Welcome. I’m Gabriella.
I’m a UK London-based Academic. Marketer. Language Professional. Nature Lover. Adventurer.
An endlessly curious mind and unshakeable optimist.
This site is devoted to sharing random thoughts, lessons and ideas that are on my mind, sprinkled with my personal insights on all things marketing, linguistics, languages, cultures – and anything in between.
Wisdom-Hunting
The Academic
Marketing is inspiring and influencing sales. It’s not forcing, manipulating, or tricking people into buying something. No one wants to be a ‘victim’ of marketing – yet, we’ve all experienced what it’s like to fall prey to persuasive tactics that lead us to make purchases we later question or regret.
As a Lecturer in Marketing, my goal is to make sure the next generation of marketers embrace ethical, transparent and honest practices in their work. Because, if we want to solve any of the global challenges we face, marketers have to be at the forefront: they shape narratives, guide consumer behaviour, and drive sustainable change. By fostering integrity and responsibility in marketing, we can build a more informed, conscious, and equitable world that is ready to face and provide solutions to those global challenges.
I’m an FHEA (though I confess, acronyms and I have a complicated relationship!). So let’s just stick to simple terms, I’m a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy as a recognition of my dedication to professionalism and excellence in teaching.
Tagline-Tweaking
The Marketer
Running two for-profit service businesses + a non-profit professional community initiative in London has not been an easy feat. Of course, there are advantages to ‘being your own boss’ but I always looked at customers as my bosses. And to get customers through your physical or online doors, you need – wait for it: marketing!
With a background in linguistics and communication, I’m particularly interested in how words can influence behaviour, making copywriting a field I truly enjoy exploring.
From SEO to Google and social media ads, from social to content marketing, from analytics to email marketing, from podcasting to influencers and beyond – you name it, I’ve done it.
As a Chartered Marketer and member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, I’m all about keeping my skills sharp. In a field that’s always on the move (ever logged into a platform and found what used to be on the left is now on the right? Exactly!), staying up-to-date is not just a goal — it’s a must.
Word-Spinning
The Language Professional
Languages are at the core of my family’s story and heritage. I learnt both Hungarian and German as a child, and went on to study linguistics and communication on a 5-year MA programme at ELTE University Budapest, Hungary and Phillips Universität Marburg, Germany.
My journey with English began at school but the ultimate test came when I moved to the UK in 2007, where I truly experienced what it takes to become functional and then fluent in a new language. I went on to build businesses in London. My language training company ProLingua Global offers language coaching programmes for executives in the financial services industry. I’ve worked with clients at Barclays, Allianz, Deloitte, Blackrock and many more.
I host and organise social gatherings and networking events for linguists and language professionals, providing a platform for the many independent freelancers in the industry to connect with their peers.
I’m a Chartered Linguist and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists where I’ve been invited to speak and host webinars on how to effectively market oneself as a language service provider.
Forest Bathing
The Nature Lover
“Learn how to see. Realise that everything connects to everything else.” Leonardo da Vinci said this back in the early 1500s, yet it remains profoundly relevant today. As a society, we’ve advanced so much that we’ve forgotten this simple truth.
Healing my relationship with the natural world is at the top of my priorities list. In our obsession with growth and consumerism, we often overlook the importance of respecting planetary boundaries. But nature, in all its might and wonder, keeps reminding us that it always holds the upper hand.
I adore trees – and thanks to Peter Wohlleben’s and Tristan Gooley’s books, I learnt how to read them!
Recently, I was awestruck by the sight of fireflies and the blue morpho butterfly of Amazonia. Breathtaking …
Wayfinding
The Adventurer
Walking 300 kilometers with a 20kg backpack on the El Camino de Santiago in Spain. Visiting the higher Himalayas in Nepal and Tibet. Spending time on the Tibetan Plateau at an altitude where human life is no longer possible and very few species can survive. Following Charles Darwin’s footsteps on the Galapagos islands. Going completely off the grid into the Amazonian jungle to live with indigenous tribes and see their way of life. You name it, I’ve done it.
I admire humanity’s diversity and love getting to know other cultures. The brilliant anthropologist Wade Davis says it so eloquently: “The myriad of cultures of the world are not failed attempts at modernity, let alone failed attempts to be us. They are unique expressions of the human imagination and heart, unique answers to a fundamental question: What does it mean to be human and alive?”
I love to explore the different realities of what it means to be human and alive on this planet. I love to connect with people. And I do enjoy stretching my physical boundaries every once in a while. But I’m not gonna lie – I do enjoy the city’s conveniences, a comfy armchair with a good book and my cotton clothes.
“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head.
If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.”
Nelson Mandela
This quote from Nelson Mandela is often on my mind. It captures the essence of what it means to be a good linguist, a good marketer, a good communicator, a good academic, a teacher, a lecturer and an overall human being.
How I roll …
Fairness, freedom, honesty, and transparency are my core values.
I’m a passionate advocate of marketing that is deeply rooted in empathy and genuinely listening to people’s needs.
Through my work, I support Moorfields Eye Charity. This charity funds groundbreaking research and education to combat vision loss and blindness – a cause that’s very close to my heart.
Act. Communicate. Create.
Gabriella Ferenczi 