Prior to entering the education sector, Professor Rundle-Thiele gained extensive experience in commercial marketing. Inspired to utilize her skills to deliver change for the better, she shifted her focus to social marketing. Upon receiving a Ph.D. in marketing from the University of South Australia in 2005, Professor Rundle-Thiele served as an associate professor with the University of Southern Queensland and University of Lethbridge before joining Griffith University as a professor in 2013. Since 2012, she has held the role of president with ANZMAC, which is a member organization with more than 300 individual members and more than 20 corporate members. As the first female president of the organization, she is noted for her hard work and persistence.
In her current role as inaugural director of social marketing at Griffith University, Professor Rundle-Thiele is heavily involved with a wide range of social marketing projects that are currently underway. At the present moment, she is leading a large project involving the development of a social marketing and online education program to change adolescent attitudes towards alcohol in partnership with the Queensland Catholic Education Commission. In addition to serving as a director and professor, Professor Rundle-Thiele is a founding co-editor of the Journal of Social Marketing. In the coming years, she intends to continue promoting positive change through supporting the many projects associated with social marketing at Griffith University.