Dr June Dennis, a leading international marketing expert, academic and businesswoman, led a talk at the Ulster University Belfast campus last month exploring some of the key marketing skills and competencies that employers will look for in the future.
June, a Chartered Marketer and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), has over 25 years’ experience in international higher education with significant experience in senior management roles. She is Global Chair of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and on the Board of University Centre Leeds.
Before establishing her own consultancy business, Mountain Top Perspectives in April 2020, June held the position of Dean of Staffordshire Business School. She specialises in collaborative academic collaborations and is passionate about keeping business and marketing curricula up-to-date and relevant.
Academic staff at Ulster University Business School joined June to hear about her experience as International Chair of CIM and the latest CIM research focusing on the most in-demand skills for marketing professionals.
Recent research by LinkedIn indicates that the top 10 skills for marketers globally have changed by 50% since 2015, and are expected to change by 41% by 2025 – demonstrating just how rapidly the marketing profession is evolving.
Staff contributed to the discussions by providing feedback on what they considered to be the core competencies expected of future marketers, with insights informing CIM’s periodic review of professional qualifications and CPD requirements.
Professor Mark Durkin, Executive Dean, Ulster University Business School, said:
It was a pleasure to welcome June to our new Belfast campus to meet our academic community. June has had, and continues to have, an exceptional career in the field of marketing and higher education, and we were delighted to have the opportunity to benefit from her wealth of knowledge and expertise. The feedback gained on what industry is looking for in future graduates is incredibly useful and will help us ensure teaching practice is aligned with the latest research and business practice.
Speaking about her visit, Dr June Dennis, commented:
I enjoyed meeting academic staff from Ulster University Business School and learning more about the similarities and differences of the job market for marketing professionals compared to other regions of the UK. Marketing is such a fast-changing profession and academic discipline and it’s clear that the academic staff at Ulster University possess good insight into how to ensure the marketing curriculum at the Business School remains current and that students graduate with the necessary marketing skills that organisations value.
Prior to her academic career, June held marketing management roles in business-to-business distribution, fashion manufacturing, retail, and industrial services sectors. She continues to support SMEs in her role as a marketing strategy coach.
Find out more about Marketing at Ulster University at: Marketing - MSc 2023/24 Part-time Postgraduate course at Ulster University Belfast.