Meet the Speakers

David Razboršek is currently the director of the Institute Zavod VOZIM, which operates in the field of traffic injury prevention, alcohol and psychoactive substances abuse prevention, youth work and social integration of people with fewer opportunities. David has first gained his knowledge and experience working as the marketing director in a large company. After a spinal cord injury in 2007, which resulted in the use of a wheelchair as his constant companion, he turned his interest towards preventive work. He further gained knowledge on developing social marketing strategies and socially responsible initiatives aimed at solving social problems. The initiatives created under his leadership, among which the more recognizable are "Heroji furajo v pižamah" (Heroes Drive in Pajamas) and "Najdi.se," have received several national and international awards in the field of effective communication (SOF, Diggit, Prizma, Best of Balcanes), and are recognized as effective practices for influencing attitude and behaviour change. Among other recognitions, they carry European Commission's Best EU Road Safety Initiative Award. 

Tanja Kamin is a Professor in the Department of Communication Studies and head of the Research Centre for Social Psychology at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana. Her research focuses on critical studies of everyday life, seen as the intersection and confrontation of macro- and micro-politics. Her research focuses on understanding the emergence and reproduction of social problems and finding ways to address them. She specialises in developing approaches to achieve behavioural and social change, particularly in the areas of health and healthcare, nutrition and clean energy.

Prof Thomas Boysen Anker is Chair of Social Marketing and Associate Dean of Research at the University of Dundee School of Business. He is also board member and Vice Chair of the European Social Marketing Association.

Thomas has also been Associate Editor and Editor in Chief of the European Management Journal. He worked at the University of Glasgow for 11 years, holding various research, teaching and leadership positions, including Head of Department and Research Lead. He did his PhD in philosophy at the University of Copenhagen.

His teaching was recently nominated for outstanding contribution to cultural awareness in the classroom at the SAMEE Awards (Scottish Association of Minority Ethnic Educators).

His main research areas are social marketing, marketing ethics and consumer value creation, with a strong interdisciplinary focus on public health. He has published widely in journals such as Journal of Business Ethics, European Journal of Marketing, Marketing Theory, European Management Journal, British Medical Journal (BMJ) and BMC Public Health.

Current research projects include explorations of racial bias in marketing, consumer autonomy and social technology, as well as the relationship between existential meaning and consumption.

Jeff French is a recognised global leader in the application of behaviour change and social marketing. Jeff has extensive experience of developing leading and evaluating behaviour change projects, social marketing programmes and the development of communication strategies at international, national, regional and local level.

With over 30 years experience at the interface between government, public, private and NGO sectors Jeff has a broad practical and theoretical understanding of national and international health and social development issues.

Jeff and has published over 70 chapters, articles and books in the fields of behaviour change, social marketing, community development, health promotion and communications. Jeff is a visiting professor at Brunel University and Brighton University and a Fellow at Kings College University London and teaches at four other Universities in the UK.

Jeff was the Director of Communication and Policy at the Health Development Agency for five years from 2000 – 2005. In March 2005 From July 2006 through to July 2009 Jeff set up and managed the National Social Marketing Centre for England. In August 2009 Jeff became the Chief Executive of Strategic Social Marketing Ltd.

Strategic Social Marketing works with clients from all over the world in the private, NGO and public sector on the development and evaluation of social behaviour change programmes. Strategic Social Marketing also provides consultancy services to some of the world’s biggest corporate communications and research companies.

Jeff continues to act as the principle adviser to the National Social Marketing Centre and the Department of Health behaviour Change and Social Marketing policy team. Jeff also acts as an advisor to a number of national policy committees, the EUCDC Knowledge and Resource Centre in Health Communication project, and is a member of the organising committee of the Global Social Marketer’s network. Jeff is a member of the editorial Boards of the International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing and the Journal of Social Marketing.

Jeff is Conference Chair of the World Social Marketing Conference. His new book ‘Social Marketing and Public Health Theory and Practice’, published by Oxford University Press is now available. Jeff is also the author of the NSMC’s new guide to procuring and managing the delivery of social marketing service.

Professor Sharyn Rundle-Thiele applies marketing to improve people’s health and wellbeing and to protect the planet. She founded Social Marketing @ Griffith and co-founded the Journal of Social Marketing. She is currently serving as Vice President of the International Social Marketing Association (ISMA). Sharyn has co-created behaviour change programs with community and stakeholders.  Her projects deliver outcomes and impact including removing leaves from waterways, improved social connections for adolescents, reduced koala deaths from dog attacks by 40%, reduced koala deaths from car strikes by 83% and more. Her work is published in more than 255 books, book chapters and journal papers.