Nermeen Mustafa

Biography

Dr Nermeen Mustafa is an Associate Professor at Edinburgh Business School. She joined Heriot-Watt University in 2023, having previously obtained her PhD from Cass Business School London. Nermeen is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and has extensive industry experience prior to her academic career. Following her doctoral studies, she was invited as an Honorary Fellow at Cass Business School and awarded a postdoctoral position. Before entering academia, she worked as a strategy consultant in London, contributing to projects on organisational strategy and value chain alignment. She specialises in luxury markets and creative industries and integrates diverse industry contexts into her teaching and research.

Dr Nermeen’s research explores the intersection of creativity and luxury branding, focusing on how innovative thinking can transform brand strategies within the luxury market. At its core, her research investigates how luxury brands can leverage creative approaches to differentiate themselves in a saturated market and connect more deeply with consumers. This involves studying the ways in which creativity drives brand identity, enhances consumer engagement, and shapes purchasing decisions. By examining case studies of leading luxury brands and analysing consumer behaviour, Nermeen’s work aims to uncover effective strategies for integrating creative elements into brand development and marketing.

Her contribution to this field lies in developing a framework that connects creativity with brand success in the luxury sector. By identifying key creative practices and strategies that resonate with luxury consumers, her research provides actionable insights for brand managers and marketers. One significant aspect of Nermeen’s work is the exploration of how storytelling, artistic collaborations, and unique brand experiences can elevate a luxury brand's appeal and foster stronger emotional connections with its audience.

This research is important because the luxury market is highly competitive and driven by consumers who seek more than just high-quality products—they desire distinctive, emotionally engaging experiences. In an era where traditional branding methods are often insufficient, her research offers innovative approaches that can help luxury brands stand out and maintain relevance. By highlighting the impact of creativity on brand perception and consumer loyalty, her work contributes valuable knowledge to the field of luxury branding, ultimately helping brands navigate the complexities of a rapidly evolving market and achieve sustained success.

Academic leadership and affiliations

• Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing
• Global Programme Director of BBA

Qualifications

• PhD – City University (University of London)
• MSc in Business Administration – Boston University
• St Lawrence College – UK

Publications

• Abu-Salim, T., Mustafa, N., Onyia, O. P., & Watson, A. W. (2019). Gender in service quality expectations in hospitals: The role of cognitive and affective components. Vol. 11(4), 604–619.
• Mustafa, N., Abu Salem, T., & Watson, A. (2018). The Impact of Waiting Time on Hospital Service Perception and Satisfaction: The moderating role of Gender. Vol. 8(1), 131–150.
• Lampel, J., & Mustafa, N. (2009). Exploring the Emotional Nexus of Organisations and Products: The Case of the Perfume Industry. In Koivunen, N. & Rehn, A. (Eds.), Creativity and the Contemporary Economy. Copenhagen Business School Press, 83–109.

Conference proceedings

• 2018 – Bottling Inspirations: Fragrance Houses Behind the Scenes, The Mystique of Luxury Brands Conference, Singapore
• 2015 – A tale of perfumers’ anxiety: Productive anxiety or anxious creativity?, Standing Conference on Organisational Symbolism, Australia
• 2014 – A qualitative approach to examining new product development in creative industries, Bergamo University, Italy
• 2013 – The role of Narratives in the crafting of luxury, EGOS, Montreal, Canada
• 2013 – Exploring the impact of strategic market positioning on brand communication tactics, ATINER, Greece
• 2012 – Restoring trust: Identity repair and financial crisis in the UK banking industry, EGOS, Helsinki, Finland
• 2012 – Perfume Narratives as Transitional Objects in the Fragrance Industry, PROS, Kos, Greece
• 2010 – Strategic launch decisions and the moderating role of signalling tools: The case of the Fragrance Industry, ATINER, Greece
• 2009 – Performance Crisis and Organisational Identity of Northern Rock: A narrative perspective, EGOS, Barcelona, Spain
• 2007 – Experiential goods and the subjectification of boundary objects, EGOS, Vienna, Austria
• 2006 – Exploring the role of product launch activities in the creation of sales momentum: The case of the perfume industry, Art of Management Conference, Krakow, Poland
• 2006 – The discourse of emotional differentiation in product narratives: The case of experiential products, International Conference on Organisational Discourse, Amsterdam, Netherlands
• 2006 – Celebrity endorsement: Mobilising cultural capital in intangible value products, Conference on Organisational Symbolism, Nijmegen, Netherlands