Ave has worked for over 8 years in corporate and non–profit advertising in the Caribbean. She has been employed with global agencies McCann Worldgroup and Saatchi & Saatchi where she worked on many renowned brands including Nestlè, PAHO/ WHO and United Way. She completed her undergraduate degree with Honours, in Media and Communication (specialised in Social Marketing) at the University of the West Indies and her postgraduate studies with Merit, in Education and Health Promotion at University College London. She is a former Commonwealth Scholar who enjoys spending her free time volunteering with health NGOs in her home country, Trinidad & Tobago. Her interests lie in using digital media to promote healthful behaviours and social change. Ave obtained a QUT scholarship in the School of Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations and her PhD research sets out to determine the role, impact and cultural factors surrounding the use of social media influencers in social marketing for behaviour and social change in Trinidad and Tobago. Scholarship surrounding the use of social media influencers to promote for-profit sales and services has been growing, however less is known about social influencers being used in social marketing and the factors that surround this.
Centre Supervisor: Ross Gordon