Steffan Aquarone

Steffan Luke Aquarone is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for North Norfolk since 2024. He is also an entrepreneur in the film and technology sectors. His projects involve collaboration between large groups of people with a common interest and are often crowd-source financed, the most notable example being feature-film ''Tortoise in Love'' which was made by a village in Oxfordshire.

In 2014, Aquarone was named by the ''Daily Mirror'' as one of the Top 20 most influential media figures under 30.

Education

Born and raised in Blickling, Norfolk, Aquarone was educated at home as a member of Education Otherwise until the age of 12, before attending Norwich School. He then read Politics and International Relations at the University of Warwick, graduating with a BA in 2006.

Business

In 2004, Aquarone co-founded media business Ephex Media Limited with two fellow students at the University of Warwick. Ephex Media received investment from the Advantage Early Growth Fund in 2007 in order to acquire regional post-production facility Oakslade Studios. The company made and edited corporate films for brands including Land Rover, Vodafone, Massey Ferguson and American Express. The business was placed into administration in 2008.

Aquarone co-owned feature film production company Immense Productions with author Guy Browning. Their feature film ''Tortoise in Love'', on which Aquarone was producer, was released in the UK in 2012. Immense Productions was dissolved in November 2015.

In 2011, Aquarone co-founded peer-to-peer mobile payments platform Droplet. In 2013, Droplet was named among the 'Top 25 UK Startups' by influential technology blog Mashable. Droplet closed in 2016 after the founders were unable to scale it to become profitable.

He has worked through Econsultancy with brands like Sony, Ralph Lauren, and General Mills and gives talks on innovation, entrepreneurship and digital transformation. Econsultancy sold to Centaur Media PLC in 2012.

He joined online video platform Buto in 2010 becoming strategy director in 2013. Buto sold to TwentyThree in 2019.

Writing

Aquarone writes on digital marketing topics including online video. In 2012 he wrote "Online Video: A Best Practice Guide" for digital publishers Econsultancy.

In 2017, with his sister Freya, he published ''Fourth to First: How to win a local election in under six months''. It recounts how he won a council ward for the Liberal Democrats at his first attempt, even though the party finished fourth in the previous contest for the ward.

Politics

On 4 May 2017, he was elected as county councillor for the Melton Constable division of Norfolk County Council. He was elected deputy leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the council.

He stood in the 2019 general election in the seat of Mid Norfolk finishing third. In April 2020 he replaced Ed Maxfield as group leader on Norfolk County Council. He stood down as leader following the 2021 election.

In September 2022, the Liberal Democrats picked him as the prospective parliamentary candidate for North Norfolk at the 2024 general election. He won the election, gaining the seat from the Conservatives, with 19,488 votes (41.4%) and a majority of 2,585 over the second-placed Conservative candidate. There were five candidates and a turnout of 66%.

References

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Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Alumni of the University of Warwick
21st-century British businesspeople
Liberal Democrats (UK) councillors
Liberal Democrats (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Members of Norfolk County Council
People educated at Norwich School
People from Blickling
Politicians from Norfolk
UK councillors 2017–2021
UK councillors 2021–2025
UK MPs 2024–present
British entertainment industry businesspeople