Meet the Team
We’re a team of seasoned entrepreneurs, media veterans, and tech builders united by one mission: to restore trust in journalism and empower real stories, told in real time. With over 100 years of combined experience across publishing, operations, and global business, we’ve built PressHop not just as a platform — but as a movement.
Emily
Story Sniffer-in-Chief
Say hello to Emily, the spirited little rabbit in our logo and the heart of the PressHop brand.
She stands for ethical, citizen-led journalism that’s quick on its feet, always curious, and always chasing the truth. Emily’s here to remind us that real stories come from the ground up and sometimes, with a good hop
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Gemma Walsh
People
With 9 years of experience in HR, Gemma leads our People function at PressHop.
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Gemma is passionate about building a positive, supportive workplace culture and helping our team grow, thrive, and enjoy the journey as much as the destination.
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Heather Holmes
Communications
Heather Holmes is the Founder of Publicity For Good, a top communications agency for purpose-driven brands, and serves as President & Chief Communications Officer for PressHop North America, where she helps bridge traditional PR with the $220B creator economy.
Publicity For Good has supported over 400 clients globally across industries such as CPG, Health & Wellness, FinTech, Professional Services, and Non-Profits. Recognized as O'Dwyer’s Best PR Firm for CPG Brands and Bulldog Awards Midsize Agency of the Year, the agency delivers full-service PR, Influencer Marketing, Podcast Tours, and Speaking Engagements that drive measurable results.
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Jay Islam
Tech
Jay leads all things technology at PressHop, overseeing the research, development, and continuous evolution of our end-to-end tech stack including the iOS and Android apps, our real-time content marketplace, and internal operational platforms. As Head of Technology, he is responsible for building robust systems that are scalable, secure, and future-ready, ensuring PressHop runs smoothly across every layer of our platform.
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With over 8 years of experience spanning data science, system architecture, and product R&D, Jay combines deep technical expertise with a relentless drive for innovation.
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Ritchie R Nanda
Chief Editor
An award-winning entrepreneur, Ritchie brings over 38 years of business leadership across the UK, USA, India, and the Middle East. He previously built a 97,000-strong, £270 million security and risk management group, spanning 270 offices in 7 countries; a global enterprise that reflects his deep expertise in scaling and leading high-impact businesses.
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Ritchie has also been an active member of renowned entrepreneur networks, including YPO (London) and The Indus Entrepreneur (UK), contributing to and learning from some of the world’s most innovative business leaders.
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At PressHop, Ritchie drives business strategy, operations, content management, sales, and editorial, playing a pivotal role in shaping the platform with both commercial acumen and a deep commitment to ethical, real-time journalism.
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Tom Holland
Customer Relations Manager
Tom heads Customer Relations at PressHop. With over 15 years of experience in customer success and relationship management, he is known for building trusted, long-term partnerships and consistently delivering results.
Tom brings the strategic leadership and client-focused mindset essential to PressHop’s global growth.
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He is responsible for developing and expanding our publisher and broadcaster ecosystem across the UK, USA, India, and beyond. From onboarding to ongoing support, Tom ensures every client experiences a seamless, value-driven relationship with PressHop - keeping them engaged, empowered, and ahead of the curve.
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Upasana Tiwari
Operations
Upasana leads operations at PressHop, where she is responsible for the seamless coordination of our Hoppers, task workflows, and user experience across all markets. With over 11 years of experience in operations and customer relations, she brings a rare blend of structure, empathy, and operational precision to our fast-moving, content-driven ecosystem.
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As our Operations lead, Upasana oversees the full lifecycle of Hopper engagement, from onboarding and task management to quality assurance and ongoing support - ensuring that both our Hoppers and publisher clients are consistently delighted with their experience on the platform. She plays a critical role in maintaining content quality, ensuring every submission is reviewed with care, attention to detail, and editorial rigour.​​​
Vaishali Anand
Marketing
A software engineer by training and a marketer by choice, Vaishali brings the best of both worlds to the PressHop revolution. With nearly 5 years of experience building & coding digital apps, she knows what it takes to make tech tick and then make it shine ✨
Now, she’s bringing that firepower to PressHop - Britain's most trusted citizen journalism platform, built to disrupt, democratise and redefine how the $1.96 trillion global news industry will work in the near future
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Raneeta Nanda
Support
An entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience, Raneeta has successfully led events and business conferences across the Middle East and Asia.
As a Director at PressHop, she oversees Business Support and Administration, ensuring the day-to-day runs with precision and efficiency.
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Apply Today
Think you’ve got what it takes to be part of the PressHop movement? Whether you're a sharp-eyed citizen, a newsroom pro, or someone who simply believes in the power of real stories — we’d love to hear from you.
Contact Gemma today on hello@presshop.co.uk to join a growing network of people helping reshape how the world sees the news. It’s quick, simple, and the first step to something impactful.