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Jetsetting Alum Wins Young Marketer Of The Year Award

Alumnus Chris Timbs spends his days jetting around the world and staying in some of the most lavish hotels – and getting paid for it. He’s clearly doing a good job too, having recently been awarded the Young Marketer of the Year award by the Hotel Marketing Association.

The award

The Young Marketer of the Year award, which is now in its seventh year, was set up by the Hotel Marketing Association to recognise individuals under 30 who have made a significant contribution to the success of their company. Chris was delighted with his award win: “It was a real honour to be nominated for this award, and fantastic to know that some of the major campaigns that I’ve worked on for Hilton are recognised as having made a real difference.”

Current role

Chris, who graduated in 2005 with BA (Hons) in Business Studies specialising in marketing, is Hilton Hotels & Resorts’ brand marketing manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa, which consists of over 45 countries. His role is as diverse as the geography it covers, looking at brand identity, advertising, promotions, partnerships, and ultimately trying to ensure that the Hilton experience is of the same high quality worldwide.

Chris said: “I tend to travel abroad about once a month, and have been to some pretty exotic locations including Malaysia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates and Singapore. It’s not all glamour though, and although I spend most of my time in meetings it does help build relationships with my colleagues and execute successful projects.”

Coming up to six years with Hilton after starting in March 2007, Chris’s first role at the company was in the international marketing services team where he worked his way up.

A degree to help a career

Having a successful career in marketing, Chris feels that his degree and the experiences he gained whilst at the University of Hertfordshire were extremely valuable to the skills he is using in his work today. He explained: “My course consisted of various modules which has given me a rounded view of business. I really enjoyed the marketing modules in my first year and therefore decided to focus on that in my second and third year.”

He continued: “The modules were well thought out and structured in a way that it was applicable to real life work situations. Much of the course work was set up as close as possible to real life projects. Overall it was an extremely vocational experience, whereas many of my friends at other universities experienced coursework that was more text book oriented.”

Prior to his role at Hilton, Chris worked for publishing company Reed Business Information as a market research executive, working across a multitude of business to business publications such as Farmers Weekly, Caterer & Hotelkeeper and Travel Weekly.

Chris said: “Projects included researching readership, product development of the magazines and websites, as well as providing marketing and product teams with recommendations.”

As part of his degree, Chris has also worked as a marketing assistant at Sharps Bedrooms, a major high street bedroom furniture retailer in the UK.

Advice to students and graduates

For students, Chris believes it is important to study something that you enjoy: “This gives you enthusiasm and passion for the subjects you're studying.”

Chris also praised having a placement year: “An additional and massive benefit of my degree was gaining a year's work experience in the industry. It set me up well for my final year, and of course my career beyond university.”

He continued: “For students that have a work placement as part of their degree, really take advantage of this and put your skills into practice.”

For graduates, Chris advises to get your foot in the door. He said: “Your first job may not be the dream job that you want but it will give you that much needed opportunity for experience and something new on your CV - which will make you more attractive to employers.”

He added: “Attending industry events will give you new ideas, additional skills, as well as the opportunity to meet new people. Join an industry body; in my case, it was the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).”

Chris concluded: “Networking is key to your career, both internally at work as well as externally.”