A Cardiff-based marketing business is celebrating after scooping two major national titles at the 2025 Disruptive Franchise Awards.
activ Marketing, led by Katie Bullon, was named Trailblazer of the Year and Franchise Industry Champion. The company was also shortlisted for Franchisor of the Year for Katie and Support Manager of the Year for James Beeson.
This success adds to a growing list of national accolades, with activ recognised as a two-time finalist at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards. Katie herself has already won Best Leader in Marketing at the Global Women in Marketing Awards.
Katie was also recently named a finalist at the South Wales Business Awards as Female Entrepreneur of the Year, held in Cardiff city centre.
Founded in 2008, activ Marketing has its head office in Cardiff city centre and now supports more than 1,000 clients across the UK. Through its franchise model, local consultants run their own marketing agencies while being backed by national systems, advanced technology and training.
After starting her career in corporate marketing, Katie became self employed in 2014 and grew her own activ franchise into a six-figure business. In 2021 she acquired the entire UK network.
“I know what it is like to be a brilliant marketer who still feels stuck when it comes to scaling a business,” said Katie. “That is why I took over activ and made it everything and more that I would have wanted when I first went self employed.”
