- Founder and CEO of global agency The Z Link
- Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree in Media and Marketing
- Author of bestselling career guide Design Your Life
Erifili Gounari is the founder and CEO of The Z Link, a global creative agency specialising in Gen Z marketing strategy, social media, and content production for brands including IKEA, Deloitte, and Pepsi.
A Forbes 30 Under 30 entrepreneur, Erifili has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, CNBC, and NBC News. She writes the bestselling Substack newsletter Crystal Clear, reaching over 40,000 subscribers across 160 countries, and published her first book, Design Your Life: Your Career, Your Way, in 2024. She regularly speaks at conferences, including Google for Startups, Business of Fashion, and the UN's Youth Knowledge Forum.
Leading a team of 20 young marketers and creators, Erifili helps organisations decode how to authentically connect with younger audiences through research-backed strategies. Her work bridges the gap between traditional business practices and the values driving the next generation of consumers and employees. Through The Z Link's market research network, she provides original data and analysis on generational trends, helping companies adapt their marketing, recruitment, and retention strategies to remain relevant.
Audiences learn practical frameworks for building authentic personal brands, understanding Gen Z behaviour across digital platforms, and creating career paths that prioritise flexibility and fulfilment. Erifili shares case studies from successful campaigns and actionable strategies for engaging younger talent, both as customers and employees.
Book Erifili to gain insider perspective on connecting with the generation reshaping work, marketing, and culture.
Erifili's Showreel and Videos
Topics, Sessions and Talks
Understanding, Engaging, And Retaining Gen Z
Erifili Gounari shares case studies and original research from her work as Founder and CEO of The Z Link to demystify Gen Z engagement. She addresses the common disconnect between brands and younger audiences, both online and in the workplace. By unpacking cultural nuance, platform behaviour, and workplace expectations, she provides leaders with clear strategies for attracting loyalty, relevance, and long-term commitment.
Design Your Life: The Digital Native Advantage
Erifili Gounari draws on her experience building a global Gen Z agency and authoring Design Your Life: Your Career, Your Way to explore how digital natives can design flexible, unconventional careers. She examines the shift away from linear paths towards portfolio work, personal branding, and ownership. Blending research with practical frameworks, she shows how individuals and organisations can adapt to a workforce that values autonomy, creativity, and purpose.
Trends in Social Media and Marketing
Erifili Gounari will explore how brands can identify and capitalise on emerging trends in social media and marketing. She will provide actionable strategies, including effective market research techniques and essential social media tools, to help brands stay current and strategically integrate impactful trends into their content. Attendees will learn how to recognise opportunities and enhance their marketing efforts through informed decision-making.
Building a Personal Brand: The Power of Authenticity
Erifili Gounari explores why so many professionals feel pressured to perform online and how authenticity can become a strategic advantage. Drawing from her work in social media strategy and personal development writing, she shares a grounded approach to building a personal brand aligned with values rather than trends. Audiences discover how clarity, consistency, and self-awareness create influence without burnout.
Self-Belief Is Your Unfair Advantage
Erifili Gounari connects research on happiness and fulfilment with her own entrepreneurial journey to challenge conventional ideas of success. She unpacks the role of self-belief in career progression, creativity, and resilience, offering practical tools for reframing doubt and taking decisive action. The session blends mindset insights with tangible exercises that encourage braver thinking and long-term ambition.
Why We Recommend Booking Erifili
Erifili Gounari brings real-world expertise in Gen Z marketing and engagement, offering practical strategies and fresh insights drawn from leading global campaigns and original research. Book Erifili to empower your audience with the tools they need to engage and inspire the next generation.
We hired Erifili to present The Z Link's research to employers and industry at UAL. The research was all about what Gen Z are looking for from their career and jobs and the presentation was full of insights for the employers interested in hiring students and graduates, and also for our careers and employability team members. I would highly recommend Erifili to other institutes and organisations interested in finding speakers for employer facing sessions.
Employability Educator
Employability Educator, UAL
