"There are lots of wide-open spaces to explore," says Philip Kitchen, who moved from England to Canada to be Brock's Dean of Business.

These days, it’s not hard to know where to find Philip Kitchen. The best place to look for him, from the early hours onward, is at work.

The new Dean of the Faculty of Business arrives at 7 a.m. and leaves late, often taking work home with him. In addition to the new job he started Sept. 1, he is still adding to his considerable list of publishing credits. He has two book projects on the go — one about marketing communications, and one about marketing theory.

“I’m a bit of a workaholic,” he said.

It’s a good trait for the new leader of one of Canada’s youngest and fastest-growing business schools. A recognized marketing communications expert, Kitchen has published 13 books and more than 100 papers in leading journals. He was also listed as one of “The Top 50 gurus who have influenced the future of marketing” by Marketing Business magazine in 2003.

A native of Cheshire, England, Kitchen first applied to Brock because he wanted to live in Canada.

“I liked the idea of a large country with a small population,” he said. “There are lots of wide-open spaces to explore.”

He was drawn to his field, he said, because marketing is the lifeblood of any successful business. There may not be much difference between one cereal or another, or one clothing brand over another, but “we express ourselves through clothing, and that’s where we enter the world of branding.”

As Dean, Kitchen would like to see more physical space for the Faculty of Business. He would also like to see a PhD program.

“My goal is to achieve the best outcomes for this business school within the time frame that I have,” he said.

When he does have a rare moment of spare time, the father of two likes to read, cycle, write and garden. He hasn’t had time to do much of that lately, but the “outstanding natural beauty” of Niagara has captured his attention.

“Whichever way you go in this area,” he said, “whether it’s in the direction of Fonthill or Niagara-on-the-Lake, you find really nice things.”

Other accomplishments:

• former director of the Research Centre for Marketing, Communications, and International Strategy
• former Chair of Strategic Marketing at Hull University Business School (2001-2010)
• currently Affiliated Research Professor of Marketing at the School of Business, University of Rennes. Former visiting professor at the University of Malaya, Malaysia.
• editor — Journal of Marketing Communications

Links:
• Philip Kitchen bio
• Faculty of Business