Melanie Scott is taking over from Neil Lakeland as chairman of the Kent branch of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

An experienced B2B marketer, Melanie began her career at 17 in a small Midlands-based agency.

She soon began full-time degree study. After graduating, she emigrated to Portugal.

It was whilst living abroad, as she established and ran her own business, that Melanie realised a real passion for business strategy and marketing.

Determined to build upon her valuable practical experience and cement her career in this vein, in 2005 and after five years abroad, she returned to England and resumed further educationand accelerated her career in marketing.

She has first-hand small business experience, combining it with theory gained from a postgraduate marketing study.

Since 2005, she has worked for businesses in design and publishing, marketing consultancy, IT, manufacturing and research.

She now heads marketing strategy for research provider Facts International, based in Ashford.

She said: “I’m looking forward to building upon the great work Neil Lakeland has done in raising awareness of CIM to both marketers and business in the region and I look forward to sharing my knowledge and expertise in doing so.”

Melanie lives in Ashford with her fiance and when she’s not travelling the country visiting friends and relatives, she loves cycling in the beautiful Kent countryside.