01 December 2016

UniSA's new Mars Professor of Marketing Magda Nenycz Thiel, with Mars Chief Marketing and Customer Officer Andrew ClarkeMars, Incorporated, manufacturer of some of the world’s favourite brands (M&Ms, Snickers etc.) and one of the world’s largest advertisers, has announced it will fund a new Chair at the University of South Australia’s Ehrenberg-Bass Institute

Magda Nenycz-Thiel will take on the role of Mars Professor of Marketing, commencing December 1, 2016. Prof Nenycz-Thiel brings an impressive research record to the role and a deep understanding of the marketing philosophy at Mars. 

Speaking from the UK, Andrew Clarke, Chief Marketing and Customer Officer for Mars, was enthusiastic about continuing the long-standing partnership with the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute. 

“Together we are able to bring meaningful knowledge, research and evidence-based marketing to support our brand growth agenda,” Clarke says. 

Prof Nenycz-Thiel will provide thought leadership to Mars, academic peer review to assure research quality, and will support the development of superior marketing capability among Mars’ Associates. 

“Mars has a long record of global brand building, in no small part due to its innovative approach to marketing,” Prof Nenycz-Thiel says. 

“The relationship offers UniSA students and researchers a bird’s eye view of the dynamic impact of marketing science on some of the best loved brands in the world today.” 

UniSA Vice Chancellor and President Professor David Lloyd says the news reaffirms the University’s values of innovation and global engagement. 

“Engaging with industry in this way is the greatest validation of UniSA's role as a university of enterprise,” Prof Lloyd says. 

“To have a household name such as Mars recognise and augment the world-leading research of our staff at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute through the creation of this new chair is a wonderful outcome.” 

Founded more than a century ago, Mars, Incorporated is a private, family-owned business headquartered in McLean, Virginia. 

It has global sales of more than US$35 billion from its six business segments; Chocolate (Snickers, Twix, M&Ms), Wrigley (Extra, Skittles, Starburst), Petcare (Pedigree, Whiskas), Food (Dolmio, MasterFoods, Uncle Ben’s), Drinks (Alterra Coffee, Dove Hot Chocolate) and Mars Symbioscience (CocoaVia).   

Mars has approximately 80,000 Associates across 78 countries.  For more information, visit www.Mars.com

The Ehrenberg-Bass Institute is based at the University of South Australia Business School and is the world’s largest academic centre for marketing science.  

The Institute’s fundamental research is sponsored by some of the world’s largest corporations.

For more information visit www.MarketingScience.info

Media contact: Michèle.Nardelli@unisa.edu.au  mobile: +61 418 823 673, office: +61 8 8302 0966

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