Breaking down marketing's closed door | Why widening access makes marketing better for everyone, with Martin Troughton of the Marketing Skills Trust

Marketing is often described as a profession that welcomes everyone. The reality is rather different. Entry still depends too heavily on who you know, which school you attended, and whether marketing even appeared on your radar as a viable career path. For many people — particularly those from non-traditional or underrepresented backgrounds — the door into our profession remains firmly closed.

In this episode, Joel is joined by Martin Troughton, chairman of the Marketing Skills Trust — a charity established in part through a legacy from Professor Derek Holder, founder of the IDM, specifically to help the next generation access marketing as a career.

Martin brings a rare dual perspective: co-founder of Harrison Troughton Wunderman, one of the UK's most awarded direct marketing agencies, and a subsequent fifteen years on the client side. That breadth shapes a conversation that is frank, personal, and at times quietly powerful.

They discuss:

1. Why marketing remains a predominantly white, middle-class profession — and what that costs us creatively and commercially
2. The work the Marketing Skills Trust is doing to change who gets in, from funding the Brixton Finishing School's outreach programme to running the Dogs Legacy events for early-career starters
3. How AI makes the case for diversity stronger, not weaker — and why curiosity, storytelling and human insight are the skills that endure
4. What agency and client-side careers demand from talent — and why the industry is too quick to put people in boxes
5. The story of Guy Lambert: told by Ogilvy he wasn't smart enough for their graduate scheme, he went on to become their MD

If you lead a marketing team or agency, there's also a practical ask: the Trust's Hour of Power programme lets senior practitioners donate an hour of their time to raise money for the next generation. It's a small commitment with a meaningful impact.

Find out more and support the Marketing Skills Trust at marketingskillstrust.org.uk