About

I am a Senior Lecturer in Marketing and Deputy Programme Leader for the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) at the Derby International Business School. With over 18 years of experience in both academia and marketing consultancy, my work focuses on strategic corporate communication, branding, digital marketing, and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). I’m particularly interested in bridging the gap between academic research and practical, real-world solutions that make a meaningful difference.

I am a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA), a Y-rated researcher by South Africa’s National Research Foundation, and former President of the South African Communication Association (SACOMM). I currently serve as Strand Lead for AI, Innovation & Emerging Technologies within the Academy of Marketing’s Marketing Education Special Interest Group.

My current research explores inclusive marketing, employer branding, and how strategic communication can enhance both internal and external organisational relationships. I lead a potential Impact Case Study for the University of Derby, evaluating enterprise education in developing contexts and its role in fostering entrepreneurial skills in under-resourced communities. I’ve also led funded research projects in collaboration with partners such as Meta (Facebook), Save the Children International, and the National Research Foundation.

At Derby, I contribute to enterprise and SME development through my facilitation on the Government’s Help to Grow programme and (the now lapsed) Enscite programme, supporting small businesses in strengthening their branding, marketing, and strategic growth.

Prior to joining Derby, I lectured at North-West University and later at the University of South Africa (Unisa), where I was promoted to Associate Professor. At Unisa, I helped establish an accelerated doctoral support programme for the College of Graduate Studies and led several high-impact research initiatives.

Teaching responsibilities

I teach mainly digital marketing modules, consumer insights, marketing metrics and applied research modules, all at different levels of academic study. I am particularly involved in the Derby International Business School’s DBA (Doctorate in Business Administration) programme, where I teach the first foundational module and also act as Deputy Programme Leader.

Research interests

My research interests hinge principally on inclusive marketing and employer and employee brands - how strategic communication can bolster these. I’ve also worked extensively on pedagogical research; academically and for industry clients. My research employs a range of epistemologies – from the more interpretive and critical to the more positive. Most of my work makes use of mixed methodological approaches.

Membership of professional bodies

• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Strand Lead for AI, Innovation & Emerging Tech for the Academy of Marketing Marketing Education Special Interest Group
• Steering Committee Member for the University of Derby's African Research Network (ARN)
• Senior member of the Academy of World Business, Marketing and Management Development
• Vice President of the South African Communication Association (SACOMM) in 2017 and President in 2019
• Rated researcher by the National Research Foundation of South Africa (NRF), in 2017, who subsequently awarded me with a Y-researcher grant, which is still currently active

Qualifications

• Baccalaureus Artium in Communication - North-West University, South Africa
• Baccalaureus Artium Honours with Double Major: Corporate Communication and Corporate Media - North-West University, South Africa
• Master of Arts in Communication - North-West University, South Africa
• Postgraduate Diploma (RQF5) in Outcomes-based assessment in Higher Education and Open Distance Learning - University of South Africa (Unisa)
• Doctorate in Communication (DLitt et Phil) - University of South Africa (Unisa)
• Certificate of Advanced Study (RQF7) in Technology Enhanced Learning - Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Germany

Recent publications

• Greeff, E. (2025). Digging deeper into branding, to level up as SMEs. [Blog: Small Business Charter] Available: https://smallbusinesscharter.org/news-and-case-studies-help-to-grow/digging-deeper-into-branding-to-level-up-as-smes

• Greeff, E. (2025).  Visual Marketing Research. In Doing Marketing Research: Alternative Methods for Market Sensing. 2nd edition. Alison Lawson and Charles Hancock (eds.). United Kingdom: Routledge

• Greeff, E. (2025). Decolonising Marketing Research. In Doing Marketing Research: Alternative Methods for Market Sensing. 2nd edition. Alison Lawson and Charles Hancock (eds.). United Kingdom: Routledge

• Greeff, E., Rivers, L. & Wilson, T. (2024). Advancing mobile open learning through DigiBot technology: a case study of using WhatsApp as a scalable learning tool. International Journal of Teaching and Case Studies, 14(4): 393-412, https://doi.org/10.1504/IJTCS.2024.139187

• Greeff, E. (2023). Decolonising Marketing: Five Fundamental Decisions for Customer Engagement. European Journal of Marketing, 57(11):2918-2944, https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-05-2022-0394

• Greeff, WJ. (2022). Engaging employees through employee and employer brand. In Strategic communication: South African perspectives. Oxford

• Greeff, WJ & Verwey, S. (2022). Image repair and Brand apology: South African brand reality. In Strategic communication: South African perspectives. Oxford
• Greeff, WJ. (2022). The tail wagging the dog: Tomaselli’s Contemporary Campus Life and why we are overdue for introspection as academics. S Afr J Sci. 2022;118(1/2) https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2022/12529
• Swart, C, Du Plessis, TC & Greeff, WJ. (2021). An integrated social media communication view on content marketing by South African non-profit sectors. SA Journal of Information Management, 23(1):1-9, DOI: 10.4102/sajim.v23i1.1366
• Greeff, WJ. (2021). Afrokology and organisational culture: Why employees are not behaving as predicted. In Routledge Handbook of African Media and Communication Studies (pp. 68-80). Routledge
• Greeff, WJ. (2020). Managing Contestation in Organizational Culture: Lessons Learned from the South African Mining Pidgin Fanagalo. International Journal of Knowledge, Culture & Change in Organizations: Annual Review, 20(1). DOI: 10.18848/1447-9524/CGP/v20i01/1-16
• Matlakala, M., Mgutshini, T., Greeff, WJ. & Chetty, D. (2019). Use of the semester system in undergraduate programmes for open distance education. Africa Journal of Nursing and Midwifery, 21(2):1-13. DOI: 10.25159/2520-5293/4802
• Greeff, WJ. (2017). The role of communication in managing the safety climate of construction site environments. Communicatio, 43(1):103-121, DOI: 10.1080/02500167.2017.1306575
• Greeff, WJ. (2016). National culture and organizational behavior: Why Fanakalo in the South African mining industry is a bone of contention, in Proceedings Academy of World Business, Marketing and Management Development, edited by G Ogunmokun & R Gabbay, Vol. 7, No. 1, July. (ISBN 978-0-9943178-4-1)
• Greeff, WJ, Mgutshini, T, Chetty, D, Matlakala, M & Moeketsi, RHM. (2016). Fostering institutional existentialism in the search for legitimacy, in Proceedings Academy of World Business, Marketing and Management Development, edited by G Ogunmokun & R Gabbay, Vol. 7, No. 1, July. (ISBN 978-0-9943178-4-1)