A Life In Marketing

Hosted by Dr Tom Bowden-Green and Dr Hanne Knight

Business MarketingInterviews guests

Website RSS feed

Episodes

Latest episode

Apr 2026

Language

EN-GB

About the show

This is a podcast about working in marketing. In each episode we chat to marketing experts about their careers and experiences. We interview guests from a wide variety of backgrounds, including in-house marketeers, consultants, and senior staff from top agencies. Some are entrepreneurial, some enjoy corporate life, and others enjoy flexible freelancing. We speak to leading voices in public relations (PR), content creation, and a wide range of digital marketing roles covering both business-to-business (B2B) and consumer marketing. Whether you are mid-career, or just embarking on a life in marketing, our discussions will provide insight, advice, and inspiration for your development. The podcast is hosted by Dr Hanne Knight (University of Plymouth) and Dr Tom Bowden-Green (Bristol Business School, UWE Bristol). Contact us at Hanne.Knight@plymouth.ac.uk or Tom.Bowden-Green@uwe.ac.uk . We're also on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hanne-knight-36b60041/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/tombowdengreen/

Listen to episodes

20 recent

April 28, 2026Episode 732 min

Tom & Luan - Marketing And Psychology

This episode is a bit different. Usually, Tom sits alongside Hanne as they interview people from the marketing world. This time Hanne interviews Tom!Tom is joined by Luan Wise as they chat about their new book 'Marketing and Psychology: Understanding Customer Behaviour With The ABC Approach' (published by Routledge).Luan Wise is a seasoned industry practitioner with 25 years of agency, client-side, and consultancy experience. She is a Chartered Marketer, fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (FCIM), and is currently pursuing a PhD by portfolio at the University of Lancashire, UK. She has also written several other books, including 'Planning For Success' and 'Smart Social Media'.You can connect with Luan on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luanwiseAs always, you can also reach us at Tom.Bowden-Green@uwe.ac.uk and Hanne.Knight@plymouth.ac.uk.

March 20, 2026Episode 629 min

Joe Johnston - Launch

Joe Johnston is a very smart marketer. As Head of Experimentation at Launch, Joe's role is to recommend and test ways to improve the effectiveness of his clients' marketing activity. He applies behavioural science principles and research-based insights to make marketing campaigns more effective. Listen in to hear Joe chatting through his approach to experimentation and his approach to solving a wide range of marketing challenges. He also explains his career so far, from starting in public relations, to roles in digital marketing, conversion optimisation, and now more general experimentation. It's a fascinating journey, driven by a passion for knowledge and an inquisitive mind. Away from the day job, Joe is also the Lead Organiser of The Marketing Meetup in Bristol.You can connect with Joe on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-johnston-838bb428/As always, you can also reach us at Tom.Bowden-Green@uwe.ac.uk and Hanne.Knight@plymouth.ac.uk.

February 12, 2026Episode 526 min

Megan Fellows - Screwfix

Megan Fellows is not just an experienced digital marketer, but also a perennial student! She studied a degree, then a Masters degree, and now a PhD. All of this whilst handling digital marketing roles in retail, education, and financial services sectors.We discuss Meg’s career path to date, leading to her current role handling CRM for Screwfix.She explains what a CRM role involves, how previous roles led her to this point, and what she aims to discover through her PhD. You can connect with Megan on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meg-fellows-643573140/As always, you can also reach us at Tom.Bowden-Green@uwe.ac.uk and Hanne.Knight@plymouth.ac.uk.

November 26, 2025Episode 429 min

Phil Treagus-Evans - Human First Marketing

Phil Treagus-Evans is man of many talents. Having harboured entrepreneurial dreams from an early age, he started his social media agency, Giraffe Social, after graduating from university.Running an agency wasn't enough for Phil though! As a voracious reader, he also had an ambition to write a book. So, in 2025 he published Human First Marketing, a book encapsulating his thoughts about social media marketing, supported by references to academic theory and tactical implementation.Phil talks us through his journey, from student, to agency boss, to author. He explains lessons learned along the way, and advice for marketers on how to take a 'human first' approach.You can connect with Phil on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-treagus-evans/You can buy the book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Human-First-Marketing-Trusted-Remembered/dp/1068454202/As always, you can also reach us at Tom.Bowden-Green@uwe.ac.uk and Hanne.Knight@plymouth.ac.uk.

October 15, 2025Episode 326 min

Susan O'Brien - Sky, Amazon, BBC, and Just Eat

Suso (Susan) O'Brien has held marketing roles at some of the world's most famous brands, including several years as Brand Director at Sky, and her most recent role as Global CMO at Just Eat.From telephone calls in New York taxis, to hiring Snoop Dogg and Katy Perry to front the Just Eat adverts, Suso talks us through her career - and it's not all glamourous! She explains how she climbed the first rungs on the career ladder, as well as the need to be resilient and focus on long-term brand outcomes.Suso has held both consultancy and in-house roles and she also explains the pros and cons of each. Whether you are an experienced marketer or have aspirations for a long career in marketing, you'll enjoy listening to Suso's brand insights and career experiences.You can connect with Mel on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susoltd/As always, you can also reach us at Tom.Bowden-Green@uwe.ac.uk and Hanne.Knight@plymouth.ac.uk.

September 23, 2025Episode 238 min

Melanie Nicholas - Universal Pictures, Odeon, and Handpicked Hotels...

Melanie Nicholas has held roles that many marketers dream of, including Managing Director at Universal Pictures, Marketing Director at Polygram, and Head of Brand at Odeon Cinemas. Mel is at least part of the reason you know about movies such as Fast and Furious, Despicable Me, and the Jason Bourne series. Mel has worked with, and for, some huge brands and very famous celebrities. She talks us through the challenges and pressures of her various roles, and parellels with wider marketing positions.Mel's career has since evolved to become a maketing 'fixer', working as a consultant, and interim or fractional CMO. We chat with Mel about the highlights of her career, the pros and cons of working in the entertainment industry, and more recent work with hospitality brands.You can connect with Mel on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanienicholas/ As always, you can also reach us at Tom.Bowden-Green@uwe.ac.uk and Hanne.Knight@plymouth.ac.uk.

July 10, 2025Episode 133 min

Gareth Helm - McDonalds, Innocent, Zoopla and more...

Gareth Helm has had a stellar career in marketing, including roles at some of the world's biggest brands. Most recently he was Chief Marketing Officer for McDonalds, and then Chief Marketing Officer at Homeserve. His career though has included roles with Innocent Drinks, Zoopla, Nestle and Unilever among others. Wow!Gareth is now a non-executive director and provides career development and strategic advice through a project called Sideminds. He has also found time to write an award-winning book - The Marketing Leader's Code.We chat with Gareth about his career path, navigating huge changes in the digital landscape, and his advice for listeners on how to climb the career ladder.You can connect with Gareth on LinkedIn here:https://www.linkedin.com/in/thehelm/As always, you can also reach us at Tom.Bowden-Green@uwe.ac.uk and Hanne.Knight@plymouth.ac.uk.

April 12, 2025Episode 1218 min

Digital marketing simulation with Louis Havriliuc

Louis Havriliuc has created an amazing digital marketing simulation tool called Simbound. If you want to find out how to undertake an effective digital marketing campaign, Simbound is a great way to learn. The online platform allows learners to create a range of digital marketing tools and experiment with different techniques to understand their effectiveness. We discuss the aims and purpose of Simbound with Louis, and his plans to keep developing the tool to consider aspects such as ESG and the role of AI.You can connect with Louis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisdoruhavriliuc/ You can also find out more about Simbound on the website: https://www.simbound.com

February 24, 2025Episode 1133 min

Social media content for TV shows, with Jenny Novitzky

Jenny Novitzky makes social media content for some of the UK's top TV shows. Her work as a senior digital producer has included content for The Great British Bake Off, The Great British Sewing Bee, The Great Pottery Throw Down and The Piano. In fact, Jenny has appeared on more series of Bake Off than Mary Berry, Mel and Sue! The chances are, many of you have seen and engaged with Jenny's content.We chat to Jenny about the importance of adjusting content to different platforms, second screen viewing, and the chaos internet among other topics!You can connect with Jenny on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-novitzky-b4952b2b/You can also find out more about her work on her website: https://www.jennynovitzky.co.uk/

January 15, 2025Episode 1041 min

Building (and selling) a digital marketing agency with Jon Payne

We chat with Jon Payne, an entrepreneur in the world of digital marketing. Jon wears various hats, including being the founder of the successful Bristol agency Noisy Little Monkey, a RevOps freelance consultant, the former host of the popular Digital Gaggle events, and now one of the driving forces behind Building Brands. Jon shares some of the lessons he's learned over the years, as well as discussing the origin and growth of Building Brands. He also tells us what RevOps is!You can connect with Jon here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrjonpayne/And visit Building Brands here: https://www.building-brands.co.uk/ You can contact Hanne at Hanne.Knight@plymouth.ac.uk and Tom at Tom.Bowden-Green@uwe.ac.uk