (product and data) and was promoted to head of programmatic in April 2023.

At Talon, she has identified knowledge gaps internally and externally, which were preventing the business from capitalising on the growth opportunity that programmatic OOH (PrOOH) presents. Using her previous sales experience and newfound product knowledge, she has bridged those gaps, running a six-week masterclass for the data team, showcasing how insights can fuel compelling narratives to clients. This was followed by an all-company education week written and hosted by Fox and her team, upskilling planners on programmatic OOH opportunities.

Outside of her day job, Fox is a founding member and sits on the organising committee of PrOOH Practitioners, a network of global PrOOH stakeholders working together to grow the medium.

Judges said Fox “has a strategically very important role in programmatic OOH and it is great to see how she’s leaned into it and taken people on the journey with her”.

Asia Wray (29), Client Director, Talon

OOH is a medium close to Asia Wray’s heart. At Talon, alongside her day-to-day client director responsibilities, she regularly showcases OOH from an educational point of view, taking ownership of quarterly planning inductions and discussing the complexities of planning and creative opportunities with new starters. Wray has also instigated actionable steps to ensure the agency is more inclusive, feeding into wider company objectives. She is the Race and Diversity champion within Belong, Talon’s DE&I committee. Her work championing DE&I has fed into wider business performance targets and she has been the dynamic force behind Talon’s partnership with MEFA. Wray curated and led the first MEFA Inspiration Day, hosted in November 2022 – a collaboration between Talon, Clear Channel and MEFA.

In the next 12 months, Wray intends to work on further new business pitches and help Talon reach its diversity targets.
Judges said Wray is “delivering exceptional work at Talon and pushing the boundaries of her role, championing DEI”.

Dilki Weerakoon (29), Client Development Director, Talon

Dilki Weerakoon was recently promoted to spearhead Talon’s UK New Business division, as the agency’s first client development director. Despite only being in this role for a year, she has been instrumental in landing 23 new business wins in the form of 11 agencies and 12 direct clients.
As well as driving forward OOH, Weerakoon’s responsibilities also extend beyond the UK, with Weerakoon working with Talon’s US offices to replicate strategies internationally, where she has identified huge opportunities for growth over the next 12 months. She will be coordinating international teams, implementing global processes and facilitating the sharing of best-in-class work across markets to ensure continued success for clients across Talon.

Weerakooon has also increased her external profile as a BAME woman, representing OOH at industry events. Judges said Weerakoon is “seeking opportunities externally through different initiatives and organisations” and had enjoyed “a great journey, becoming a great role model”.

A company built on people with big ideas

Talon is a company built on people with big ideas. Our Media Week 30 Under 30 winners —Asia Wray, Nicola Fox, and Dilki Weerakoon—exemplify the spirit of creativity and innovation that drives the business forward to re-imagine the possibilities of what Out of Home can be.

Visit Campaign for more information on Media Week’s 30 Under 30 and to see the full winners list.