Professor Jennifer Lees-Marshment
Chair of Political Marketing and Management
Management and Marketing, School of Business
Contact
Biography
Jennifer Lees-Marshment is Professor of Political Marketing and Management in the School of Business. Professor Lees-Marshment is a world-renowned scholar in the field of Political Marketing, and also pioneering new research in the emerging field of Political Management.
Professor Lees-Marshment is a practice-oriented academic and passionate about research impact and employability. Author/editor of 20 books, she has interviewed over 350 political practitioners including government ministers and staffers/advisors to Prime Ministers and Presidents in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Experienced in commentating in the media, she advised TVNZ on Vote Compass in the 2014/2017/2020/2023 New Zealand elections.
Jennifer previously worked at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, as well as the Universities of Aberdeen and Keele in the UK.
Jennifer is currently collaborating with practitioners in parliaments and related government bodies on improving support and offering bespoke training for staff who work for politicians - see the Political Staffer Resource Centre website.
Research
Professor Lees-Marshment has a pragmatist research philosophy, seeking to use research to uncover the realities of political practice and generate best practice advice.
Jennifer’s research firstly focuses on political marketing in elections in the UK, US, Canada and New Zealand. She co-edited the book Political Marketing and Management in the UK 2024 election.
Secondly she explores political management, particularly in government. One aspect is managing political advisers and politicians, covering orientation, training, performance management, and well-being. Her most recent monograph is the Human Resource Management of Political Staffers, for which she interviewed advisors to former Prime Ministers Boris Johnson, Jacinda Ardern and Scott Morrison and current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Teaching
Since coming to Dundee in 2024, Jennifer has taught Qualitative Research Methods modules for MRes, DBA and PhD students; International Marketing Strategy; and Political Marketing. She developed a PG pathway in Political Management and is delivering CPD workshops for political staff in multiple political systems. Previously, she taught an employability module, The Practice of Politics and workshops on Careers in the Arts.
Jennifer would welcome applications from prospective graduate students interesting in researching the use of management and marketing in parties, campaigns, elections and government.
Previous doctoral students have explored the delivering of political brand in Ghana; youth, online political communication and political knowledge; political marketing and nation branding in New Zealand and Australian advocacy groups; managing public servants’ attitudes to reform and communication by political leaders once elected in government.
Modules I lead on
Stories
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- Press release
“Obvious weaknesses” in Labour’s political marketing
Sir Keir Starmer’s government must convince the British public that it can deliver on its key aims or risk being punished at the polls, according to a leading political analyst from the University of Dundee.
