Our History

An institute interwoven with the development of Ireland

Now entering our sixth decade, the Marketing Institute of Ireland has been there all the way, playing our part in Irish business life, facilitating and supporting the marketing professionals and business leaders who, by focusing on customers and markets, played their part in the creating what was to become the modern Irish economy.

We are particularly proud of the fact that the man widely regarded as the architect of the modern Irish economy, Taoiseach Seán Lemass TD, was an ardent supporter of our work, and served as President of the Institute for four years from 1967.

Commerce has been a feature of life in Ireland going back to the Bronze Age, when we were engaged in extensive international trade, but the story of the Marketing Institute really begins in 1962.

Since 1947 there had been an Irish affiliate of the London-based Incorporated Sales Managers Association (ISMA) in place, and there were Irish branches in Dublin, Belfast and Cork. Developments in the early 1960s were changing the business landscape. The Treaty of Rome had established the new Common Market, Teilifís Éireann had just been launched, and Ted Levitt had published the sensational “Marketing Myopia” article in the Harvard Business Review.

In what was to be a far-reaching event, the ISMA in Ireland broke with London and formed the Irish Institute of Marketing and Sales Management in 1962. This was a courageous move, as at that time the commercial culture in Ireland was very weak. There was a widespread aversion to risk-taking, a reluctance to change, and a shortage of well-trained business managers. Exports were low and aimed mainly at Britain. There was a general lack of initiative in sales management, and marketing was little understood and rarely practised. Furthermore, there was no university degree course available in marketing.

Our Timeline

establishing an independent, vibrant and relevant professional Institute.

The Swinging 60's

A new Diploma in Marketing was made available to students in 1962, examined by the Institute of Marketing in Britain. Student numbers increased, and links were forged with universities and other industry bodies.
Amongst the very early contributors at our events were Tony O’Reilly, General Manager of Bord Báinne, Jack Lynch TD, Minister for Industry and Commerce, and Garret Fitzgerald TD.
In 1964, the Institute affiliated to the European Contact Group of Marketing, and we were founder members of the European Marketing Confederation (EMC), its successor. Through our extensive participation in the EMC, we were centrally involved in the development of marketing at European level. A number of Institute members held high office in the EMC at different stages.
In 1965 the name of the Institute was shortened to the Marketing Institute of Ireland. This was not because the discipline of sales management was becoming obsolete, but to the contrary, it was clearly understood that sales management was just one subset of the full range of marketing disciplines.

1960's

establishing an independent, vibrant and relevant professional Institute.

Delivering Education

Groovy 70's

In the 1970s we focused on developing a degree-equivalent part-time professional qualification that would provide real practical benefit to individuals and their employers, and this was the Graduateship programme. In 1971, we launched our own programme of study and examinations for professional qualification in marketing. This was to be a two-tier four-year programme. A Certificate in Marketing would be awarded after completing Parts I and II, and students who went on to complete Part III achieved the Diploma in Marketing and Part IV would receive the Graduateship in Marketing of the Institute. The list of past graduates of this programme today reads like a who’s who of leadership in Irish business. Later in the 1970s we established the annual National Marketing Conference, which grew to become one of the major events in the business calendar in Ireland. Amongst the very early contributors at our events were Tony O’Reilly, General Manager of Bord Báinne, Jack Lynch TD, Minister for Industry and Commerce, and Garret Fitzgerald TD. In 1964, the Institute affiliated to the European Contact Group of Marketing, and we were founder members of the European Marketing Confederation (EMC), its successor. Through our extensive participation in the EMC, we were centrally involved in the development of marketing at European level. A number of Institute members held high office in the EMC at different stages. In 1965 the name of the Institute was shortened to the Marketing Institute of Ireland. This was not because the discipline of sales management was becoming obsolete, but to the contrary, it was clearly understood that sales management was just one subset of the full range of marketing disciplines.

1970's

Delivering Education

GEtting Marketing the Recognition it deserves

80's Title

Our priority in the 1980s was increasing public awareness of the importance of marketing. We campaigned for increased government support for marketing in private companies, especially for exporting, and we became established as the voice of professional marketing in Ireland. In 1986 our membership surpassed 1,000. In 1987 the government appointed the late Séamus Brennan TD as Minister of State for Marketing, the first time the term Marketing was used in the title of a government office. New courses were launched on sectoral marketing, including financial services and retail, and a newly refreshed Graduateship programme was introduced. Also in that year, Philip Kotler, one of the foremost marketing authors in the world, addressed over 700 members, students and others in Dublin, and he was conferred with Honorary Fellowship of the Institute.

1980's

GEtting Marketing the Recognition it deserves

Launching the certificate of professional selling

Launch of the Marketing Breakfast

The 1990s saw growth in membership, development of events for members, and further offerings in the professional development area. Membership surpassed 2,000 in 1990, and 2,500 in 1995. In 1994, conscious of the need to keep the disciplines of professional selling integrated with the other functions in business, we launched the Certificate in Selling. We launched the Young Marketing Breakfast series, and initiated the Top Marketing Forum for senior executives. We went online in January 1996.

1990's

Launching the certificate of professional selling

Launch of the All Ireland Marketing Award

Getting Digital

he turn of the century saw the Marketing Institute renew its activities in the training and development area, with a range of new offerings aimed at equipping marketers for the fast changing business environment, particularly regarding the challenges and opportunities presented by technology. The second half of the decade saw the Institute engage in a fundamental renewal, getting to grips with an unprecedented pace of change in the world. The governance of the Institute was reviewed and streamlined according to best industry practice, and our structures were condensed for stability and rapid businesslike progress. The All Ireland Marketing Awards were launched in 2007 and were an immediate hit with the marketing profession, providing a high-profile platform for the recognition of Irish marketing successes, and attracting the participation of hundreds of marketers and their companies. Also in these years, the Institute concluded its strategy to switch from directly operating its Marketing Graduateship qualification to instead concentrating on co-working with third-level institutions to jointly develop and offer leading edge programmes, and the first of these offerings was the Executive MSc in Marketing offered with T U Dublin.

2000's

Launch of the All Ireland Marketing Award

Orla Mitchell

Until May 2019 Orla was Global President of Gum & Mints at Mars Wrigley Confectionery, a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated. She led the Business Strategy, Global Innovation pipeline, Strategic P&L, capital program and Brand strategy for a Portfolio of Globally famous gum and mints brands including Orbit Extra, 5, Doublemint and Juicy Fruit to name but a few. She was also a member of the Mars Wrigley Leadership Team and Strategy team (a sub-team of the Leadership team responsible for Global Segment strategy).

Prior to this role she held the position of Chief Marketing Officer for Wrigley preceding the integration of the Mars Confectionery businesses. Orla was with Mars for 18 years in several different roles, and her business and marketing expertise across multiple regions make her a highly experienced strategic and marketing resource. Before joining Wrigley, Orla served as the CMO for Mars Global Food, where she promoted marketing excellence across the company’s global good business and helped create a strategic growth agenda.

Prior to that, she was the European Marketing Director for Mars Foods Europe, where she was responsible for marketing Mars’ sauce brands in Europe. Orla began her time with Mars as the Marketing Director of Petcare for Mars Ireland and has moved up in the Marketing function since then. Orla has a passion for developing sustainable business legacy and growth strategies and has led several business turnarounds during her career to date. She is also very experienced in developing iconic and multi award winning communications campaigns.

Patrick Kennedy | Pinterest

Patrick is a marketing scientist with 15 years experience helping brands turn rigorous measurement into growth—across brand and performance, and from SMBs to Enterprise.

Today he leads Global Scaled Measurement at Pinterest, where his team develops measurement thought leadership, partners with product to validate new ad solutions, and builds the education and tooling that make effective decisions repeatable at scale.

Previously, at Meta he managed marketing science teams that supported more than 6,000 clients and agencies across EMEA, developing expertise in first- and third‑party experimentation and scalable learning programs. His experience also spans retail analytics at dunnhumby, integrating attitudinal and behavioral data from a 10,000‑shopper panel to drive actionable insights.

His career started out at Amárach Research, where he conducted quantitative and qualitative research in partnership with some of Ireland’s best known brands.

Carolan Lennon

Non-Executive Director

Carolan Lennon is a non-executive director with over 25 years of senior executive leadership across the telecoms and technology sectors working with leading organisations including Salesforce, Eir, and Vodafone.

During her time as Country Leader for Salesforce Ireland, Carolan led the company’s 3,000+ strong workforce, growing its presence as an EMEA talent hub, and leading the launch of the renowned Dublin Tower. As the first female CEO of Eir, one of Ireland's largest telecommunications companies, she led the organisation through a period of rapid transformation and growth during a pivotal period. She also held a number of senior leadership roles at Vodafone Ireland, including Marketing Director and Consumer Director.

Carolan currently serves on the boards of Salesforce Ireland, Flutter Entertainment, itrust6a and previously held the position of Senior Independent Director at AIB. Beyond the boardroom, she is a proud patron of Special Olympics Ireland, and has a passion for promoting corporate sustainability and advocating for equality in the workplace.

Carolan has a BSc from University College Dublin, and an MBA from Trinity College Dublin.

Laura Dowling

Entrepreneur | Pharmacist |
Scientist | Founder & CEO, fabÜ

Laura Dowling is a qualified pharmacist, wellness advocate, and Founder & Chief Scientific Officer of fabÜ. With over 20 years’ experience in community pharmacy, she is widely known as the @fabulouspharmacist on Instagram and has become one of Ireland’s most trusted voices in women’s health.

Passionate about helping people live balanced, healthy lives without the noise of fads or quick fixes, Laura blends science-led expertise with a warm, relatable style. Through her extensive online platform, national media presence, and live events, she empowers women with evidence-based advice delivered with humour, honesty, and empathy.

Her nationwide Love Your Vulva tour and best-selling book tackled taboo topics head-on, sparking important conversations around women’s health and showcasing her rare ability to connect and inspire at scale. A sought-after speaker across corporate and public platforms, Laura brings credibility, candour, and refreshing energy to every stage — from hormonal health and menopause to workplace wellbeing, stress, sleep, and sustainable healthy habits.

Dermot Mulligan

Chief Marketing Officer | Re-turn

Dermot Mulligan is an award winning senior marketing leader with over 25 years’ experience shaping and transforming some of Ireland’s best-known brands.

As Chief Marketing Officer at Re-turn, he has played a central role in elevating national engagement with the Deposit Return Scheme, launching the new ‘Re-turn It Right’ brand platform, and delivering major behavioural change.

Dermot previously served as Head of Marketing at Bord Gáis Energy, where he transformed the brand into a leading energy and services provider and was responsible for the development of the largest loyalty programme in the Irish energy market. Prior to that he led the brand and marketing strategy for GE Money, Abbey Travel and Irish Ferries. He is known for his insight driven approach, stakeholder leadership, and ability to build culturally resonant brands.

Orla Mitchell

Ex-CEO WaterWipes & National Marketing Champion 2026

Prior to her board career, Orla worked with WaterWipes between early 2020- end 2022. As CEO and board member she with her exec team implemented a 3-year strategy that more than doubled the business with the brand now a top global brand leader in all its key markets including the U.S. An Irish founder owned global success story the WaterWipes brand, as the world's purest baby wipe has disrupted the wipes category with exponential growth in multiple geographies globally.

Until May 2019 Orla was Global President of Gum & Mints at Mars Wrigley Confectionery, a subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated. She led the Business Strategy, Global Innovation pipeline, Strategic P&L, capital program and Brand strategy for a Portfolio of Globally famous gum and mints brands including Orbit Extra, 5, Doublemint and Juicy Fruit to name but a few. She was also a member of the Mars Wrigley Leadership Team and Strategy team (a sub-team of the Leadership team responsible for Global Segment strategy).

Prior to this role she held the position of Chief Marketing Officer for Wrigley preceding the integration of the Mars Confectionery businesses. Orla was with Mars for 18 years in several different roles, and her business and marketing expertise across multiple regions make her a highly experienced strategic and marketing resource. Before joining Wrigley, Orla served as the CMO for Mars Global Food, where she promoted marketing excellence across the company’s global good business and helped create a strategic growth agenda. Prior to that, she was the European Marketing Director for Mars Foods Europe, where she was responsible for marketing Mars’ sauce brands in Europe.

Orla began her time with Mars as the Marketing Director of Petcare for Mars Ireland and has moved up in the Marketing function since then. Orla has a passion for developing sustainable business legacy and growth strategies and has led several business turnarounds during her career to date. She is also very experienced in developing iconic and multi award winning communications campaigns.

Dónal Comerford | Oatly

Dónal Comerford leads Oatly’s Irish growth as Country Manager. With deep international FMCG and brand-building experience, Donal champions Oatly’s mission - to make it easy for people to eat better and live healthier lives without recklessly taxing the planet’s resources.

He’s on a mission to convert more lattes, minds and hearts - one oat at a time.

Jay Reed | Core

Jay is an experienced and award-winning marketing and communications strategist. Currently Group Strategy Director in Core, he has been honing his craft as an agency strategist for 15 years. In this time he was worked with dozens of Ireland’s biggest brands across as many different categories. As a 15-time Effie award winner and judge, he is a recognised expert in marketing effectiveness.

In addition to his practical experience, Jay believes that his commitment to continuous education has also been key to his career success to date. With a primary degree in Technology, Design, & Innovation, Jay has also completed numerous professional certifications in the marketing domain and multiple short courses in subjects ranging from philosophy to programming and probability. Recognising the need for marketers to better understand the lingua franca of business and finance, he is currently completing an MBA at Trinity College Dublin.

Simon Geraghty | Amárach Research

Simon Geraghty, Research Strategist at Amárach Research, is an award-winning Research & Insights Director with 20+ years at the intersection of insight, design and commerce. He specialises in demystifying the complex and championing customer-centric strategies that resonate with stakeholders to drive measurable growth.

When not decoding consumer behaviour, he can usually be found making his next playlist or out walking his two greyhounds.

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Our History

An institute interwoven with the development of Ireland