My first career was in the events industry, starting out in academic conferences and finishing up as Head of Events for a publishing company. During the first 15 years of my career I saw a wide range of leadership (both good and bad) and I developed my own skills as a leader and mentor. When I transitioned from industry into academia, I used my own work experiences shaped my area of research interests and I began exploring human behaviour in the workplace and the range of leadership in SMEs in the creative industries.

As an academic, I gained a Masters and PhD in leadership, whilst teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses on a wide range of subjects. My teaching specialisms included leadership, human resource management, events management and operational management.

Leadership research

Knowing the importance of creating a leadership mindset, and the confidence to recognise leadership in myself has been central to my own career and has shaped my research.  I have been able to undertake projects which explore themes such as shared leadership in project teams, women in leadership and the challenges and opportunities of leadership in events, hospitality, tourism and project-based organisations.  I am also the author of several textbooks and I sit on several editorial boards for journals focuses on events, hospitality and tourism. I am also a structured writing retreat facilitator.

I now offer research-led leadership training, based on my unique combination of a PhD in leadership, 15 years of academic experience and a background in SMEs and the creative industries.  Through this combination, I’ve become an expert in facilitating open and honest communications and in developing leadership in others.