Fellows Interview with Emma Heath

We are delighted to bring you a Fellows Interview with Emma Heath, Marketing Director, Quality Meat Scotland

The Marketing Society Fellowship is our highest and most prestigious accolade awarded to outstanding marketing leaders who have achieved significant success in the markets they’ve worked in and made an active contribution to The Marketing Society and our industry more broadly.

What’s your golden rule?

Ignore educated gut feel at your peril…!
This was a piece of advice given to me by David Amers, the then Planning Director at The Leith Agency, in the very first week of my first job when I graduated. I tell the story to all students I speak to, as David’s advice has served me well through my career.

Who has been your biggest influence?

My Dad. For showing that staying true to yourself and your values, having a positive, solution focused mindset and combining these with hard graft is the strongest foundation you can give yourself in life to continually build on through experience, mistakes and learning. Me being that person who always wants to do the right thing even when it’s hard has also come from him.

What is your most hated business expression?

“Let’s run that idea up the flagpole and see if it flies”. I still can’t believe those words came out of someone’s mouth in an ideation session. Grim.

What’s the smartest business idea you’ve ever had?

To push for marketing investment to create a crazy experiential promotional tour for the After Shock and Sourz brands in the early 2000s. They were ahead of their time and SO much fun to develop and execute. The campaign helped take the brand sales and profit to the to the next level (winning marketing effectiveness awards in the process).

Which leader do you admire most and why?

Jacqui Gale MBE who I’ve had the privilege of having as a mentor and friend at a pivotal time in my career. Jacqui is a shining and genuine example of what authentic, resilient and adaptive leadership is, even in the face of some pretty major curve balls. She has people, purpose and perspective at the heart of everything she does, inspiring those around her to be curious and always look with a different perspective at what’s in front of them. Two of the most important lessons I’ve learned from her are both simple and fundamental to life, in both a personal and professional sense and echo what I learned from my Dad. The power of self-belief, and that what’s for you won’t go by you. Sometimes it’s good to remind yourself of that.

What is on your mind the most right now as a marketing leader?

The realization that it’s true that the world of marketing (and everything connected to it) is changing so fast but will never move this slowly again. It’s so hard to keep up with everything, and whilst it’s important to stay current and learn as the landscape shifts, it’s even more important to keep connected with the right specialists and agencies who are ahead of you on the journey. I never want to be that dinosaur that blocks great ideas and progress because I don’t have faith in those who know more than me about something. And if I ever become that person, can somebody tell me please?!

Why is being part of The Marketing Society important for your career?

It’s about growing the network of great marketers for the greater good of our industry,  and ensuring that the next generation of marketing talent have the support and opportunity to thrive.

Why does marketing matter to you?

Because everything behind a great brand or campaign starts with an idea or part of an idea. And it’s our responsibility and our privilege to make sure that those ideas are crafted, validated, fine-tuned and brought to life in a way that resonates with the right audience to change their behaviour and actions.

What do you think the biggest challenge in marketing will be in 2026

Probably something about AI integration, quality and authenticity. How do brands stay true to what they stand for and keep content original, creative and engaging when so much content and production can be scaled (in a potentially more cost-effective way) with AI?

Tell us something that’s not on your CV

 I was probably born talking, and the teenage Emma wanted to be a newsreader, Kate Adie was one of my heroes. Before I left school in Wolverhampton, I won a national “Young Newsreader of the Year” competition and properly fancied my chances of doing live news on the radio or TV, but a degree in marketing and a new life in Scotland beckoned (though I almost went to join the Royal Navy as an officer instead!).