About

I joined the Faculty of Business, Law and Social Sciences in 2017 as an Associate Lecturer in Marketing with a wealth of hands-on, practitioner-based experience. I have an undergraduate degree in Creative Writing and a postgraduate degree in Marketing Management. I began my career in freelance journalism but later moved into agency-based commercial copywriting, first as a contractor and then as a full-time in-house copywriter. After progressing into more varied agency roles that involved account direction and working more closely with clients, I was inspired to set up my own agency servicing SMEs. I now manage a team of designers and digital developers, providing marketing consultancy and creative services to support businesses with offline and online marketing.

I am passionate about marketing and love bringing creativity into the classroom. I enjoy finding new ways to deliver theory and academic content to make it fun, engaging and relevant to students; blending it with my own industry knowledge to provide a fully contextualised learning experience.

My research interests are related to customer psychology and behaviour, specifically how brands influence individuals and popular culture, through language, imagery and other marketing constructs. My MSc thesis on customer behaviour and decision-making in the gin retail sector has been published in the trade press.

Teaching responsibilities

I teach on the following Marketing modules:

• Advertising Fundamentals (Module Leader)
• Marketing Fundamentals
• Brand Impact and Popular Culture (Module Leader)
• Convergent Media

Professional interests

As Academic Lead on the government-funded Reskill and Recover project, I co-ordinate a team of academics in delivering training and development to businesses and professionals. I also support businesses through the Enscite and Community Renewal Fund projects. Through these projects, I teach Digital Marketing and offer one-to-one consultancy through my business. 

Qualifications

• BA (Hons) Creative Writing, University of Derby (Research area: Literary Censorship)
• MSc Marketing Management, University of Derby (Research area: Consumer Behaviour and Purchase Decision Making)

Experience in industry

I have worked in marketing and advertising for 15 years on accounts for Unilever, Garnier, Revlon, Experian, Toyota, Jaguar, Land Rover, Amazon, Cadbury and others. Throughout my career progression, I have specialised in the following areas:

• Field and Experiential Marketing
• Copywriting
• Brand Development
• Digital Marketing
• PR and Communications
• Account Management
• Creative Direction

I work with SMEs in B2B and B2C sectors such as retail, manufacturing, professional services and hospitality and leisure. Through the University's funded support projects such as Enscite and Reskill and Recover, I have supported many businesses in the D2N2 area with marketing and digital training.

Additional interests and activities

My personal interests are animal rights and plant-based living, writing and literature. I enjoy reading, gardening, travelling and spending time with my two young children and husband. I am an animal lover and have three house rabbits.

Recent publications

My academic research on gin purchasing behaviour has been published by New Food Magazine.

As a journalist, I also have publishing experience with Conde Nast and other national and local press, in the following areas:

• Women's health and lifestyle
• Arts and Entertainment
• Social and current affairs