Dr Athena Baghdasaryan

Dr Athena Baghdasaryan is an Assistant Professor of Marketing and Brand Management and the Course Leader of the MA International Business at Regent’s University London. She previously led the BA (Hons) International Business programme (2021–2025), which included overseeing the compulsory study abroad provision, and also served as interim Course Leader for the BSc Business Technology and Entrepreneurship.

Athena has a multidisciplinary academic background, specialising in Consumer Research, Business studies, and Sociology, with a particular focus on Bourdieusian philosophy and Visual Consumption. Her PhD in Marketing and Business Studies was inherently interdisciplinary, drawing on sociology, psychology, and business studies. Her thesis made a significant theoretical and methodological contribution to Consumer Culture Theory by developing a novel Visual Analytical Method for decoding hidden meanings in advertising. She completed a Postgraduate Programme in Executive Leadership from the University of Oxford (Saïd Business School), an MA in International Business Management, a BSc in Linguistics and Philology, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education.

Her research has been presented at leading international conferences, including the Association for Consumer Research, the Academy of Marketing Science, and Consumer Culture Theory. She has published on themes such as Visual Consumption, Symbolic Power, Gender Ideology, Advertising Interpretation, and Branding.

Athena has been expanding her research into health and medical studies, scientific research, and experimental approaches, particularly where these intersect with consumer behaviour and wellbeing. She is passionate about exploring science-driven and medical solutions to complex challenges and is especially committed to advancing knowledge in mental health studies. Her current interests include adolescent and student mental health and wellbeing, an area where she integrates her expertise in consumer behaviour and sociology with applied psychological and medical perspectives. This trajectory reflects her broader vision: moving beyond traditional business studies to embrace a more holistic, interdisciplinary approach to HE.

Alongside her academic career, Athena is an experienced business consultant and organisational leader, advising entrepreneurs and executives globally on strategy, brand development, market positioning, and organisational growth. She has a proven record of building and leading teams, designing strategies and organisational structures, innovating business solutions, and supporting sustainable growth through auditing and strategic development. Her consulting work directly enriches her research profile, as many projects involve product development requiring both scientific investigation and consumer research. This synergy allows her to translate insights from practice into academic inquiry, while applying research-based knowledge to real-world business and innovation challenges.

She also plays a significant role in international higher education partnerships. She is the Link Tutor for Istituto Marangoni (Paris and London), an External Examiner at Robert Gordon University (Scotland) and the University of Hertfordshire, and a Visiting Postgraduate Supervisor at Loughborough University. Dr Athena supervises PhD research and serves as a doctoral examiner, supporting postgraduate researchers in advancing knowledge within her areas of expertise. She is also a former Chair of international peer groups of C-level executives at mClub. Previously, she served as an External Examiner in Moscow, further expanding her international academic engagement.

Athena has been widely recognised for her strategic leadership, mentoring, and communication skills, with a career that demonstrates a strong commitment to advancing knowledge, shaping organisations, and empowering individuals.

• PhD in Consumer Research, Marketing and Business Studies 
• PG Executive Leadership Programme 
• MA International Business Management 
• PGCert Special Study Supporting Learning 
• BSc (Honours) Linguistics and Philology 
• PGCert Supervising Research Degree Students
   

• Programme Leader International Business, Senior Lecturer - Regent's University London
• External Examiner - Robert Gordon University
• Visiting PG Supervisor  - Loughborough University
• External Examiner - University of Hertfordshire

• Wilson, J.A.J., Arroyo, L., & Baghdasaryan, L. (2024). Conceptualising Influencer, Brand, and Audience Relationships on Social Media Platforms. In: Tabari, S., Ding, Q.S. (eds) Celebrity, Social Media Influencers and Brand Performance. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-63516-8_2
• Wilson, J., Tartakovska, D., & Baghdasaryan, L. (2024). Understanding luxury millennial consumption experiences as means to improve brand value. In: Emerging Trends in Consumer Behaviour in the Service Sector, p.120.
• Baghdasaryan, L., Wilson, J., 2022. The religion of transforming icons into iconic brands. In Transform Magazine
• Baghdasaryan, L., 2020. The Role of Digital Advertising in Shaping Ideals and Consumption Choices in the Digital Era: Effectiveness of Digital Advertisements. In Handbook of Research on Innovations in Technology and Marketing for the Connected Consumer (pp. 263-288). IGI Global.
• Baghdasaryan, L., Bettany, S. and Mihaila, B.F., 2018, June. Decoding Archetypal Images of Motherhood in Magazine Advertisements. In Academy of Marketing Science World Marketing Congress (pp. 401-413). Springer, Cham.
• Baghdasaryan, L. and Sirkeci, I., 2020. Coronavirus Pandemic and Disruptive Impact on Marketing and Consumers. Transnational Marketing Journal, 8(2), pp.133-134.
• Baghdasaryan, L., Bettany, S., West, R. and Rieple, A., 2017. Reproduction of Gender Ideology Through Russian Consumer Culture: The Case of Iconography of the ‘Mother In Russia, an Extended Abstract. In Marketing at the Confluence between Entertainment and Analytics (pp. 141- 146). Springer, Cham.

• Participation in Conferences and Publications
• The 8th MMU Postgraduate Research Conference, Manchester 2015 - rewarded with runner-up best poster presentation
• The 3rd ICCMI, London, Kingston Business School - oral presentation of work in progress
• CCT 2016, Lille - presented poster on work in progress (PhD research)
• The 19th AMS World Marketing Congress 2016, Paris - presented paper, published extended abstract 
• The 35th Standing Conference on Organizational Symbolism SCOS 2017: Carne - Flesh and organization, Rome
• The 21st World Marketing Congress, AMS 2018, Porto –presentation of a competitive paper “Decoding Archetypal Images of Motherhood in Magazine Advertisements”.
   

• Business strategies and Consumer Culture
• Visual Consumption
• Luxury Hospitality and  Brand Management
• Psychology, Identity Construction, and Consumption Choices
• Social Media Influence, Ideals, and Consumption Patterns
• Intersections of Sociology, Psychology, and Business Studies
• Scientific and Medical Approaches to Product Research and Development
• Adolescent and Student Mental Health and Wellbeing
   

• 4 PhD supervisions
• Over 150 PG supervisions

PhD research supervision

1. Title 'How sensory experiences shape perceptions, preferences, and consumption patterns in digitalised yet culturally rooted and diverse Nigeria: the case of food delivery applications.'
2. Title 'Transnational Brand Resilience: Managing Risk and Opportunity in Times of Crisis'
3. Title 'An Investigation into Adapting Branding Strategies to the Metaverse: Integrating NFTS and AI in Saudi Arabia and Dubai'
4. Title 'The Deployment of Data Analytics for the Enhancement of Patient Journey Mapping and Experience in Healthcare Management System'

• Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing
• Certified UX Professional 
• AXELOS Certified Agile Project Management
   

Membership

• Academy of Marketing Science 
• Digital Marketing Institute 
• Data and Marketing Association
• Association of Consumer Psychology 
• Associate Fellow of HEA
   

• International Business
• Applied International Business Project
• International Business and Geographies 
• Digital Marketing and Analytics
• Luxury Brand Management
• Digital Marketing and Analytics in Luxury
• Social Media Marketing and Analytics
• Product Development Lab
• Sports Management
• Luxury Hospitality