Meet The Team: Marketing

Today, we're diving into the world of the creative minds who power our website, blogs, social media, events, and all things marketing! Join us as we get to know the Marketing Team.

At Mercedes-Benz South West, our marketing team is the creative force behind our brand's voice and vision. Each member of our team plays a crucial role in connecting with our audience so let’s find out who does what and a bit more about them too!

The Mercedes-Benz South West Marketing Team

Emma Brock

Emma is our Head of Marketing and plays a crucial role in shaping the strategic direction of our marketing efforts at Mercedes-Benz South West. She oversees all marketing activities ensuring that our brand message is consistently communicated across all platforms. Emma leads the talented marketing team, guiding us to achieve our business objectives and drive growth.

1. Tell us three words you would use to describe yourself: Vibrant, Positive, and Welsh.
2. What’s your latest TV show obsession? At the minute, Black Doves.
3. What’s your favourite way to spend the weekend? Outdoors.
4. What’s the most random skill you’d love to learn? To be able to sing in tune, but I think that’s an impossible task!
5. Tipple of choice? Probably a cup of chai or green tea to be honest.
6. What did you want to be when you were a child? A designer.
7. What is your proudest moment in life so far? I really don’t have a proudest moment as I’m someone who tends to look forward. But when I look back, something that always makes me feel proud, is the two-year journey to qualifying to run at Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB), the World Trail Series Final. Because the journey to qualify didn’t come easy, running under the finish line arch in Chamonix, waving a Welsh flag was very special. 

Emily Coates

Emily is our Assistant Marketing Manager. She navigates the realms of compliance, consumer duty, finance, GI products, retention, CitNow, DocuSign, and AutoTrader. And as the lead for Mercedes-Benz South West’s sales journey, reporting, and training, Emily is a powerhouse. On top of all this, she manages budgets, content, and advertising, while also keeping a vigilant eye on the websites and systems.

1. Tell us three words you would use to describe yourself: Ambitious, Organised, Animal Lover.
2. What’s your latest TV show obsession? Lately I've been rewatching House. 
3. What’s your favourite way to spend the weekend? Spend time with my horse, go for a walk or explore somewhere new with friends and stop for food, and ideally make pancakes on a Sunday. Or get on a plane!
4. What’s the most random skill you’d love to learn? Jousting.
5. Tipple of choice? Archers and lemonade.
6. What did you want to be when you were a child? A journalist or a teacher, I could never decide between the two.
7. What is your proudest moment in life so far? Purchasing my first home.

Alex Smith

Alex is our Website and Paid Marketing Lead, AKA the wizard for all things digital marketing. He’s responsible for overseeing the website, ensuring it is user-friendly, visually appealing, and optimised for conversions. His expertise extends to SEO, where he implements best practices to enhance search engine rankings and drive organic traffic. Additionally, Alex manages our PPC campaigns to maximise ROI through targeted advertising.

1. Tell us three words you would use to describe yourself: Snacker, Positive, Legend.
2. What’s your latest TV show obsession? Gavin and Stacey.
3. What’s your favourite way to spend the weekend? A decent walk, a few beers, watching some sport, and cooking some nice grub. 
4. What’s the most random skill you’d love to learn? Being able to speak a different language would be cool. Either Portugese or Spanish, Vamos!
5. Tipple of choice? Stella - a pint of or x4 pint size multipack. 
6. What did you want to be when you were a child? Professional footballer. Grew up watching the likes of Ronaldinho and Wayne Rooney. 
7. What is your proudest moment in life so far? Playing football for Exeter City when I was 15 / 16 / 17 and either playing against Liverpool at their training complex or beating Plymouth Argyle on their patch. Although against Liverpool we did get smashed 6-0. I also played in goal against Swansea once as our keeper didn’t turn up. We lost 6-0 that game too.

Nikki Moore

Meet Nikki, our Group Data and Insight Specialist. She proficiently handles internal sales reports, data acquisition, and marketing attribution reporting. Nikki ensures flawless synchronisation between Autoline and Hubspot databases and offers support for Sugar CRM and marketing data. She spearheads the marketing packs, keeping the directors well-informed about all company activities. Additionally, she oversees the Mercedes-Benz South West database and serves as our GDPR guardian.

1. Tell us three words you would use to describe yourself: Analytical, Dependable, Resilient. 
2. What’s your latest TV show obsession? Uncanny on BBC2 because who doesn't love being absolutely terrified before bedtime?
3. What’s your favourite way to spend the weekend? A long walk in the countryside or on the coast, followed by cake in the nearest NT cafe. We're lucky to live within walking distance of Knight-shayes and go there so often they probably think we're trying to move in. 
4. What’s the most random skill you’d love to learn? I studied languages at Uni, but I'd love to have the patience to learn a language with a completely different alphabet, like Japanese or Korean. 
5. Tipple of choice? G&T or red wine, depending on the occasion.
6. What did you want to be when you were a child? Taller!
7. What is your proudest moment in life so far? 2025 is a big year for me - 10 years at CWC and 20 years married, so I'm proud of both of those achievements. 

Laura Henley

Laura is our Marketing Coordinator, juggling roles for Mercedes-Benz PC and Mercedes-Benz Vans. You’ll mainly find her crafting engaging content for blogs and social media. And as the Paid Social Lead, those eye-catching Ads you may have spotted on your feed are her creative handiwork. 

1. Tell us three words you would use to describe yourself: Creative, Attentive, Thoughtful.
2. What’s your latest TV show obsession? Always rewatching Gilmore Girls.  
3. What’s your favourite way to spend the weekend? Long dog walks with the family.
4. What’s the most random skill you’d love to learn? I'd love to try pottery throwing. 
5. Tipple of choice? A fruity cider.
6. What did you want to be when you were a child? A marine biologist.
7. What is your proudest moment in life so far? Buying my house and turning it into a home. 

Darcey Rice

Darcey, our Marketing Apprentice, is the go-to gal for just about everything, from stock ordering to general admin. And with her newfound skills in Graphic Design, she’s the genius behind any flyers, signs, flags, and car decals. Darcey also keeps our GDPR and Google Places profiles fresh and up-to-date. Recently, she’s taken the reins on internal comms, as well as some social media, blogs, and web content. 

1. Tell us three words you would use to describe yourself: Outgoing, Thoughtful, Confident.
2. What’s your latest TV show obsession? Benidorm is my guilty pleasure!
3. What’s your favourite way to spend the weekend? Going for walks along the beach at North Devon.
4. What’s the most random skill you’d love to learn? I would love to speak fluent Spanish!
5. Tipple of choice? Prosecco.
6. What did you want to be when you were a child? Midwife.
7. What is your proudest moment in life so far? Passing my driving test.

Charlotte Curnow

Charlotte is going to be our new Marketing Apprentice. You won’t have seen her around the office yet, but we’re looking forward to welcoming her to the team. She’ll be helping Darcey out with general admin such as GDPR, stock ordering, and Google Places. Plus, Charlotte will take charge of some website admin and live chat, while offering SEO, PPC, and graphic support.

Francesca Parry

After enjoying her maternity leave, Frankie is back at Mercedes-Benz South West, stepping into a part-time role as the Group Customer Experience Coordinator. While she may not be gracing our YouTube videos anymore, her expertise shines in areas like mystery shopping, customer journey analysis, and auditing sales calls, VHC, and pre-calls.

1. Tell us three words you would use to describe yourself: Dramatic, Honest, Kind.
2. What’s your latest TV show obsession? Bluey XD.
3. What’s your favourite way to spend the weekend? With family and friends.
4. What’s the most random skill you’d love to learn? Sign Language (I'm working on it!)
5. Tipple of choice? Spiced Rum. 
6. What did you want to be when you were a child? A vet or a teacher. 
7. What is your proudest moment in life so far? Aside from becoming a mum, it was when I played Princess Fiona in Shrek: The Musical at the Exeter Northcott in 2022. 

Lauren Blackler-Hinks

Lauren expertly manages everything from event planning, direct mail campaigns, and advertising. Her role is demanding, but she handles it all with finesse. Lauren also leads our email and automation efforts, crafting all our Mercedes-Benz newsletters, booking confirmations, and welcome emails, etc. with precision and creativity.

1. Tell us three words you would use to describe yourself: Optimistic, Conscientious, Swiftie. 
2. What’s your latest TV show obsession? I'm watching Friends for the 1,000th time! I never get bored of it. 
3. What’s your favourite way to spend the weekend? Walking on a beach or near the sea with the dogs and a hot drink!
4. What’s the most random skill you’d love to learn? I'd love to know how to play the piano. 
5. Tipple of choice? I would opt for a gin and tonic, but I'm enjoying a lot of non-alcoholic variants at the moment too. 
6. What did you want to be when you were a child? I actually wanted to be a journalist, but found it all a bit too doom and goom.
7. What is your proudest moment in life so far? Being handed the keys to my house.

Carly Pepperell

Carly, our vibrant Marketing Coordinator, skilfully oversees social media, crafts engaging blogs, and creates compelling website content. She also takes charge of PR and radio advertising, ensuring our message resonates far and wide.

1. Tell us three words you would use to describe yourself: Outgoing, Empathic, Creative. 
2. What’s your latest TV show obsession? All Creatures Great and Small (2020), otherwise I'm just rewatching Friends for the 25th time. 
3. What’s your favourite way to spend the weekend? Spending time with my niece and nephews, reading books, or going for family walks (that usually end in a pub on Teignmouth's back beach). 
4. What’s the most random skill you’d love to learn? I really wish I was fluent in another language, probably French. Or I'd like to learn something I currently know nothing about, like ballet. 
5. Tipple of choice? Devon cider or prosecco, depending on the occasion. 
6. What did you want to be when you were a child? An author, who would write articles for Vogue on the side. 
7. What is your proudest moment in life so far? I can't decide between finishing my degree in the height of covid or being an auntie to my three little auntings, both super rewarding!

Freddie Ridley-Rundle

Meet Freddie, our new, dynamic Marketing and Sales Event Specialist. He's the mastermind behind our showroom events and product placements across all our brands. Freddie is also the maestro when it comes to generating leads at events and providing top-notch sales support.

1. Tell us three words you would use to describe yourself: Calm, Spontaneous, Adventurous.
2. What’s your latest TV show obsession? Rewatching TopGear.
3. What’s your favourite way to spend the weekend? Running/Sleeping/Surfing.
4. What’s the most random skill you’d love to learn? Drifting.
5. Tipple of choice? Whiskey.
6. What did you want to be when you were a child? Footballer.
7. What is your proudest moment in life so far? 1st in my Uni degree/working here.