Debra Coleman, Founder, Career and Leadership Coach, Open Frame Coaching

VFX veteran, Debra, is the founder of Open Frame Coaching, helping creative professionals regain confidence in their career (and stop worrying about getting a boring job) - and empowering leaders to ditch the doubt and Lead With Ease.

Debra brings 25+ years of industry experience to her coaching, progressing from Runner at Cinesite, to Senior Comp at Tippett, to Global Head of Compositing at DNEG, where she oversaw comp delivery of 100+ projects by hundreds of artists, including 3 Oscar winning films. She has been a craft judge for British Arrows and the Royal Television Society, is a subject specialist at National Film and TV School, is a proud parent of twins and an advocate for women in VFX as a Director of Animated Women UK and a WIA Mentor.

Since launching in 2021, Open Frame Coaching has already empowered 80+ clients across 13 countries from BAFTA winning companies Union VFX and Playstack to innovative start-ups TWIN Digital and the 3D Artist Community.

Simon Davies, Founder & Talent Acquisition Leader, DAX | Digital Arts Xchange

Simon is a Talent Acquisition leader with over 20 years experience across the ever-evolving worlds of VFX, animation, games, and the wider creative media industry. 

With in depth experience at studios including ILM, DNEG, Scanline/Eyline and King among others, Simon founded 
DAX | Digital Arts Xchange in 2023 followed by the DAX | JobBoard in 2025.  Simon and the DAX Team partner with studios across the creative tech landscape - from global industry leaders to independent and boutique studios, helping them find the right people to deliver awesome work and grow strategically.

As well as connecting exceptional talent with great opportunities, Simon also supports creative tech professionals with career development. Whether it’s offering practical job-seeking advice, interview guidance, or industry insight, Simon is passionate about helping people navigate their path with confidence.

A strong advocate for emerging talent, Simon believes that investing in the next generation is key to building diverse, inclusive teams—and ultimately, stronger, more future-ready studios.