Biography

The Chartered Institute of Marketing cite Prof Leslie de Chernatony as one of the 50 gurus who have shaped the future of marketing. This is because of his pioneering work on brand management which has an international reputation. His cutting edge work on strategically building brands has helped organisations develop more effective brand strategies.

No stranger to the commercial world, after graduating with a first class honours degree in Physics Leslie worked in the Marketing Departments of Cadbury Schweppes, Lucas, Whitbread and Polycell. Aware of the lack of models to provide strategic advice about brand building, he moved to the university sector and while on the faculty of the Cranfield School of Management completed his doctorate in brand marketing. This laid the foundation for advancing knowledge about strategic brand management with his Professorships at the Open University Business School and Birmingham University Business School where he founded the Centre for Research in Brand Marketing. Reflecting his international standing Leslie is Professor of Brand Marketing at Universita della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland, Honorary Professor of Brand Marketing at Aston Business School, Aston University and Managing Partner at Brands Box Marketing and Research Consultancy.

His work is globally disseminated through his books, frequent international conference presentations and a significant stream of international journal articles. Both the Chartered Institute of Marketing and the Market Research Society recognised his contribution to providing a basis of sound strategic branding advice by honouring him with Fellowship status. Leslie is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Marketors and a Freeman of the City of London.

Insistent that any research on strategic brand management has to be commercially relevant, Leslie continually applies his ideas through his consultancy which provides strategic branding advice. This has been used by organisations internationally such as Aegon Asset Management, Forte Hotels, Tilcon, INM, Remington, Advent International, Muller and Sons Diamonds, Scottish Enterprise, Metro Bank, Promonte (Montenegro), Mars, Morphy Richards and World Health Organisation.

Professor Leslie de Chernatony’s work in brand management is driven by core values:

• Striving to grow brand value
• Always being practical
• Acting with integrity
• Applying intellectual rigour to projects
• Developing and communicating leading-edge ideas