CIM’s Levitt Group ‘Five Great Minds’ April 2018

Join me for CIM’s Levitt Group ‘Five Great Minds’ event. You’ll learn about the latest marketing trends and approaches, benefit from networking with leading marketers from client companies, agencies and academia, and enjoy great food and drink in a lively atmosphere.

We’ve worked hard to assemble leading figures in marketing academia and business to bring you this day of learning.

If you would like to come as my guest please do let me know – it’s a snip at £65 per head and you also get the benefit(?) of my personal attention all day long!

It’s on Wednesday 18th April at The Lowry, Salford Quays – without a doubt the coolest place in Manchester.

Programme:

9:30 Registration and coffee

Freelance Marketer, DBA Researcher and CIM Trustee Dawn will once again host the Five Great Minds event. Dawn joined the CIM Board in 2017 after a long career in marketing and business with several major technology brands including Schlumberger, Hewlett-Packard and Brother. She is an active Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and has held posts on regional, national and industry sector boards. Her 18-year career at Brother included posts as Head of Insight Deployment, Head of Business Intelligence and Head of Marketing. This allowed her to use marketing philosophies across the business, ensuring a strong customer focus. In 2013, she became a freelance consultant, setting up The Insight Magicians Ltd., providing marketing, research and business intelligence. She is currently a member of the Doctoral Programme at Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS) researching how companies use big data to enhance customer experience. She also teaches on Executive Education and undergraduate programmes.

10:00 Ed Cox, Director, IPPR North Before joining IPPR in 2009

Ed was policy adviser to the communities and local government secretary. He was previously the director of policy and public affairs at the Local Government Information Unit, and served as a commissioner on the Government’s Commission on Integration and Cohesion. Ed was Deputy Chair of the Northern Economic Futures Commission which set out the first comprehensive industrial strategy for the Northern economy in 2012 and he has written over 20 reports on topics covering Northern schools, skills, banking, Brexit, devolution and health innovation. He is also a leading expert on devolution having published the seminal report Decentralisation Decade and been a long-standing champion for metro mayors and other democratic reforms. He makes regular appearances in the media, recently appearing on BBC Breakfast, the Politics Show, BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme and writing articles for the Guardian, Independent and local newspapers.

The Northern Powerhouse – political slogan or programme for change?

Ed will talk about the evolution of the Northern Powerhouse concept and the extent to which it has had – and continues to have – the power to transform the Northern economy and close the so-called North-South divide.

11:00 Dr Reza Salehnejad, Programme Director for International Business, Finance and Economics at Manchester Business School

Reza is an economist with diverse interests in industrial organization and business strategy; digital economy; big data, analytics & decisions; and market design. He is the course leader for MBS’s MBA in Digital Economy: Foundations and Strategies; and Current Topics in Macroeconomics and International Trade. He has researched and taught in the University of Cambridge and Oxford, and his publications include: Rationality, Bounded Rationality and Microfoundations. Reza has received numerous Teaching Awards at the University of Manchester as the most innovative lecturer and offers consultancy and advice.

Competitive Advantage from AI

The economy is in the midst of a software revolution. Artificial intelligence (AI) software are beginning to take over many functions in the firm including advertising, product recommendation, pricing, loan issuance, loan default risk calculation, supply chain and inventory management, product design and demand prediction. Reza will discuss how firms can possibly capitalize on these emerging technological advances to create a competitive edge.

12:00 Lunch

13:00 Paul Skinner, Founder, Agency of the Future

Paul is the founder of the Agency of the Future, which helps clients and partners create Collaborative Advantage to drive organisational success, create economic value and improve peoples’ lives. He also founded Pimp My Cause, which uses cause related marketing challenges to enhance the marketing capabilities of individuals and teams and supports over 2,000 charities and social enterprises with access to pro bono marketing support in the process. In 2014 he was awarded an honorary visiting fellowship at Edge Hill University Business School.

Collaborative Advantage

Paul will talk about his first book Collaborative Advantage: How collaboration beats competition as a strategy for success, which will be published by Little, Brown Book Group in June 2018.

14:00 Coffee

14:30 Louise Marshall, Infrastructure and Shared Services Director for Brother UK

Louise’s role is diverse, with responsibilities that include CSR/Environmental Issues, Health & Safety, Business Continuity & Risk Management, Security, Insurance and Legal Compliance, Facilities and Site Services (including utilities, catering, cleaning, and waste management), Process Improvement, Project Management, Internal Communications, and Shared Services (HR, IT & Finance). As part of Brother UK’s activities to achieve the Investors In People Platinum Accreditation, She is regularly asked to provide help and guidance to other businesses are seeking the accreditation, and shares best practice around Learning and Development and Employee Engagement. Outside Brother, Louise is a member of various networking groups, with a keen interest in encouraging small business and leading on issues around diversity, as well as promoting the local community of Tameside within the wider Greater Manchester area. She is a member of the Tameside Enterprise Board, and Chair of the Pride of Tameside Business Awards, looking to recognise and share the best practice that exists in the region. She is also a trustee for Forever Manchester, a Community Foundation that supports the work of community groups throughout the Greater Manchester area, and when time permits she takes part in various fundraising activities.

Community Engagement and Business Strategy

Louise will share Brother UK’s activity around Community Engagement, and how this fits within a sustainable and responsible business strategy. In particular, she will show how Brother align this activity with the company’s wider goals and objectives, create new and interesting conversations to build business relationships and strengthen the brand profile, and use Community Engagement as an important tool to engage and motivate our employees.

15:30 Marnie Millard, Group Chief Executive, Nichols PLC

Marnie joined the company in 2012 as Managing Director of the UK Soft Drinks Division, having previously held senior roles at Refresco Gerber and Macaw Soft Drinks, and was appointed to her current role in May 2013. Nichols plc is the home of Vimto, a soft drink which was established in 1908 by John Noel Nichols and today has a retail brand value of £74m. The business operates in more than 65 countries and turnover for the group is £117m. As well as her Executive responsibilities, Marnie is a non executive Director for Finsbury Foods and is the Chair for the North West Region of the CBI. She is also a member of the Executive Council and Management Board for the BSDA (British Soft Drinks Association). Nichols PLC supports Warrington Youth Club in their aim to support and inspire young people to achieve their goals and dreams. To support this tremendous charity Marnie and a group of 11 ladies from Vimto climbed Kilimanjaro in March 2016 and raised over £50k.

A new way of life on becoming a CEO for a global brand

Marnie will talk about being part of a global brand, working in different cultures, the city element of her role (investors and financial institutions) and the transition from being a marketer to a general management role with huge financial emphasis.

16:30 Closing remarks – Dawn Holmes.