Marketing leadership in a changing world with Gareth Dunn

In this edition of Midland Mentors, Salt Solution’s Group UK & EMEA Director, Tim Bradley, speaks with Gareth Dunn, Marketing Director at Veolia, about building marketing credibility in complex, fast-changing industries.

From psychology to marketing leadership

Gareth’s route into marketing began at Keele University in Staffordshire, where he studied psychology. While the degree didn’t directly lead him into a marketing role, it laid the foundations for how he still approaches the discipline today, through understanding behaviour, decision-making, and data.

Rather than moving straight into marketing, Gareth spent his early career in analytical and operational roles. That experience gave him first-hand exposure to how organisations function beyond the marketing department, from supply and operations to customer-facing environments.

“It gave me a great grounding in the operational side of a business,” Gareth reflects. “As a marketer, you could be able to sell your entire proposition, and sometimes the proposition is the credibility and the technical expertise of what you’re part of.”

Instead of rushing the transition, he waited for the right opportunity, a decision that would shape the trajectory of his career.

Growing credibility at British Gypsum

A defining chapter of Gareth’s career was his 17 years at British Gypsum, part of Saint-Gobain. Over that time, he progressed through a wide range of roles across innovation, marketing, and strategy.

Beginning in product innovation, Gareth was exposed early to customer insights, jobs-to-be-done thinking, and long-term planning. It also shaped his customer-centric mindset, causing him to look beyond surface-level needs and understand what customers were truly trying to achieve.

Over time, his roles became increasingly strategic. “What changed wasn’t the discipline,” he explains. “It was the timeframe. You stop asking, ‘what are we launching?’ and start asking, ‘why?’ and ‘what does this mean in five or ten years?’” That shift marked Gareth’s move from tactical delivery into long-term leadership thinking.

Scaling leadership and strategy at Aliaxis

Gareth’s move to Aliaxis represented a significant step change in scale and responsibility. As Marketing Director, his job expanded well beyond traditional marketing, spanning product strategy, brand, technical services, customer training, and large multidisciplinary teams across multiple markets.

Later, stepping into a commercial director role brought sales into his remit, reinforcing a belief that continues to shape his leadership today: marketing only succeeds when it’s tightly connected to execution.

”You can have a fancier kind of strategic plan or brand campaign,” Gareth says, “but if it’s not being executed or converted by an engaged and talented sales team, then it doesn’t work.”

Among the achievements he reflects on most fondly are those rooted in people and legacy, including celebrating long-standing brands and the teams behind them. “When a brand means something internally,” he notes, “it resonates externally too.”

Purpose-led marketing at Veolia

Today, Gareth leads marketing at Veolia, operating at the intersection of sustainability, regulation, and commercial growth. Returning to a core marketing leadership role was intentional, just like the move into a sector where purpose and performance are inseparable.

Decarbonisation, water security, and environmental resilience are not abstract challenges. For Gareth, marketing’s role is to translate complexity into clarity to help customers understand what change means for them and how they can respond.

“The opportunity to market solutions that genuinely matter was hugely compelling,” he explains. “It’s about impact, but it’s still about delivery.”

Looking ahead: leadership, technology, and judgement

When Gareth looks to the future of marketing, he doesn’t start with tools—he starts with context. For him, effective leadership in a rapidly changing landscape begins with understanding the forces shaping the market over time, not just reacting to what’s new.

“I’m relatively traditional in my approach… I like to start with the macro,” he explains. “Transformation and the evolution of the market is driven by market factors.” In sectors like his, that means keeping a close eye on legislation, societal change, consumption habits and technological shifts — not just for “tomorrow or this year… It’s about 3, 5, or 10 years.”

“The core of it is to be really confident in your assessment of trends and developments in the market,” he says. “Be able to map them, be able to understand the impact on you.” But the critical question for any marketing team is commercial: “What’s the commercialisation? What’s that mean for the customer? What’s the opportunity?”

When asked about what is going to move the needle for marketing in 2026, Gareth says that AI is part of that evolution, but he is careful not to frame it as a shortcut or silver bullet. While he sees clear value in how technology can improve efficiency, productivity, and decision-making, he believes the real differentiator will be leadership judgement and sensitivity to what users want.

“I think all of the above will move the needle for marketing in 2026,” he says, referencing automation and productivity gains. “But I think what will truly, truly impact good businesses will be authenticity in a world of AI. That’s the inflexion point that we’re at.”

As AI becomes more embedded in marketing workflows, Gareth believes authenticity will become a defining leadership responsibility. Customers, buyers, and stakeholders are already forming opinions about what feels human and what doesn’t — and those perceptions have real commercial consequences.

“Do you go all in on AI, or do you try and strike a balance and prioritise human engagement?”

For Gareth, the challenge isn’t choosing between innovation and authenticity — it’s balancing both. Marketing leaders must be able to deliver results today while building credibility that sustains the business over the next three, five, or ten years. That balance requires confidence, clarity, and a willingness to resist short-term noise in favour of long-term value.

Ultimately, Gareth sees the future of marketing leadership as less about mastering every new tool and more about making good decisions in complex environments — decisions grounded in customer understanding, commercial reality, and human judgement.

Advice for aspiring marketers

For those early in their careers, Gareth’s advice is grounded in experience rather than theory. He believes that staying current is essential — not just in terms of tools and platforms, but in understanding how marketing itself continues to evolve. “The discipline changes quickly,” he notes, “and the people who thrive are the ones who keep learning.”

Equally important is understanding the business beyond the marketing function. Gareth encourages marketers to spend time learning how organisations really operate — from sales and operations to finance and customer service. That broader context, he argues, is what builds credibility and allows marketing to contribute meaningfully rather than operate in isolation.

Building strong cross-functional relationships is a natural extension of that mindset. For Gareth, marketing works best when it is connected — when teams collaborate rather than operate in silos, and when trust is built across the organisation.

He is also a strong advocate for building careers in the Midlands: “It’s not London, but the Midlands has a wealth of different industries.” Pointing to the region’s depth of industry and long-term opportunity, he says, “There are some well-established businesses with massive pedigree; if you can get in and develop your career through them, they will look after you because you’re an asset as long as you look after them, producing and delivering.”

Gareth’s approach to leadership is grounded, considered, and quietly confident. His journey is a reminder that meaningful marketing leadership is built over time—through patience, credibility, and a genuine commitment to doing the work well. It’s a powerful example of how some of the most considered and impactful marketing leadership is being shaped right here in the Midlands, by people who lead with integrity and purpose.

Tim Bradley, Practice Director & Host of Midlands Mentors

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