At last night’s ANA Email Excellence Center (EEC) awards ceremony, held on 17 July 2025, London‑based email developer Jay Oram was presented with on of the email the industry’s highest individual accolade , the David Baker Lifetime Achievement Award. The award (known until 2024 as Email Marketer Thought Leader of the Year) recognises vendor‑side practitioners whose careers have advanced the craft and community of email marketing.
A milestone for a hands‑on innovator
Oram, Head of Development at ActionRocket and a Salesforce Marketing Cloud #MarketingChampion, has spent more than a decade pushing the boundaries of interactive, AMP, and live‑data email. His work has powered campaigns for brands ranging from NetJets to The Body Shop, and his code tutorials are staples of developer Slack channels and conference stages.
In a LinkedIn post announcing the win, Oram wrote:
“I was awarded the David Baker Lifetime Achievement Award 2025 last night at the ANA EEC event! Big thanks to everyone in the email community that helped make this happen.”
He also teased an upcoming webinar conversation with strategist Ryan Phelan to discuss lessons learned and what’s next for the channel.
Why the award carries a new name
The honour was renamed earlier this year to commemorate David Baker, a pioneering CRM executive and prolific author who passed away in January. Baker was himself the 2016 EEC Thought Leader of the Year and was widely regarded as the industry’s conscience on data ethics, accessibility, and craft.
Inside the 2025 ANA EEC Award
The EEC Awards programme celebrates two categories:
| Award | Focus |
|---|---|
| David Baker Lifetime Achievement Award | Vendor‑side practitioner whose career contributions have elevated email marketing |
| Brand Marketer Excellence Award | In‑house marketer driving outstanding results through email |
According to the ANA’s 2025 awards calendar, nominations closed on 30 June and judging concluded ahead of the 17 July ceremony.
Community reaction
Industry peers were quick to congratulate Oram across social channels. ActionRocket founder Elliot Ross hailed the recognition as “proof that craft and curiosity matter,” while Only Influencers’ Jeanne Jennings called Oram “the dev who makes the impossible click‑through.”
What’s next
- Webinar with Ryan Phelan – Date to be announced; will unpack Oram’s career highlights and the future of kinetic email.
- EEC post‑event recap – Full winners list and judges’ commentary expected from the ANA later this week.
- ActionRocket labs projects – Oram hinted at new accessibility tooling slated for open‑source release this autumn.
From pioneering interactive inbox experiences to mentoring the next generation of email developers, Jay Oram’s influence is felt. Last night’s award cements his status as one of the craft’s guiding lights, and fittingly bears the name of another giant who believed email could always do more.
