Hanne Knight is a Lecturer in Marketing and Programme Leader for the MSc Digital and Social Media Marketing. She teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, specialising in digital marketing, sustainability communication, and responsible business, and has extensive experience supervising dissertations from undergraduate to PhD level. Alongside her academic role, Hanne is deeply engaged in policy-facing, industry, and international research activity.

Hanne serves as the UK Alternate Delegate to the International Energy Agency’s Users Technology Collaboration Programme (Users TCP), representing the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). In this role, she contributes to international policy-relevant research on how people engage with low-carbon technologies and energy policy, helping ensure UK priorities are reflected in global work on public acceptance, equity, and the social dimensions of the energy transition.

Within Plymouth Business School, Hanne co-chairs the Research Cluster in Responsible Management and Organisation, supporting the development of interdisciplinary sustainability-focused research. She also established the University-wide Staff Sustainability Network in October 2024 and continues to co-chair this network, strengthening cross-university collaboration, engagement, and leadership on sustainability.

She is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Strategic Marketing and has served as a board member and trustee for several organisations. She also works as a consultant to charities, social enterprises, and regional SMEs to support effective, responsible communication.

Her research focuses on sustainability communication in the digital age, with particular emphasis on the use of AI, digital literacy, and how different socio-economic groups engage with sustainability narratives. A core strand of her work examines how communication shapes public understanding and acceptance of the green energy transition. She is currently working on funded international projects exploring home decarbonisation narratives across the Global North, investigating how communication can support the uptake of low-carbon technologies such as heat pumps and energy-efficient housing.

Hanne has presented her research at several national and international conferences in recent years. 

Hanne's book 'Digital Marketing in Practice - Design, implement and measure effective campaigns' has been published by Kogan Page in March 2023. She has been invited to speak at a number of universities across the UK and internationally. The second edition has recently been released, reflecting developments in digital, AI-driven, and responsible marketing practice.

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Associate Member Chartered Management Institute (CMI)

Member of the Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing (IDM)

Member of the Digital Marketing Institute (DMI).

• Trustee for the charity Well Connected 
• External examiner for UG Digital Marketing Programme at Birmingham City University (BCU)
  
• Senior examiner for the Sustainability module offered by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)
• Policy toolkit reviewer for Consumers International (CI) and the Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)

Hanne has supervised more than 50 undergraduate students, 50 postgraduate and 2 PhD to completion. She is currently supervising 5 PhD students with several new PhD students to start under her supervision in the next academic year. 

Hanne specializes in teaching undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) subjects, with a specific focus on digital marketing and sustainable business. She thoroughly enjoys teaching and prioritizes instilling responsible decision-making skills in her students. She strives to incorporate this passion into all aspects of her teaching. Whenever possible, she integrates new technologies into the classroom to equip students with the necessary skills for the future job market.

One of her key objectives is to expose students to the practicalities of the business world. To achieve this she invites guest speakers, organizes seminars and workshops, and collaborates with real clients. By doing so, she aims to provide students with firsthand business experiences and insights.

Since 2019, Hanne has been programme leader for the MSc in Digital and Social Media Marketing at the University of Plymouth. She also acts as programme leader for the same programme at HKU Space, in Honk Kong. Her responsibility include assuring quality delivery, management of staff and resources as well as chairing committees and programme meetings. He role included a complete restructure of the programme to 30 credit modules as well as a smooth transition to becoming a programme with two entries a year (September and January start). Hanne is actively involved in the recruitment of students and since her involvement as programme leader, student numbers have increased from a yearly intake of around 12 students to an annual student body of around 80 students. 

Hanne has extensive experience of teaching as flying faculty. She has delivered 'Current issues in Management' at the NSBM Green University in Colombo, Sri Lanka on several occasions to more than 500 students.  

The following list outlines some of the subjects Hanne is interested in teaching.

• Digital Marketing
• Social Media Marketing
• Innovation and New Product Development
• Sustainable solutions
• Business Ethics
• Current issues in Management