• Senior Industry Advisor European Bank, specialising in Digital Transformation – i.e. bringing about change which is digitally and strategically driven, client base is in former Soviet countries and the Balkans;
• In recent years, undertaken action research and consultancy with a number of leading organisations, including PwC, DFID, Royal Mail, IAPT, Sysco, NCS, NAVCA, IOD, SY Fire & Rescue, Police service in UK and in Serbia, Sheffield City Council and others.
• Held Director level positions in 3 different consulting organisations.
• Numerous consultancy and action research projects, with an international profile, with significant presence in the Balkans and in the US.
• Author of INSPIRE, used bring about Service Performance Improvement in large organisations (largely used in reforming the public sector);
• Developed the European Business Growth Catalyst (EBGC) for SME business growth across Europe;
• Acted as Business Angel and investor for several start-up businesses;
• Executive Director of an Incubator in Sheffield, which houses a number of high tech and high growth companies, including a retail operation and 3D Printing company.
• Executive Director of the European Centre for Business Growth, (see www.ecbiz.eu).
• Chartered practitioner with the British Computer Society & Chartered Management Institute.

Senior Industry Advisor
European Bank
Partner
The Consultancy Academy, UK.
Director
CrowditBuildit Ltd
Non-Exec Director
WeDo3DPrinting.com

Head of Department (of the Operations Management & Decision Sciences (OMDS))
University of Sheffield, UK.
Head of the Management Department
University of Sheffield, UK.
Director of MBA
University of Sheffield, UK.
Research Fellow
Curtin University, Australia.
Principal Lecturer
Sheffield Business School.
Senior Lecturer
Manchester Metropolitan University.
IT Consultant
Federation of Information Systems Centre’s (FISC Group) PLC.
Programmer/Analyst
Coats International PLC.

• 25 years experience combining Higher Education and Consultancy (hi-tech combined with organisation development).
• Held academic positions in 5 academic institutions (in UK, Australia & France).
• Delivered programmes in 20 different countries, including U.S.
• External examiner in 7 different institutions.
• Multi-disciplinary academic background (Humanities, Computer Science & Business & Management).
• Professional background in Consultancy, Management and Computing (Chartered).
• Specialisation in Innovation, Business Growth, Business Systems, Systems Theory.
• Last full time post was Head of Department of Operations Management and Decision Sciences (OMDS), University of Sheffield (for the 3.5 years).
• Previously Director of the MBA at the University of Sheffield, UK (for 5.5 years).
• Chair of the EC’s European Centre for Business Growth (see www.ecbiz.eu).
• Significant commercial experience in UK and in US, 3 executive directorships of leading companies, business angel investor, owner of a Sheffield based incubator, and an array of consultancy clients.
• Creator of new crowdfunding based financial system for inward investment into Sheffield, for house construction on brownfield sites in the city, (see www.crowditbuildit.com).

Academic:
BA Hons History & Economics.
MSc Computer Science.
PhD in Management (specifically, on the Design of Innovation Systems).

Professional:
MBCS, since 1989.
Chartered since 2004, British Computer Society.
Chartered Management Professional, CMI.

• Last post was Head of Department of Operations Management and Decision Sciences (OMDS) within the Management School of the University of Sheffield, with 34 full time and part time academic staff (excluding research assistants and project managers).
• As Director of the University of Sheffield’s flagship MBA, during a 5+ year period, achieved ‘triple crown’ accreditation from AMBA, AACSB and EQUIS. This was largely a change management problem. Headline changes were as follows:
  – Re-branding of the Sheffield MBA around ‘Consultancy, Entrepreneurship and Leadership’;
  – Re-developed the core pedagogic processes on the Sheffield MBA;
  – Oversaw the ‘triple accreditation’ of the Sheffield MBA, from AMBA, EQUIS and AACSB;
  – Defined the MBA around the re-interpretation of Management discipline as outlined in first book entitled The Art of Organisational Problem-Solving;
  – Curricula development included the development of new modules on Consultancy/Problem-solving, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Research Methods into the degree;
  – Created structures by which all MBA students are provided with a client and suitable project work;
  – New International summer School programme was introduced;
  – Collaborative arrangement for student exchanges with SP Jain, Indian School of Business;
  – Integrated the Institute of Consulting Diploma into the degree programme;
  – Integrated new ‘M’ level commercial products into the Executive MBA.
  – Developed new commercial in-company products for the School, including:
• The Business Growth Catalyst programme – an action learning programme for SME’s to promote and develop business development and growth. This leads to a postgraduate award in Consultancy & Innovation. It also enables the University to gain accreditation to the Small Business Charter;
• INSPIRE programmes for (largely) public sector service process improvement;
• Change Management as part of the School’s activities in the City Region Leadership Programme (clients include the Metropolitan Police, Fire & Rescue, Local Councils and Health Sector);
• Service Performance Improvement Methodology programme for the NHS;
• Project Management in the Health and Police Services in Serbia.
• Co-ordinated the University of Sheffield’s Northern Doctoral Consortium in which advanced research institutions develop curricula and events for Doctoral Research Students;
• I was an evaluator of the EU’s Framework 7 & Horizon 2020 project for the EC in Brussels;
• I developed new EU projects as principle investigator (projects called ‘Project-EBGC’ and ‘Project-Parle’ – both in e-learning, integrating the European (Vocational and Educational (VET) standards);
• Partner on the EU’s MEDFORIST project, partnered by Grenoble Graduate School of Business;
• Developed the ‘memeLEARNING’ approach to e-learning, which integrates web 2.0 social media into a process of e-learning, with a unique business model which financially incentivises learning;
• Currently chair of the European Centre for Business Growth (see www.ecbiz.eu).

• Primary research area is ‘Innovation’, mostly high tech, using Action Research, and the methods have been used for Impact Research cases.
• In my final year of full time academia, I was the PI for 4 funded research projects, with a total value of approximately £650,000.
• Developed INSPIRE from action research, (an INnovation System for Performance Improvement and RE-organisation), with significant Knowledge Transfer activities to a range of clients.
• New research is in a systems approach for Business Growth, again and action research method underpins the ‘International Business Growth Catalyst’.
• Published 2 research books, as sole author, both of these advocate change in their fields, and particularly focus on the change in Management & Business.
• Published over 50 academic papers.
• Supervised 11 PhD student to completion as Director of Studies, and 6 as second supervisor.
• Regular referee of several internationally recognised journals – Journal of Information Management, Journal of Information Technology and Journal of Systems Research and Behavioural Science, Qualitative Research in Management, Systems, British journal of Management.
• Managing a new European Union Research project to develop methods for European Business Growth – aimed to develop SME’s across Europe to instigate rapid growth, see www.ecbiz.eu.
• Developed the European Business Growth Catalyst (EBGC).
• Now working on ‘Practical Reasoning’ which is designed to provide and underpinning to research in Management & Business with integrated social ‘impact’.
• Developing a 3rd book in ‘Impact Research’, called ‘The Fifth Paradigm’.

Digital Transformation – Most of my consulting work revolves around ‘digital transformation’. This is the idea that organisations are increasingly being required to embrace the opportunities afforded to them by the vast array of digital technologies.

Block Chain – I have been working on a European initiative called the ‘BlockChain Bootcamp’ aimed to help organisations to digitise their supply chains, and increasingly this involves using one or more blockchain technologies.

Advanced Project Management – I have significant experience using PRINCE, PMI, Agile and SCRUM to help manage projects of change.

Process modelling – I have used many different methods for modelling current and future processes in organisations, in order to determine the industry standards in process terms, in readiness for change and a given application of technology.

Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) – I am very familiar with the benefits of using a systems approach to change and transformation, and have helped managers apply forms of soft systems in hundreds of organisations to help drive change and improvement.

Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform – I am familiar with managing server side facilities and building databases and associated web-apps and big data apps. I have set up many e-commerce sites and web-portals, and helped to manage teams to set up appropriate technical architectures.

Big Data Visualisation technologies – I am familiar with Google Data Studio, Qlik, Tableau, Matlab, linked to backend databases on Azure and Google Cloud Platform (GCP), e.g. I recently worked on setting up a Big Data prototype in asset management in the US utilities sector.

Programming Languages – I am originally from a programming background, I have used modern environments and languages such as SAS. SPSS, Matlab, Python, Ruby, PHP, C#, R. I have managed teams of developers using such technologies.

3D Printing – I have been involved in a 3D printing company since 2013, and therefore I have an excellent grasp of the core technologies of 3D Printing, and supply chain issues in this growing industry.

Business planning/growth/Investor pitches – I run workshops across Europe in the broad area of business planning, growth and pitching to investors. I have a strong network of investors and investment groups.

Crowdfunding Property – I have just completed a project which has used a bespoke form of ‘equity based’ crowdfunding to complete some first time buyer homes in Sheffield.

I have come out of full time employment in the University sector in the UK, and to focus on Business and Consulting interests. I was MBA Director and then a Head of Department at the University of Sheffield, and decided my skills might be better used in ‘transformational’ projects, particularly where there is a solid business growth and infrastructure goal.

Whilst at the University, and as head of the academic department of Operations and Decision Sciences, I was lucky enough to have worked with some seriously able people, working in cutting edge domains, e.g. big data analytics, innovation, entrepreneurship, financial modelling. I have been using this experience with the European Bank working in challenging contexts, to develop sustainable businesses. This requires the integration of entrepreneurial, technical and organisation development/communication skills. I think I offer a wide experience, spanning the technological and business domains. I am keen to expand my role, and to work on stimulating projects with interesting people and ethical organisations.

I am very conscious of the need for (and advantages of) ethical policies in business and associated codes of conduct at a personal level.