28 year old Leisure Marketing graduate Simon Hood has been elected on to the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) South East regional board.

Simon, who is Head of Marketing for leading relocation specialist HCR, will help steer the direction of the CIM’s South East chapter covering Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Solent and the Thames Valley.

The Chartered Institute of Marketing has twelve Regional Boards within the British Isles, each comprising of nine elected members. Simon commented: “The CIM’s South East region is one of the most diverse regions in the UK, stretching from Thanet in the southeast and the New Forest in the southwest, up to Aylesbury Vale and Milton Keynes in the northwest of the region. I am very excited about the opportunity to support the work of the CIM and to help provide a means by which all members have the opportunity to participate and be involved at local level.

“I am also actively seeking to improve the Institute’s engagement with the new generation of marketers by increasing the online presence of the group as well as improving the perception of the CIM among forward-thinking modern employers.”

Simon, who graduated from Bournemouth University in 2009, continues to show his entrepreneurial spirit; just last year, he independently launched the White Cliffs Business Awards, an awards scheme showcasing local business success within southeast Kent. The first awards ceremony took place in March 2012 and had over 120 business leaders in attendance and later this year will be the staging the first ever White Cliffs Business Summit.

Simon also helped to launch Texas Ask’Em Poker – a novel, fun poker app and Facebook game combining trivia with Texas hold’em poker. As part of the launch Simon implemented a sponsorship deal which resulted in the Texas Ask’Em Poker brand being broadcast around the globe via Sky Sports.