John Miles, CEO of the Marketing Association, inspired over 60 UC Marketing Society students in Christchurch with a powerful talk on the future skills marketers need to stand out, lead confidently, and succeed in a rapidly evolving industry. 

 

When John Miles, CEO of the Marketing Association, made the journey south to Christchurch last week, the UC Marketing Society made sure it counted. Over 60 students packed into a room on campus for a lunchtime session that, by all accounts, was one of those rare events nobody wanted to end.

The title of John's talk said it all: The Future Marketer: The Skills You Need to Be Unignorable. He laid out a framework of nine skills he believes will genuinely separate tomorrow's marketing leaders from the rest: adaptability, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, leadership influence, cultural intelligence, creativity and curiosity, and his personal favourite, decision-making.

On that last one, John was characteristically direct. Most people avoid decision-making more than any other skill, he argued. The willingness to back yourself, make the call, and move is what ultimately distinguishes those who lead from those who simply wait. One line landed particularly hard with the room: "Sometimes you just have to take a concrete pill and harden up."

Storytelling and personal confidence were recurring themes throughout. His challenge to students, "if you don't ask, you don't get", struck a chord, as did his push for young marketers to get comfortable talking about what makes them different. As one student reflected afterwards: "personal branding is non-negotiable — if you can't sell yourself, you can't sell a product."

John also made a point of addressing the commercial and financial side of marketing, reminding the room that creativity alone isn't enough. Marketers who understand business performance and can bridge that gap with commercial acumen will hold a real competitive advantage, a message that resonated strongly with students currently navigating papers beyond their core marketing curriculum.

The session ended with a memorable gesture: John gifted UCMS co-lead Rore Alexander Te Poa Karoro Morgan the very first copy of his new book, Sod It, Just Do It!  A fitting title for a talk built entirely around the courage to act.

The energy in the room was palpable, and the student response afterwards reflected just how much the session meant. As one attendee put it: "Getting to hear directly from someone leading the NZ Marketing Association is the kind of opportunity you simply can't get from a textbook."

On behalf of the Marketing Association's Southern Region, a sincere thank you to John for making the trip to Ōtautahi, and to the UC Marketing Society for facilitating such a valuable conversation for our emerging marketing community down here. This is exactly the kind of investment in the next generation that matters.

Written by:  Michael Durie - Chair, MA Southern, Christchurch, 25th May 2026