Formula E's Jeff Dodds to chair The Marketing Society
- Aug 10
- 3 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Formula E chief executive Jeff Dodds has been named chair of The Marketing Society, succeeding Craig Inglis — putting a marketer-turned-CEO at the head of one of the UK's most influential industry bodies.
The appointment
Jeff Dodds, chief executive of Formula E and a former senior marketer at Virgin Media O2, has been appointed chair of The Marketing Society, succeeding Craig Inglis. The move was reported by LBBOnline and Campaign in early August 2026.
Inglis, the former customer director of John Lewis, chaired the Society through a period of change for the profession. Dodds inherits an organisation whose members span the most senior marketing talent in the UK.
Why a marketer-turned-CEO matters
Dodds's career arc is the story marketing has been trying to tell about itself for years: that marketers can run businesses, not just campaigns. Having steered a global sports property as CEO, he embodies the case for marketing as a route to the top job.
Marketing Minute's read: symbolism matters here. At a moment when marketing budgets are under pressure and boards question the discipline's value, an industry body led by a marketer who became a chief executive is a powerful argument for the function's commercial importance.
The backdrop for the profession
The timing is pointed. UK marketing budgets have been cautious, AI is reshaping how work gets made, and marketers are under pressure to prove effectiveness in hard numbers. The Society's role — championing the craft while defending its seat at the commercial table — has rarely mattered more.
Dodds's Formula E experience is relevant beyond the CV line. Building a young sports brand means balancing fame, sponsorship, sustainability messaging and commercial growth all at once — a useful lens for an industry wrestling with the same tensions.
What it means for marketers
For working marketers, the practical value of a body like the Society is community, standards and advocacy — a collective voice that argues for marketing's worth when individual teams cannot. Leadership sets that agenda, so who chairs it genuinely matters.
The bigger takeaway is a career one. Dodds's path is a reminder that marketing skills — understanding customers, building brands, telling stories that move people — travel all the way to the CEO's office. That is a message worth carrying into every appraisal and boardroom.
Quick FAQ
Who is the new chair of The Marketing Society?
Jeff Dodds, chief executive of Formula E and a former Virgin Media O2 marketer, has been named chair of The Marketing Society, succeeding Craig Inglis, per LBBOnline and Campaign.
Who did Jeff Dodds succeed?
He succeeds Craig Inglis, the former customer director of John Lewis, who previously chaired the Society.
What is The Marketing Society?
It is a UK membership body for senior marketers that champions the profession, sets standards and advocates for marketing's role in business.
— Alicia Morris, Creative & Campaigns Writer at Marketing Minute
The appointment is a reminder that marketing skills travel all the way to the top job — a timely message for a profession fighting to prove its commercial value.
Do the boards you work with see marketing as a growth engine or a cost line? We'd love to hear how that conversation is going where you are.
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: LBBOnline, Campaign and The Marketing Society.
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Written by Alicia Morris, Creative & Campaigns Writer at Marketing Minute
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