Following on from CIM’s recent launch of 50 North East Marketing Greats, they invite you to meet Paul Wilkinson, Global Marketing & E-Commerce Director at J Barbour & Sons Ltd, who is very proud of the region.
This new initiative aims to develop and retain marketing talent in the North East region. Diane Earles, Network Manager for CIM, explains “‘North East Marketing Greats’ are marketing figureheads from some of the biggest brands in the region and industry sectors that are driving the Northern Powerhouse economy. Through the ‘Marketing Greats’ we want to provide insight into the importance of a strategic marketing function and to inspire both existing marketing professionals and young people considering a career in marketing. Each ‘Marketing Great’ is profiled in an online case study which includes their words of wisdom for aspiring marketers alongside their career story and why they enjoy working in the region.” She continued, “Developing our original ‘Great North East Brands’ initiative, which ran for a number of years, ‘Marketing Greats’ provides a regional platform for marketing to be recognised as having a key role in business growth while celebrating the number of senior marketing roles located in the North East.”
Like Paul Wilkinson, who was inspired to aim high whilst growing up in the North East and has returned to the region to realise that dream. Paul said, “When I was at university, someone said to me: ‘Aim for the stars and you may hit the rooftops. The higher the aim, the further you go.’ It has always stayed with me – you must have belief and you have to always work hard.”
Paul jumped at the chance to return to the North East and join Barbour in May 2013 after a number of senior marketing and commercial roles across the UK and Europe. There were three reasons for this. No. 1: the brand, “It is as aspirational as any in the world”, No 2: the family, “What Dame Margaret and Helen Barbour have achieved is immeasurable” and No 3. The North East, “To have the opportunity to help build a lifestyle brand on a global level from my home town is pretty special.”
The 50 ‘North East Marketing Greats’ profiles can be found at www.cim.co.uk/NEmarketinggreats