Melissa McAdden is a Senior Advisor at RedBird Capital Partners, where she supports the Firm’s initiatives in news, media, and live events.
She brings over two decades of experience in commercial strategy, revenue growth, and business transformation across leading media, publishing, and digital organizations.
Prior to joining RedBird, Melissa served as Commercial Director for a prominent philanthropist, working across a diverse portfolio of commercial and philanthropic ventures. In this role, she played a central part in shaping strategic priorities and executing high-impact projects that bridged enterprise growth with social impact.
Before that, Melissa was Chief Commercial Officer at UnHerd, an online magazine, broadcasting, and events business focused on current affairs, culture, and commentary. She established new revenue streams across digital, video, podcasts, newsletters, and live events, supporting the company’s rapid expansion and brand evolution.
Melissa spent fourteen years at The Spectator, the UK’s most influential weekly magazine covering politics, culture, and current affairs. As Chief Commercial Officer and a member of the Executive Board, she led the diversification of revenue streams and the expansion of commercial partnerships across all verticals and platforms. Her leadership helped position The Spectator as a market leader in integrated media partnerships and events.
Melissa began her career in account management at AMV BBDO, where she worked across several of the agency’s flagship clients.
She holds a BSc in Economics with Sociology from the University of Bristol and is based in London.