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Our Mission: Empowering Professionals in Place & City Branding

Until now, there has been no CPD-accredited or equivalent scheme in the field of place branding. The Place Brand Academy seeks to remedy this and offer professionals an academically informed, experience-led, and comprehensive training for professionals globally.

Why Choose
The Place Brand Academy?

Our courses are built with the perfect blend of theory and practice in mind; guided by the norms and structures of the UK Higher Education system, and providing Continuing Professional Development (CPD) certification, we offer pedagogical excellence, informed by years of practical application.

The Story Behind The Place Brand Academy

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Over his 40-year career in town planning, economic development, and place brand strategy, Malcolm Allan consistently observed a lack of professional standards and training in the place brand industry.
He discussed the need for formal qualifications and continuous professional development with his colleague, Dr. Giannina Warren, who had an extensive industry background in PR and marketing, had a PhD in Place Branding, and had developed a new theoretical framework to understand the role of place marketers in the policy value chain of cities.

She taught a popular undergraduate course in Place Branding at Middlesex University where she also developed and launched the world's first post-graduate MA in the field.
Malcolm and Giannina concluded that practitioners needed a program for knowledge acquisition and skills training that would qualify for continuous professional development certification.

They teamed up with Penny Bagnall-Smith, founder of the UK place brand consultancy "Smith and Jones." Penny's experience in corporate training and place branding made her an ideal partner.

Together, they established The Place Brand Academy to provide accredited training and skills development tailored to the unique needs of place brand practitioners.

Meet Our Experts in Place Branding and City Brand Development

With over 80+ years combined experience we are here to guide you every step of the way on your place branding journey.

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Co-Founder

Malcolm Allan

A pioneer in place branding, town planning and economic development with over 40 years of experience, founding key agencies and leading global projects, and now focusing on education and sustainability.

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Co-Founder

Dr. Giannina Warren

An award-winning Associate Professor specializing in place branding, with a career spanning Canada, UK, and Vietnam, and notable contributions in academia, research, and global consulting.

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Co-Founder

Penny Bagnall-Smith

Over 30 years in London's top advertising agencies, managing brand communications and complex stakeholder relationships, developing corporate training programs for diverse target audiences.

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Explore our Courses

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Place Branding Essentials: 
A 10-Step Guide to Successful Implementation

A CPD-accredited full course complete with exercises to consolidate learning, toolkits, templates and reading lists.

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Masterclass: Place Branding Foundations

Understand guiding fundamentals and core concepts for strategic planning. Bonus comprehensive reading lists and downloadable peer-reviewed resources.

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Masterclass: Future-Proofing Place Branding Strategies

Prepare and manage for planned and unplanned risks on your way to creating an 'anti-fragile' place brand. Bonus comprehensive reading list.

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