Anneli Ritari-Stewart appointed as DMA Scotland's new chair

DMA reasserts presence in Scotland with commitment to pioneering “responsible and ethical use of AI” in marketing, appointing Anneli Ritari-Stewart as DMA Scotland’s new Chair

Ritari-Stewart, Royal London’s Head of Digital Marketing and Generative AI Lead for Marketing, will execute her vision for DMA Scotland’s community and support Scotland's AI ambitions by harnessing AI’s potential as a “superpower” to drive innovation, best practice and business growth

London - 3rd June 2024: The Data & Marketing Association (DMA UK) has today announced it is refocusing its presence in Scotland in support of the country’s AI strategy, underpinned by the appointment of a new Chair of DMA Scotland. Anneli Ritari-Stewart has set out her vision for championing the responsible and ethical use of AI to drive growth and innovation in Scottish marketing, in line with Scotland’s AI strategy.

Ritari-Stewart, Head of Digital Marketing at Royal London, believes marketers can harness AI as a “superpower”, but has warned that a trustworthy and customer-centric approach must be adhered to in order for businesses and their customers to see the true benefits, as the culture around the technology continues to change “at an electric pace”.

Ritari-Stewart, who will continue her role at Royal London where she is part of the group’s AI Working Group and is scaling the use of generative AI ethically, held a position on the DMA council for four years before becoming Deputy Chair of DMA Scotland in 2022, during which time she has been actively involved in delivering value to the DMA’s Scottish members and fuelling regional industry growth. Taking over from existing Chair Howard Barber, Ritari-Stewart will assume the position on Monday 3rd June (today) and begin delivering on her vision to equip professional marketers with the knowledge and confidence to adopt emerging technologies, in particular encouraging curiosity around AI and its effective application.

As the UK’s leading trade association for data-driven marketing, the DMA is committed to championing marketing best practices and professionalising the industry, at a time when the measurement and business value of marketing is scrutinised at board level more fiercely than ever. Ritari-Stewart’s appointment as Chair of the Scottish council closely follows the DMA’s appointment of former Disney executive Tony Miller as its new UK Chair in March.

“Scotland represents a truly unique and exciting opportunity to drive the ethical use of AI forward,” said Ritari-Stewart. “I believe marketers can harness the technology as a superpower - but stakeholder trust, customer-centric approaches, and regulatory collaboration must be achieved. The culture around AI is changing at an electric pace; we need to encourage curiosity, winning the hearts and minds of the professionals who will use AI and the customers who stand to benefit. I’m thrilled to lead the DMA’s charge in Scotland at a crucial time for shaping the future of technology and data-driven marketing. The winds of change are fast moving, and together we can steer the ship in the right direction.”

Steph Wright, Head of the Scottish AI Alliance, comments: “We welcome DMA UK’s refocus in support of Scotland’s AI Strategy and its vision for Scotland to become a leader in trustworthy, ethical and inclusive AI. Commitments from organisations like the DMA to the vision is absolutely key to ensuring that Scotland’s AI future is responsible and equitable to all and we look forward to exploring how we can work together to achieve this.”

Having established itself on the global stage as Europe’s largest community of data-driven marketers, the DMA is committed to guiding businesses through compliant marketing practices in line with emerging technologies and evolving regulations. DMA Scotland itself has a successful track record of working closely with Scottish government, academia and businesses to build the foundations for Scotland to be a world leader in responsible and ethical data practices. Through its Value of Data campaign, it has elevated and championed the role of data - from the classroom to the boardroom - and helped organisations responsibly deliver value to their customers. It will now focus on supporting Scotland's AI Strategy by championing the trustworthy, ethical and inclusive use of AI, with new chair Ritari-Stewart playing a key role in helping businesses understand and adhere to the strategy through alignment with the DMA Code and AI principles.

Rachel Aldighieri, Managing Director at the DMA, commented: “With Anneli’s appointment, the DMA is refocusing its presence in Scotland at a time of transformation and opportunity. Anneli has experience of pioneering the use of generative AI within a large-scale enterprise and managing multiple stakeholder visions for the future. Her expertise and enthusiasm for the creative, innovative and ethical application of AI will bring together industry, academia and the government to ensure that AI empowers marketers, truly acting as a force for good for businesses and society and accelerating growth within the Scottish economy. With its clear and deliberated AI strategy and ambition to be the data capital of Europe, Scotland has the opportunity to become a global forerunner for the way AI is successfully and responsibly applied.”

DMA Scotland will host an inaugural AI event in Edinburgh on 25th June, which will see industry experts and business leaders gather to explore the transformative impact of AI in marketing and how Scotland can be a leader in trustworthy, ethical and inclusive AI. Anneli Ritari-Stewart will set out her vision as DMA Scotland’s new Chair, supported by expert insights from representatives from Multiply Agency, The Data Lab, Scottish AI Alliance, Royal London, Whyte & Mackay, Visit Scotland and more.

For more information or to register for the event, visit: https://dma.org.uk/event/driving-responsible-growth-with-ai-in-marketing.

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About the Data & Marketing Association (DMA UK)

The Data & Marketing Association (DMA UK) is the UK’s leading trade association for today’s progressive data-driven marketers. Our mission is to build more responsible, ethical, diverse, creative, and innovative organisations by setting, promoting, and teaching the standards to build trust and deliver marketing effectiveness. We deliver this through Representation to government and regulators; Resources developed by the industry for the industry as a complete source of marketing intelligence; and Relationships built through active participation in our community. We are Europe’s largest community of data-driven marketers.