About
I am Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Liverpool Management School and Director of the Brett Centre for Entrepreneurship. My interest in entrepreneurship derives from my PhD where I took a critical analysis of the job-generating capabilities of small firms. I benefit from working in a field of research that is dynamic, interdisciplinary and attracts highly talented people. My research activity is dependent on collegiality: working in partnership with national and international academics, analysts and decision-makers in private and public sector organisations. These relations span fully formed collaborative projects through to helping on specific elements of a project. I am involved in developing appropriate research designs, data collection and analysis, and publishing outputs; through to contributing to external think-tanks, panels and committees.
I have a strong track-record of securing external research funding from a range of sponsors, including national and international, public and private organisations. This is as Principal or Co-Investigator, or team member; and as an evaluator of proposals for various grant funding bodies, including the ESRC. I have an extensive international network of colleagues and stakeholders across research and practitioner communities. This connectivity ensures that the research agendas I pursue are up-to-date, relevant and methodologies robust.
I consider the dissemination of research ideas and results as an essential activity for an academic. I enjoy working with colleagues to develop high quality, challenging and impactful outputs. I have co-authored with people across the world, including practitioners, policy-makers, consultants, and researchers at various career stages; from world-leading authorities through to those starting out on their careers.
My research reflects the breadth of interest I hold in the field, its constant evolution and interdisciplinary nature. I have publications in the highest ranked journals as well as books and monographs linked to research projects for clients and stakeholder audiences. I regard mentoring of early career researchers and junior colleagues as a key responsibility. I take pride in this role having supervised over 20 doctorates to completion and examined over 40.
I contribute to the academic community in a number of ways. I have served on the RAE (2008) and the REF (2014) Business and Management sub-panels and was Chair for UoA17, Business and Management and membership of Main panel C for REF 2021: (https://www.ref.ac.uk/panels/).
I am Editor-in-chief of the International Small Business Journal International Small Business Journal and serve on the editorial board of a number of journals in the field of entrepreneurship. I am also Series Editor of the Routledge Studies in Entrepreneurship and Small Business Routledge Studies in Entrepreneurship and Small Business .
My passion for research in entrepreneurship and small firms is unceasing. I am always looking to work with partners and organizations to raise the level of knowledge and theory in this field. I am also keen to supervise research students and help them develop their ideas. Please contact me if interested.ORiCDORCiD: Scopus ResearchGate Google Scholar
Prizes or Honours
- Fellowship (Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, 2023)
- Fellowship (Chartered Association of Business Schools, 2022)
- Cooper Medal for Outstanding Contribution & Leadership (British Academy of Management, 2022)
- European ENSR Fellow (European Network for Social and Economic Research, 2020)
- ECSB Fellow (European Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, 2020)
- Queen's Award for Enterprise Promotion (HM Government, The Queen's Award Office, 2011)