Coles funds mini MBA for marketing team

The Coles class of 2021 is busily graduating from Professor Mark Ritson’s Mini MBA in Marketing as the retailer positions itself as an employer of choice. 

To date, 130 Coles marketing staff have graduated and another 37 are still working on their obsession with customers.  The Continuing Professional Development-accredited course is optional for Coles marketers.  

Completion takes up to 40 hours across 12 weeks. A similar course was offered last year by ADMA in partnership with Ritson at a subsidised rate for members.  

“Our team is our most important asset and investing in their skills is central to our ambition to be the best marketers in the country by being customer obsessed,” said Coles Chief Marketing Officer, Lisa Ronson.   

"Because we ran the whole [Coles] team through the program at once it was possible to take a more specific focus on their business and to ensure the team came out with a common language and a common approach to marketing."  

Coles' professional development investments are part of a wider effort to be an employer of choice. It has also invested in (up to) 1000 Coursera scholarships with universities including Yale, Duke and Stanford, and a mini-MBA in Strategic Category Management in partnership with Deakin University. 

Ritson is a marketing academic and consultant who has taught at Melbourne Business School and now works full-time on Mini MBA courses. 

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