Matthew Housden announced as new chair of DM Trust

Matthew Housden has been announced as the new Chair of DM Trust and succeeds Rosemary Smith, director at Opt-4, who has led the Trust since 2015 and helped steer the organisation through the merger of the DM Foundation and IDM Trust.

“At one of the most exciting periods of change marketing has ever gone through, we must remain committed to improving the skills of individuals within our profession and giving the next generation of talent routes into our industry. The mission of the DM Trust is to promote the value of responsible marketing and we need to ensure we have the people in our industry to do that,” comments Housden as his tenure as Chair begins.

The DM Trust was created with the mission of creating a sustainable future for data-driven marketing by distributing funds to support the best new talent coming into the industry and promoting fairness to consumers. Last year, it invested over £200,000 in campaigns to raise the standards of the industry and support the education of its next generation of talent.

Housden said: “I am looking forward to continuing the great work done under the leadership of Rosemary Smith to help companies deal with the challenges and opportunities they have faced in recent years. The current business environment makes it imperative that organisations can find the right people with the creativity and skills they need for our entire industry to continue to thrive. The DM Trust will remain dedicated to helping the industry attract this much-needed talent.”

Housden is a Principal Lecturer at the University of Greenwich, visiting Professor at the Grenoble Graduate School of Business, and visiting faculty at the University of Leeds Business School and Imperial College London. He has been a member of the Board of the DM Trust since 2015 and is also a member of the IDM qualifications advisory board.

Housden continues: “I have worked in and around the data-driven marketing industry for nearly 30 years. In that time, I’ve dedicated a large part of my career to helping improve the performance of data-driven marketing organisations and the individuals that work for them. I look forward to continuing this work with my fellow Trustees at the DM Trust, and industry bodies like the DMA and IDM.”

The DM Trust remains open to applications and funds are available to groups or organisations with initiatives that raise the standards of the industry, either through nurturing talent or promoting responsible marketing best practice.