Design graduate Melissa Sterry launched her own womenswear label on graduation before progressing into New Media as a consultant in her mid twenties. At 27 she became the business development director of a
London-based design group, which led to board roles with two influential British dotcom companies.

In 2004 she founded Societás as a directional agency, think tank and incubator designed specifically to work with first-to-market companies and groundbreaking creative projects globally. Drawing on her network spanning the top level of the international creative industries and experience heading business development, marketing, PR, branding, client relations and event production in fast-growth start-ups - she structured Societás to provide directional strategy for companies in the fashion, film, music, entertainment, new media, arts and eco industries. Melissa is also the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Worldwide Aid Recordings (W.A.R) - the world's first fair trade music and media group, which she founded in 2004 with music industry chief Steve Brown. A passionate campaigner for environmental issues, including climate change awareness and conservation, she sits on the WWF's Beyond Green Consumption think tank.

She has previously held three editor-in-chief roles and is currently a contributing editor to two international arts publications and one international style magazine.

Melissa is the co-founder of three annual arts awards - Creative Graduate Prize launched in 2005 in conjunction with Medium Magazine, the Iconique Societás 'Excellence in Fashion Photography' Awards launched in conjunction with Iconique.com in January 2007 and The Message is The Medium Ethical Film Awards launching in February 2008. A visiting lecturer on the subjects of communications and strategy for the creative industries, Melissa also regularly sits on the judging panel of creative awards. She is also an associate film producer and is currently working with an award-winning Brit filmmaker on a slate of several feature films. Melissa is a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (MCIM),The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (MCIPR), the Institute of Directors and the Gerson Lehrman Group Media Council.

Having spent several years in art school during her teens and early twenties studying subjects including fine art, sculpture, fashion, graphic design, photography, digital media, history of art and advertising theory
amongst other subjects, in her spare time Melissa engages in a myriad of creative pursuits and can usually be found making images or noise in a studio.