Deirdre Makepeace

Deirdre is now working as a freelance marketing consultant and trainer after a 20-year career in marketing management.  Having started working life with a business degree and a CIM Diploma she has held a number of posts mainly in the service sector.  Her employers have included the British Red Cross, Paignton Zoo and Riverford Organic Vegetables.  Finally after a 5-year stint as Head of Tourism for the English Riviera (Torquay, Paignton & Brixham) she decided to take the freelance plunge.

Highlights have included working with the BBC to persuade them to film an early ‘docu-soap’ at Paignton Zoo (but fortunately not appearing in front of the camera), seeing Riverford grow from a modest business into one delivering to thousands of households across the south of England, and working with Agatha Christie Ltd to develop a new Christie Festival in Torquay.  She has also been a director of South West Tourism and is a past chairman of the Devon & Cornwall branch of the CIM.

The advantage of a long career Deirdre says is “looking at the organisations that I have worked for and seeing, with great pride, that they are still successfully managing initiatives that I introduced”.

Since working freelance her marketing clients have included Torre Abbey, a medieval monastery and visitor attraction in Torquay and the Devon Tourism Skills Network.  She has been appointed as a Director of South West Food and Drink, the strategic body supporting the food and drink sector in the SW.  She continues to work with the tourism sector, developing and delivering training for SMEs.

In addition to working for the Cambridge Professional Academy, Deirdre also lectures on Tourism Foundation Degree courses for Plymouth University at South Devon College. She has also tutored CIM students at Plymouth University.

After a period as examiner for CIM she was appointed as a Senior Examiner for the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s new certificate level syllabus. 

Deirdre was born and grew up in Scotland and prides herself on having Scottish prudence running through her veins.  In marketing terms that means less of the ‘fluffy, flaky PR’ stuff and more of the sensible ‘what will it cost and will it deliver results’ stuff.