Who am I - a bit about me
If you’re thinking about bringing someone new into your team, I think it’s only fair you get to know a little bit about who you’d be working with. So… hi! I’m Ellie Digney.
I live in Lancing on the south coast, about 20 minutes from Brighton, with my husband, our two lively little boys, and two dogs. We’ve been here for seven years now and feel incredibly lucky — we can see beach huts from the front of our house and the South Downs from the back. It’s a pretty lovely place to call home.
I grew up in Surrey and studied philosophy at Oxford Brookes. After uni, I took a bit of a detour from the usual 9–5 and moved to Indonesia, where I spent almost two years teaching scuba diving, an experience I still treasure. When I returned to the UK, I found my way into the world of events and marketing, starting out at MCI UK, and that’s where the career I love really began.
Outside of work, I’m usually out walking the dogs, trying to stay active (whether that’s running, yoga, or squeezing in a gym session), or diving into a good book, something I’ve finally made time for again since becoming a mum, the best job in the world.
How I got here
I first fell in love with events while working on the Marketing Leaders Programme during my time at Brand Learning. This flagship event brought together rising marketing talent from brands like Unilever, Aviva, McDonald’s, Sainsbury’s, P&G, and Brown-Forman for two days of leadership sessions and exclusive talks from top CMOs and Marketing Directors from organisations including John Lewis, Boots, Shell, and BBDO. Being in the room with so many inspiring marketers at such an early stage in my career sparked my passion not just for marketing, but also for planning, organising, and delivering impactful events. Seeing something you’ve worked on come to life was an experience I found hugely motivating.
After Brand Learning, I moved into a more events-focused role at Clarion Events, joining The Baby Show team as a Marketing Executive. A key part of my role was working closely with exhibitors, ensuring they were well-promoted to our audience, and that they, in turn, actively supported the show. I loved building relationships with business owners and brand reps, and I found real joy in helping small businesses grow their visibility, reach new audiences, and make their event presence count.
After 18 months on The Baby Show, I was promoted to Marketing Manager for the Classic Car portfolio — a very different audience and scale of event. While The Baby Show relied on attracting a new, regional audience for each show, the classic car audience was largely repeat visitors, requiring a fresh marketing approach. This role taught me how to tailor messaging to a very different demographic and manage nationwide, large-scale campaigns with much bigger footfall. With that came more complexity: more partners, more content, more channels, and more pressure. I thrived in this fast-paced environment and developed highly transferable skills, from strategic planning and campaign execution to being adaptable, resourceful, and innovative under pressure.
Relocating out of London brought a new opportunity with the RSPCA, where I worked as an Event Manager within the fundraising team. This role involved launching their Mount Everest Trek, recruiting London Marathon runners, and encouraging community fundraising through initiatives like bake sales. While I loved supporting a cause I truly believed in, I missed the hands-on marketing side. At the RSPCA, social media, email marketing, and web were handled by separate teams, and I missed being able to work quickly and creatively across channels.
That changed when I joined Elite Exhibitions — a small events company in Hove. At the time, they had successfully launched one event in the cruise design sector and were preparing to launch a second. Not long after I joined, the Senior Marketing Manager left, leaving me as the most experienced marketer in the business. During my time here I took the lead on all marketing for existing events, launched multiple new events in the cruise and hotel sectors, and developed an online community to support these. I grew the marketing team from two to eight, delivering multi-channel campaigns across a growing portfolio, and achieving outstanding results along the way.
At the beginning of 2025, I took a short career break after my husband started a new role that involved frequent overseas travel. Taking time to adjust to our new rhythm of family life gave me the space to reflect on what I truly enjoy and where I can make the most impact. That reflection led to the launch of Cuttlefish Marketing — a way for me to support small businesses as they grow, stay connected to the events world I love, and continue doing the work that energises me most: meaningful, effective marketing.
You might be wondering — why Cuttlefish Marketing?
During my time as a diving instructor, one of my favourite creatures to spot underwater was the cuttlefish. What fascinated me most was their ability to constantly change — colour, texture, even the patterns on their skin — adapting in real time to their surroundings. Whether to communicate, blend in, or stand out, the cuttlefish was always responding to the moment.
That sense of adaptability is exactly what inspired the name for my business.
No, I won’t be changing colours, but with a background that spans multiple industries and marketing disciplines, I bring a flexible, tailored approach to every client I work with. There’s no one-size-fits-all here. When you work with Cuttlefish Marketing, you’ll get support that’s shaped around you — your goals, your audience and your way of working.
Get in touch
If you would like to discuss how we can work together, please fill out this form with some basic information and I will be in touch soon.