Our People

Sankar Sivarajah joined the School of Management at the University of Bradford in December 2017 and is a Professor of Technology Management and Circular Economy. He is currently the Head of School of Management and the Head of Business Analytics, Circular Economy and Supply Chain Research Centre.  He was also part of the University’s Research Practice Innovation Group led by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research, Innovation and Engagement) to help shape the University’s 2020-25 Research and Innovation (R&I) strategy.  

His passion for research and teaching is interdisciplinary in nature focusing on the use of emerging digital technology for the betterment of society, be it in a business or government context.
He is currently engaged in research and teaching in the field of circular economy and responsible use of technology by businesses and governments. He is experienced in designing and developing award-winning industry-relevant degree programmes in fields such as Business Analytics and Artificial Intelligence.

He is a Deputy Editor of Journal of Enterprise Information Management and has published over 50 scientific articles in leading peer-reviewed journals and conferences. His research has featured in reputable media/trade publications such as BBC Yorkshire, Computer Weekly, The Conversation, Public Sector Focus and London School of Economics academic blog.

To date, he has a successful track of record as Principal and Co-investigator in over £3 million worth of R&I and consultancy projects funded by national, international funding bodies and commercial organisations. Some of the notable funders have been the European Commission (FP7, H2020, Marie Curie), Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), Innovate UK/DEFRA and British Council focusing on projects addressing business and societal challenges surrounding themes such as Blockchain use in Financial Services, Smart Waste and Cities, Energy-efficient data centres, Social innovation and Participatory Budgeting (currently being developed as an impact case). Some of the key past and present industry and public sector partners that he has collaborations with are Fraunhofer, Deloitte, Thales, Enel, Telefonica, Vodafone, Leeds Council, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Cambridgeshire County Council, Hounslow Council, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Arup and PA Consulting to name a few. 

He was awarded a PhD in 2014 in Management Information Systems from Brunel University London, which focused on the development of a technology evaluation and impact assessment framework for local government authorities.  He holds a first-class BSc (Hons) in Business and Management specialising in Computer Sciences from Brunel University London and MSc with Distinction in Management specialising in Entrepreneurship from The City Business School (previously known as Cass), City University London.

He was also recognised and awarded by The City Business School an honorary membership to the Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS) society, an international honour society recognizing business excellence. He is a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and a member of the British Academy of Management (BAM) and Association for Information Systems (AIS). He tweets at @SankarSivarajah.

Professor Tillal Eldabi holds PhD and MSc in Simulation Modelling and BSc in Econometrics and Social Statistics. He has published over 100 articles in highly accredited journals and conferences and successfully supervising and graduating 18 doctoral students.

Over a period of 20 years, his main research area was focussing on the use of Simulation Modelling to solve healthcare problems. He developed tailormade modelling packages to support health economists and clinicians to decide on the best treatment programmes. Other works include modelling approaches to enable stakeholders’ engagement and modelling A&E departments. More recently his works focused on developing frameworks for Hybrid Simulation for modelling complex systems with special emphasis on healthcare systems.

Professor Eldabi has led and co-investigated several research projects worth more than a £2 million where he gained funding from national and international research councils such as EPSRC (UK), Qatar National Foundations, British Council, and UNDP – all related to modelling healthcare and Higher Education enhancement. He is the cofounder of the Simulation Workshop UK and the Hybrid Simulation Track at Winter Simulation Conference.

Professor Eldabi led the development and management of the PhD without Residence Programme at Ahlia University – Bahrain. It graduated more than 60 doctoral students, where 45% of them are female, the highest rate of gender parity the Gulf region as evidence of capacity building in diversity and inclusivity. Professor Eldabi also developed two innovative programmes: MBA in healthcare and BSc in Business Analytics.

Professor Saeed Akbar is a Professor in Accounting and Finance, and Head of Accounting, Finance and Economics at the University of Bradford School of Management.  He has published his research in leading national and international journals and has taught core courses in Accounting and Finance at the University of Liverpool, University of Hull, University of Bradford and other prestigious institutions. He has also worked in the industry as Assistant Manager Accounts for over three years. His main research interests include, Market Based Accounting Research, Accounting Disclosure and Regulation, Corporate Governance, Empirical Finance and Performance Measurement.

Richard Nyuur, PhD, is Professor of International Business and Head of International Business, Marketing and Strategy Department at the University of Bradford School of Management. Prior to joining the University of Bradford in 2022, he was an Associate Professor of International Business and Strategy at Newcastle Business School (Northumbria University, UK), and held a number of leadership roles including the Head and Deputy Head of the Entrepreneurship, Strategy and Innovation Department, and the Faculty Director of Study Abroad and International Student Wellbeing, among others, all within the Faculty of Business and Law. His research broadly engages with international business and strategy focusing specifically on foreign direct investment (FDI); SME internationalisation, international innovation and strategic adaptiveness; international human resource management, and corporate social responsibility. His publications have appeared in top-tier journals such as, British Journal of Management, Journal of International Management, International Marketing Review, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Small Business Management, International Journal of HRM, Technological Forecasting & Social Change, Multinational Business Review, Critical Perspectives on International Business, Thunderbird International Business Review, Human Resource Development International, and International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics. He has successfully co-guest edited special issues for Critical Perspectives of International Business journal, and IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management Journal. Richard currently serves on the editorial boards of Critical Perspectives of international Business, Journal of African Business, and European Journal of Economics and Management. He is also a Fellow of the Institute for Trade and Innovation (Offenburg University, Germany).

Originally from Manchester, I completed a BA Hons in Social Work and DiPSW at the University of Salford (2002) and later MA Social Anthropology (2006) and PhD in Social Anthropology (2016) at the University of Manchester. My community and social work career led me from the UK - Mainland Europe - Mexico where I worked in health promotion, substance misuse outreach, HIV and sexual health education and human rights observation in armed conflict zones. Since re-training as a Social and Medical Anthropologist I have researched closely with midwives, families, migrants and sex workers, trans and gender diverse populations on all kinds of health and relationship matters. 

Outside of the University I sit on the health strategy working group for Trans Actual UK, an organisation set up in 2017 as a response to increasing press hostility, transphobia and misinformation. Trans Actual are run by the trans community, with the trans community, for the trans community. I provide LGBTQ+ centred inclusion and diversity consultancy and training for a broad range of industries. 

Jing joined University of Bradford, School of Management, as a Lecturer in Accounting in 2008, and became Senior Lecturer in Accounting in March 2012 and then Reader in Accounting in May 2017 before being appointed as Associate Dean for Research and Innovation in 2019. Before joining the School of Management as a lecturer, Jing studied for a PhD in accounting at the School. She has an MA in Finance, Accounting and Management and a bachelors degree in Business and Management Studies. 

During the 10 years of working at the School, Jing has been entrusted with various academic leadership and administrative roles, including Stage tutor (levels 5 & 6 students), Director of Studies for BSc Accounting & Finance programme for over 4 years, Deputy Head for Accounting, Finance and Economics Division, Impact Champion (from Nov 2017 onwards), and more recently Interim Associate Dean - Research & Knowledge Transfer (from June 2018). Jing serves on various university and faculty committees and is currently the coordinator for UoA C17 Business and Management Studies for REF2021.

I am Associate Professor in Conflict Resolution in the Department of Peace Studies and International Development, and currently Associate Dean for Learning and Teaching for the Faculty of Management, Law and Social Sciences. Much of my work - my research, teaching and educational leadership - has learning as a central and connecting theme. For example, individuals, groups and societies who are dealing with conflict and its legacies are fundamentally engaged in learning processes - to understand what caused conflict, to understand others who have become enemies, to understand the impacts that conflict has on self and others, and to find ways to build trust and relationship after conflict. Similarly, communities that are having to adapt to climate change (the focus of more recent research) have to learn about the changes and risks they are facing, about what is possible (or not) in response, and how to make good decisions in conditions of conflict and uncertainty. In both areas, my research has concerned the kinds of processes - including peace education and community engagement - that can support individual and social learning.

Recent work on community engagement and climate adaptation for/with national agencies (Environment Agency, DEFRA, Natural Resources Wales) formed the basis of a successful REF impact case-study. The work contributed new knowledge and practice tools that have been adopted widely in a range of high profile projects, that influenced national policy and continue to generate interest and application. See: Working together to adapt to a changing climate - flood and coast - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

As an educator, I also have strong interest in learning processes/methods and what can support meaningful, lasting changes in understanding in our students. As an educator working in the field of conflict resolution, I'm particularly interested in how we can help to cultivate different kinds of learning - the  knowledge, professional skills, and personal qualities needed for this challenging area of practice. And in my roles as Director of Studies and now Associate Dean for Learning and Teaching, I am interested in supporting the development of effective, interesting and appropriate pedagogic practice in the different parts of the Faculty.

Stephen A Greyser is Richard P Chapman Professor (Marketing/Communications) Emeritus, of the Harvard Business School, where he specialises in brand marketing, advertising, corporate communications, the business of sports, and nonprofit management.

A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School, he has been active in research and teaching at HBS since 1958. He was also an editor at the Harvard Business Review and later its Editorial Board Secretary and Board Chairman. He is responsible for 16 books, numerous journal articles, several special editions of journals, and over 300 published HBS case studies. 

At HBS, he developed the Corporate Communications elective, creating over 40 cases and articles on issues management, corporate sponsorship, relations among business-media-publics, etc. His current research (co-authored) and most recent published articles are on the branding and identity of the Nobel Prize, including “The Identity of a Heritage Brand” (2015) and integrating the Nobel Prize’s identity and reputation (2016).

He created and teaches Harvard’s Business of Sports course, is a member of the University’s Faculty Standing Committee on Athletics, has served on the Selection Committee for the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame, is on the board of The Sports Museum, and has authored numerous Business of Sports cases and articles.

An 18 year experienced veteran at SAP, Phil has held leadership roles in Pre-Sales, Global Sales Operations, Business Development and Solution Management. In 2002, Phil relocated to the USA from his native England in 2002, and lives in the Boston area with his wife and 3 daughters.

Prior to SAP, Phil has more than 15 years of expertise in various line of business roles, as well as in divisional General Management roles at Pirelli in Europe.

Phil holds an MBA and a PhD from the University of Southampton in the UK.

After completing his early education in Karachi (Pakistan), Owais moved to the UK to pursue further education and graduated from the University’s School of Management in 2007 with a BSc (hons) in Accounting & Finance.

During his time at the university, Owais immersed himself into the university’s culture and pursued his passion for music. With the help of the Tasmin Little Music Centre he went on to forming the University’s very own first ever South Asian pop rock band playing across various events including the University’s 40^th anniversary. His involvement with the institute led him to feature on the front cover of the university’s prospectus and advertising campaign in 2006.

Following his graduation, Owais moved to Dubai to work for the country’s largest private real estate developer, Damac Properties, where he excelled in new business origination and was successful opened up new markets for the business.

Following on from success in Dubai, Owais moved back to the UK and joined Barclays Bank Plc on their graduate programme. At Barclays, Owais has had a very successful career to date spanning over 10 years and accumulating significant core banking experience across Retail Leadership, Risk Governance, International Trade, Credit Risk and Corporate Banking Coverage. During his time at the bank, Owais has championed the diversity & inclusion agenda across North West and has recently been appointed as VP Relationship Director to set up the Professional & Financial Services portfolio for the Corporate banking team in West & North Yorkshire. The move has given him the opportunity to return to the region and reconnect with the institute as a member of the International Advisory Board where he is looking forward to having a positive impact and helping drive the strategy forward.

Joanna leads a team of Global Academic Program Managers at SAS, where she is responsible for increasing the adoption of SAS software by higher education faculty, promoting skill building and SAS among students, and developing connections between academic institutions and industry partners.

She is passionate about developing sustainable strategies that deliver solutions through innovative tech and science. Having held senior positions in both business and higher education she excels in developing relationships between stakeholders, facilitating collaboration and engagement. 

Joanna’s mission is to encourage all to be unapologetically themselves; embracing their individuality, questioning conformity; and welcoming occasional failure with open arms, accepting it as another step to success. She is an advocate for diversity, inclusivity, social mobility, and opportunity for all.

Joanna has a PhD in Biochemistry from Royal Holloway, a BSc in Biochemistry and Biotechnology from the University of St. Andrews and an MBA from Emory University. She currently resides in Wilmington, NC, USA with her Husband, 2 teenage children and 2 dogs, and can be found at the beach most weekends.

Mae has forged a strong background in various leadership roles in the Banking and Financial Service industries in the leading banks of South Africa and the UAE. Her experience and ethic is to focus on execution with high quality output, delivering tangible value to customers and businesses. This has resulted in over 10 years experience in driving delivery of customer facing digital transformation initiatives in the context of project, programme and portfolio management (Business and IT).

Through both her current and previous roles Mae has had the platform to drive support focus areas which lead to successful delivery including digital strategy, portfolio demand management, financial management, KPI reporting, procurement, agile practices, coaching, process engineering and business and data analysis.

Her current role as Vice President and Head of Digital Operations at First Abu Dhabi (FAB) bank requires her to be obsessed and passionate about all things digital, impacting the Consumer Banking digital active customers for the largest bank in the United Arab Emirates. Her role includes supporting the digital transformation agenda and driving all delivery outputs from three support pillars across our Consumer Banking Digital portfolio:

1. Strategy & Portfolio Management
2. Governance & Agile delivery
3. Operational governance & Digital KPI reporting.

Mae is an alumni of the MBA Distance Learning programme at the University of Bradford. Since joining the professional network in the UAE market, she has noted that the MBA prepared her for a bigger role having been promoted several months after graduation into her current position.

Her MBA not only gave the general knowledge of foundational business practices but also enhanced her ability to emphasize and apply critical thinking across the spectrum of different business components. The latter has been absolute prudent in the UAE market where nothing less than your absolute best is expected!

Born and bred in South Africa Mae now lives in the UAE Dubai with her husband, enjoying camping, travelling and spending quality time with friends and family.

Merel Olgers is a senior HR leader with an extensive career in Human Resource roles across different industries like Retail, FMCG, Tech and in the NGO sector. Her track record includes building successful international teams. Merel’s early career in HR included working for Philips International, Albert Heijn, (Dutch

Retail) and CSM Ingredients UK. In 2016 she joined NGO Doctors Without Borders (Medecins sans Frontieres) as Head of HR responsible for 26 mission countries and the HQ in The Netherlands. In April 2023 she joined Universal Music Group as Director People and Culture. In this capacity she drives various global change projects.

Merel graduated from University of Bradford School of Management in 2010 with an MSc in HRM.

Michael is Professor Emeritus at ESC Clermont Business School in Clermont-Ferrand, France, where he has held several posts including Dean and Director of International Development.

He earned an MBA at the University of Warwick and a PhD at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. Mike’s research interests and publications include accreditation issues, the internationalization of business education, and the role of international experience in developing the interpersonal and cross-cultural skills required of today’s managers.

He has served on AACSB committees, on peer review team visits, and as mentor/advisor for business schools in Africa, Europe, North and South America.

Barney is the Development Manager for the Federation of Small Business (FSB) in West Yorkshire. The FSB is the largest business membership body in the UK and has 4,000 members throughout West Yorkshire.

Barney is passionate about supporting small business owners. As the Development Manager for the FSB, he always makes sure that the voice of small business is heard by decision makers throughout West Yorkshire.

He has previously worked for a political party, an arts quango and a national charity.

As Regional CEO of WWF Central and Eastern Europe, Andreas is responsible for leading and coordinating the efforts of WWF, the global conservation organisation, to ensure a living planet for nature and people in and from the Central and South Eastern Europe. "WWF-CEE" seeks to preserve the "Green Heart of Europe", including globally important forests, wetlands and wildlife and promote long-term sustainable local development. The organisation currently employs around 200 staff working from WWF-Romania, Bulgaria, -Hungary, -Slovakia and -Ukraine as well as in the Czech Republic and Moldova (wwfcee.org).

Andreas currently chairs the WWF Global Corporate Partnerships and Engagement Committee, which oversees the corporate engagement of the WWF global network, and has been closely involved in developing WWF’s corporate and cross-sectoral engagement in the CEE region, including the development of the Living Danube Partnership for example. He has served on the boards of a number of organisations including the Czech and Slovak Environmental Partnership Foundations, Greenpeace Czech Republic, the University of Bradford School of Management and MBA Industry Advisory Boards as well as a number of WWF organisations (WWF-Hungary, WWF-Romania, WWF-Bulgaria, WWF-Slovakia, WWF-Ukraine, the WWFMediterranean Programme and WWF-Adria).

Previous to his current position, Andreas worked at WWF as deputy director for the WWF Danube-Carpathian Programme, the predecessor of "WWF-CEE" (2005-09) and as EU Accession Coordinator (2001-05). Before coming to work for WWF in 2001, Andreas spent 10 years living and working in Prague, the last five years managing communications, development and regional coordination for the Environmental Partnership (www.environmentalpartnership.org), a consortium of foundations dedicated to fostering partnership action for the environment and local communities in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.

Andreas has an MBA in Innovation and Circular Economy from the University of Bradford, an MA in East European History from Stanford University, and a BA with High Honours from Swarthmore College (History, Politics and International Relations). He has also studied at the University of Köln in Germany (Fulbright Scholarship) and at the Moscow Institute of Steel and Alloys (Russian), and also holds a certificate in conservation leadership from the WWF Conservation College. He has written extensively about the environment and local development in Central and Eastern Europe.

Born in 1968, Andreas lives in Vienna and is married to the artist Lena Knilli, with whom he has two daughters, Lucie Jo and Isa Franziska Knilli.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreas-beckmann-610a086/ 

Leadership and management roles

He was also an appointed member of the Institute of Energy Futures at Brunel University London and a past member of Senate. Amir has previously held a number of senior leadership and management roles within Brunel Business School, including as Head of School and also has been Assistant Head, Acting Director of the Doctoral Programme, Director of MBA Programmes, and Director of Teaching and Learning.

Prior to his academic career, Amir worked extensively within the Financial Services and Professional Services sector, working for and consulting with many of the world’s leading multinational corporations, including JPMorgan, UBS Investment Bank, KPMG Consulting, BAE Systems, Sony, and the BBC. He brings a wealth of experience in terms of both internationalisation of programmes and overseas global partnerships (predominantly across MENA, GCC and South Asia) – and has successfully lead, directed and contributed to key accreditations including AACSB and AMBA. Amir also has experience in gaining programme recognition and accreditations from a number of leading UK chartered bodies and PSRBs for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

Research

In parallel with his industry experiences, Amir remained and continues to be research-active and continues to be an active member on grant funding bodies. He has been re-elected in successive years to be a member of the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Peer Review College, whilst also having provided his expertise to a number of other leading national and international research funding bodies such as the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), European Commission (EU), the British Academy, the British Council, the Czech Research Foundation (CRF), the Danish National Research Foundation (DNRF), the Natural and National Science Foundation of China (NNSFC), and the Qatar National Research Foundation (QNRF).

His key teaching and research interests cross a diverse mix of topics including Operations and Supply Chain Management, Information Systems, Knowledge Management and Leadership Decision-Making and Operations Research. These are across a range of sectors such as manufacturing, FMCG, central and local government, humanitarian logistics, financial services, and more recently, food security / waste, the food-energy-water nexus and the circular economy. He has published extensively in international peer-reviewed journals and has been recognised for his academic contributions from publishers and societies alike.

Amir’s research was identified in 2014 by the UK’s Research Excellence Framework (REF) sub-panel for Business and Management as of “outstanding international reputation and impact” for research conducted with the UK government’s Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in applying “soft” operations research modelling techniques in order to evaluate the impact of European Union farming subsidies on the UK agribusiness sector and the resulting effect on UK climate change policy.

Press and media

He continues to be active in the popular press and media, contributing and being quoted in articles in newspapers such as the Financial Times, The Times (of London), The Independent, WIRED (UK edition), as well as being an ad-hoc columnist for University Business magazine. Amir is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts (FRSA), the Chartered Institute for Logistics and Transport (FCILT), the Institute of Leadership and Management (FInstLM) and a Member of the Chartered Management Institute (MCMI).

He was previously a Professor of Digital Governance at the Business School in Brunel University, London where he held several leadership roles.

Prior to his academic career, Prof Weerakkody worked in a number of multinational organisations, including IBM UK.

He has a successful track record of Research and Enterprise and has secured numerous research grants from funding bodies such as the European Commission (FP7 & H2020), Economic and Social Research Council, Qatar Foundation and UK Local Government.

His R&D expertise spans several disciplines including, management decision making, ICT evaluation, public administration, social Innovation and process transformation.

He is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Electronic Government Research and a Handling Editor for Information Systems Frontiers. He is a Chartered IT Professional and Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy.

Sankar Sivarajah joined the School of Management at the University of Bradford in December 2017 and is a Professor of Technology Management and Circular Economy. He is currently the Dean of School of Management.  He was also part of the University’s Research Practice Innovation Group led by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research, Innovation and Engagement) to help shape the University’s 2020-25 Research and Innovation (R&I) strategy.  

His passion for research and teaching is interdisciplinary in nature focusing on the use of emerging digital technology for the betterment of society, be it in a business or government context.
He is currently engaged in research and teaching in the field of circular economy and responsible use of technology by businesses and governments. He is experienced in designing and developing award-winning industry-relevant degree programmes in fields such as Business Analytics and Artificial Intelligence.

He is a Deputy Editor of Journal of Enterprise Information Management and has published over 50 scientific articles in leading peer-reviewed journals and conferences. His research has featured in reputable media/trade publications such as BBC Yorkshire, Computer Weekly, The Conversation, Public Sector Focus and London School of Economics academic blog.

To date, he has a successful track of record as Principal and Co-investigator in over £3 million worth of R&I and consultancy projects funded by national, international funding bodies and commercial organisations. Some of the notable funders have been the European Commission (FP7, H2020, Marie Curie), Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), Innovate UK/DEFRA and British Council focusing on projects addressing business and societal challenges surrounding themes such as Blockchain use in Financial Services, Smart Waste and Cities, Energy-efficient data centres, Social innovation and Participatory Budgeting (currently being developed as an impact case). Some of the key past and present industry and public sector partners that he has collaborations with are Fraunhofer, Deloitte, Thales, Enel, Telefonica, Vodafone, Leeds Council, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Cambridgeshire County Council, Hounslow Council, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Arup and PA Consulting to name a few. 

He was awarded a PhD in 2014 in Management Information Systems from Brunel University London, which focused on the development of a technology evaluation and impact assessment framework for local government authorities.  He holds a first-class BSc (Hons) in Business and Management specialising in Computer Sciences from Brunel University London and MSc with Distinction in Management specialising in Entrepreneurship from The City Business School (previously known as Cass), City University London.

He was also recognised and awarded by The City Business School an honorary membership to the Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS) society, an international honour society recognizing business excellence. He is a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and a member of the British Academy of Management (BAM) and Association for Information Systems (AIS). He tweets at @SankarSivarajah.

Jing joined University of Bradford, School of Management, as a Lecturer in Accounting in 2008, and became Senior Lecturer in Accounting in March 2012 and then Reader in Accounting in May 2017. Before joining the School of Management as a lecturer, Jing studied for a PhD in accounting at the School. She has an MA in Finance, Accounting and Management and a bachelors degree in Business and Management Studies. 

During the 10 years of working at the School, Jing has been entrusted with various academic leadership and administrative roles, including Stage tutor (levels 5 & 6 students), Director of Studies for BSc Accounting & Finance programme for over 4 years, Deputy Head for Accounting, Finance and Economics Division, Impact Champion (from Nov 2017 onwards), and more recently Interim Associate Dean - Research & Knowledge Transfer (from June 2018). Jing serves on various university and faculty committees and is currently the coordinator for UoA C17 Business and Management Studies for REF2021.

View full profile for Jing Li

David is Director of Business Engagement in the Faculty of Management Law and Social Sciences and is leading on the development of the School of Management's programme and portfolio in respect of small business and entrepreneurship.In addition David is also programme leader for the School'd HRM degrees. David has over 20 years experience in higher education and returned to Bradford (where he began his academic career) at the start of the 2019/20 academic year, having previously led the Business School at the University of Salford. David is a member of the People, Organisations and Entrepreneurship research cluster, and his research interests include organisational learning, change and leadership and he has undertaken research and consultancy and delivered executive education in both SMEs and with large corporate firms. He currently teaches on both the Undergraduate and Postgraduate programmes within the School of Management. 

Saj has worked across several NHS organisations and has significant experience in dealing with complex service issues through the various operational and strategic management roles he has held over his 20 year career within the NHS. He currently works at The Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust after being successfully appointed as Chief Operating Officer in October 2020. Prior to this Saj has worked at Leeds Teaching Hospitals since March 2016.

Having joined the NHS in a clinical capacity as an Orthoptist in 2000, he moved into a career in NHS Management in 2003, whilst at the same time undertaking a Masters in Business Administration. 

Saj is an experienced leader and has skills across performance, budgetary, personnel and service development functions. He is a highly regarded individual and has established an excellent reputation for service delivery amongst clinical and management colleagues both at a local and regional level.

Emma is the Managing Director of the European division of Prince Lionheart, a Californian baby product brand.

Emma started her career working in-house at ASDA with their central marketing team at the retailer’s headquarters in Leeds. She then moved to Elmwood, a global brand consultancy, where she played a lead role in the growing the business geographically and developing the client base to include some of the world’s largest fast-moving consumer goods businesses. She has spent a significant amount of time based in Singapore and New York, establishing business in Asia and the US.

Emma started her MBA at Bradford’s SOM in 2013 and completed late 2015 with distinction.

Ameer Khan is a seasoned COO with a proven track record of leading high performing teams across diverse industries in fast-paced environments. Over 18 years of hands-on experience in leading large and complex change programmes across Corporate Strategy, Regulatory Compliance and Technology.

Jasmeet (Jas) Narang is currently Operational Excellence & Control Services Director at Santander Operations UK, a shared service for Santander in the UK. He has over 25 years’ experience in global financial services. He is a qualified Six Sigma ‘Master Black Belt’ and has held roles leading large operational teams, commercial portfolios and also project/ digital transformation and supplier management functions. Originally from Delhi, India, after his degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA in marketing, Jas worked for GE Capital for over 13 years in various roles spanning four different countries. From an intern in India to roles in Six Sigma, sales, operations, commercial and supplier management functions in India, Japan and the US finally ending up in the UK in 2002.

Jas is also a Non-Executive Director sitting on the Board for NHS Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust in the UK

Jas has been married for 18 years and has two boys, aged 15 and 12. He loves to read and travel exploring new places in the world and absolutely loves his cricket!

Ramzi has extensive experience in the Higher Education sector in the UK and Qatar. His expertise lies in developing employability driven courses and programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. In addition, his research knowledge is focused on the context of emerging innovative technologies adoption and evaluation, in addition to public sector services ICT enabled transformation. Dr El-Haddadeh has published numerus articles in international Journals and conferences, and has several years of R&D experience in the field of developing evaluation indicators for ICT implementation projects.

Ejiroghene Noserime is a Human Resources professional, who is career-driven and poised to deliver the best-in-class and aligned strategic human resources management goals within organisations. Ejiroghene has over the years focused on formulation, development and implementation of strategic human capital initiatives that are aligned to business objectives to ensure business growth. He has harnessed his analytical skills and he is highly creative and passionate, and this has enabled him become an innovative people champion. His wealth of experience cuts across strategic talent sourcing, attraction, retention, performance management, integrated talent management/development, HR operations, expatriate management and business partnering. He is guided by the principle of team spirit, good people management skills, leadership by example, sound work ethics. Ejiro is naturally adaptive to his environment.
His over 15 years work experience in the Financial Services sector, Consulting and Telecommunications Industries, has equipped him with skills in strategic HR planning and management, performance management, talent development and management, policy design, project management, HR administration, employee/business capacity building, senior executive relationship management, diversity management and strategic partnerships (internal and external). He has broad people management experience from three Tier-1 Financial Institutions with presence across Afrrica namely, Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc and FBN Quest Merchant Bank Limited - a subsidiary of FBN Holdings. He expanded his industry experience at a telecommunication company (Zain Nigeria) and a stint in Consulting (PeopleTemp). He has had a track record in designing, developing and implementing strategic HR initiatives, frameworks/models and Organisational Development intervention projects focused on executing strategic HR agendas, performance and career management frameworks and executing successfully delivered HR business partnering initiatiatives through strategic stakeholder alliances. His professional experience and training cuts across the whole employee life cycle ranging from talent sourcing, acquisition, retention development/management, competency modelling/management, personality assessments, talent and career management, HR project management, HR shared services, HR risk management, expatriate management, performance management, organisation and leadeship development.
He is currently the Head, Talent Acquisition and Talent Management at United Bank for Africa, prior to this he was Head of Talent Management and Organisational Development at FBNQuest Merchant Bank Limited a subsidiary of FBN Holdings. He has managed the Career and Performance Management team as Head of the Unit at Guaranty Trust Bank Plc (Nigeria), were he had a rich career experience and had a rapid career progression as his portfolio and span of control expanded within a short period of time.

Ejiro holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in English from the prestigious University of Lagos, Nigeria and is a certified HR professional with ACIPM in Nigeria, SPHRi and SHRM-SCP both from USA. Ejiroghene is married to Constance Noserime and they have three (3) lovely children.

Irene is Director of the Executive MBA in Shipping and Logistics (The Blue MBA) at Copenhagen Business School (CBS), Europe’s leading institution of its kind.  From the beginning, she has been responsible for the design, development and co-ordination of The Blue MBA.

On behalf of CBS, she has a fundamental role in building global relationships and networks within the maritime industry. She also promotes research identifying challenges and future issues for the maritime industry as a whole.  She is a member of many international boards and committees. Based on her extensive international network and experience, she has been entrusted with major roles in varied maritime-related activities, and speaks at leading maritime events.

From 2005 to 2009 Irene was Director of the DBA (Doctor of Business Administration) programme. She is involved in several maritime-related research undertakings and research-based conferences where she draws on expertise from her wide maritime connections, both in terms of academic and industry input.

Since 2013 she has been an evaluator for the Association of MBAs (AMBA), which is described as representing “the highest standard of achievement in postgraduate business education.” In 2014 she joined the Board of Advisors for the Panama Maritime. Since 2017 she has been a member of an EU expert group for the motorways of the seas. She is also the Director for the Blue Board Leadership Programme which was established in 2022. At a recent survey she achieved No. 1 place for the top 100 women in the shipping industry for two consecutive years: 2020 and 2021.

Sharon Jandu OBE is the Director of the NAP Ethnic Minority Policy & Research Forum, Founder of the Yorkshire Asian Business Association, and Chair of Unity Enterprise.

She is also a Director on the board of the Unity Housing Association, Association of International Accountants, and the Federation of Small Business. She was listed in the New Year Honours list 2023 receiving an Order of the British Empire for her contributions to international trade.

Sonya is a leading advocate for sustainability and the co-founder of AVIE, an acclaimed multi-award-winning luxury slow fashion brand. With a strong focus on sustainability and ethical practices, she has cultivated valuable partnerships with British manufacturers and responsible production suppliers.

Sonya's strategic acumen shines through her role at AVIE, where she has aligned the company's strategies with two United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Her leadership has driven the integration of digital efficiencies, optimising operations with technologically innovative advancements, supported by her 15 years in the corporate world of retail.

Sonya's leadership extends to innovative approaches, including agile frameworks and cutting-edge collaborations with tech start-ups, such as a machine-learning AI-based 3D sizing app and an algorithm-based digital micro-manufacturing factory.

Her impressive accolades include being a Chartered Management Institute (CMgr) member, the winner of Northern Asian Power list for Emerging Entrepreneur, a Great British Entrepreneur Finalist, winner of 'Best Emerging Brand' and 'Brand to Watch' awards at the Drapers Independent Awards. She has also made significant contributions as a guest speaker, sharing her insights on sustainability and entrepreneurship at esteemed platforms such as the House of Lords and the BBC.

Sonya's experience, commitment to sustainability, and innovative leadership make her a valuable addition to the Advisory MBA Board at the University of Bradford School of Management.

Amir joined the University in his new role as Associate Dean (International) in August 2017 coming from Brunel University London, where he was Professor of Operations Management and the Founding Director of the Operations and Supply Chain Systems (OASIS) research group within Brunel Business School. He was also an appointed member of the Institute of Energy Futures at Brunel University London and a past member of Senate. Amir has previously held a number of senior leadership and management roles within Brunel Business School, including as Head of School and also has been Assistant Head, Acting Director of the Doctoral Programme, Director of MBA Programmes, and Director of Teaching and Learning. Prior to his academic career, Amir worked extensively within the Financial Services and Professional Services sector, working for and consulting with many of the world’s leading multinational corporations, including JPMorgan, UBS Investment Bank, KPMG Consulting, BAE Systems, Sony, and the BBC. He brings a wealth of experience in terms of both internationalisation of programmes and overseas global partnerships (predominantly across MENA, GCC and South Asia) – and has successfully lead, directed and contributed to key accreditations including AACSB and AMBA. Amir also has experience in gaining programme recognition and accreditations from a number of leading UK chartered bodies and PSRBs for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. In parallel with his industry experiences, Amir remained and continues to be research active and continues to be an active member on grant funding bodies. He has been re-elected in successive years to be a member of the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Peer Review College, whilst also having provided his expertise to a number of other leading national and international research funding bodies such as the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), European Commission (EU), the British Academy, the British Council, the Czech Research Foundation (CRF), the Danish National Research Foundation (DNRF), the Natural and National Science Foundation of China (NNSFC), and the Qatar National Research Foundation (QNRF). His key teaching and research interests cross a diverse mix of topics including Operations and Supply Chain Management, Information Systems, Knowledge Management and Leadership Decision-Making and Operations Research. These are across a range of sectors such as manufacturing, FMCG, central and local government, humanitarian logistics, financial services, and more recently, food security / waste, the food-energy-water nexus and the circular economy. He has published extensively in international peer-reviewed journals and has been recognised for his academic contributions from publishers and societies alike. Amir’s research was identified in 2014 by the UK’s Research Excellence Framework (REF) sub-panel for Business and Management as of “outstanding international reputation and impact” for research conducted with the UK government’s Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in applying “soft” operations research modelling techniques in order to evaluate the impact of European Union farming subsidies on the UK agribusiness sector and the resulting effect on UK climate change policy. He continues to be active in the popular press and media, contributing and being quoted in articles in newspapers such as the Financial Times, The Times (of London), The Independent, WIRED (UK edition), as well as being an ad-hoc columnist for University Business magazine. Amir is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts (FRSA), the Chartered Institute for Logistics and Transport (FCILT), the Institute of Leadership and Management (FInstLM) and a Member of the Chartered Management Institute (MCMI). Amir joined the University in his new role as Associate Dean (International) in August 2017 coming from Brunel University London, where he was Professor of Operations ManageAmir joined the University in his new role as Associate Dean (International) in August 2017 coming from Brunel University London, where he was Professor of Operations Management and the Founding Director of the Operations and Supply Chain Systems (OASIS) research group within Brunel Business School. He was also an appointed member of the Institute of Energy Futures at Brunel University London and a past member of Senate. Amir has previously held a number of senior leadership and management roles within Brunel Business School, including as Head of School and also has been Assistant Head, Acting Director of the Doctoral Programme, Director of MBA Programmes, and Director of Teaching and Learning. Prior to his academic career, Amir worked extensively within the Financial Services and Professional Services sector, working for and consulting with many of the world’s leading multinational corporations, including JPMorgan, UBS Investment Bank, KPMG Consulting, BAE Systems, Sony, and the BBC. He brings a wealth of experience in terms of both internationalisation of programmes and overseas global partnerships (predominantly across MENA, GCC and South Asia) – and has successfully lead, directed and contributed to key accreditations including AACSB and AMBA. Amir also has experience in gaining programme recognition and accreditations from a number of leading UK chartered bodies and PSRBs for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. In parallel with his industry experiences, Amir remained and continues to be research active and continues to be an active member on grant funding bodies. He has been re-elected in successive years to be a member of the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Peer Review College, whilst also having provided his expertise to a number of other leading national and international research funding bodies such as the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), European Commission (EU), the British Academy, the British Council, the Czech Research Foundation (CRF), the Danish National Research Foundation (DNRF), the Natural and National Science Foundation of China (NNSFC), and the Qatar National Research Foundation (QNRF). His key teaching and research interests cross a diverse mix of topics including Operations and Supply Chain Management, Information Systems, Knowledge Management and Leadership Decision-Making and Operations Research. These are across a range of sectors such as manufacturing, FMCG, central and local government, humanitarian logistics, financial services, and more recently, food security / waste, the food-energy-water nexus and the circular economy. He has published extensively in international peer-reviewed journals and has been recognised for his academic contributions from publishers and societies alike. Amir’s research was identified in 2014 by the UK’s Research Excellence Framework (REF) sub-panel for Business and Management as of “outstanding international reputation and impact” for research conducted with the UK government’s Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in applying “soft” operations research modelling techniques in order to evaluate the impact of European Union farming subsidies on the UK agribusiness sector and the resulting effect on UK climate change policy. He continues to be active in the popular press and media, contributing and being quoted in articles in newspapers such as the Financial Times, The Times (of London), The Independent, WIRED (UK edition), as well as being an ad-hoc columnist for University Business magazine. Amir is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts (FRSA), the Chartered Institute for Logistics and Transport (FCILT), the Institute of Leadership and Management (FInstLM) and a Member of the Chartered Management Institute (MCMI).

(View full profile of Prof. Amir Sharif)

I am currently the Interim Dean for the Faculty of Management, Law and Social Sciences and Professor of Digital Governance at University of Bradford. Prior to this, I held the role of Head of School and Associate Dean (Planning and Resources) for the Faculty of Management, Law and Social Sciences at University of Bradford. Before moving to University of Bradford, I held various senior management roles at Brunel Business School and was a Professor of Digital Governance at Brunel University London. 

Sankar Sivarajah joined the School of Management at the University of Bradford in December 2017 and is a Professor of Technology Management and Circular Economy. He is currently the Dean of School of Management.  He was also part of the University’s Research Practice Innovation Group led by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research, Innovation and Engagement) to help shape the University’s 2020-25 Research and Innovation (R&I) strategy.  

His passion for research and teaching is interdisciplinary in nature focusing on the use of emerging digital technology for the betterment of society, be it in a business or government context.
He is currently engaged in research and teaching in the field of circular economy and responsible use of technology by businesses and governments. He is experienced in designing and developing award-winning industry-relevant degree programmes in fields such as Business Analytics and Artificial Intelligence.

He is a Deputy Editor of Journal of Enterprise Information Management and has published over 50 scientific articles in leading peer-reviewed journals and conferences. His research has featured in reputable media/trade publications such as BBC Yorkshire, Computer Weekly, The Conversation, Public Sector Focus and London School of Economics academic blog.

To date, he has a successful track of record as Principal and Co-investigator in over £3 million worth of R&I and consultancy projects funded by national, international funding bodies and commercial organisations. Some of the notable funders have been the European Commission (FP7, H2020, Marie Curie), Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF), Innovate UK/DEFRA and British Council focusing on projects addressing business and societal challenges surrounding themes such as Blockchain use in Financial Services, Smart Waste and Cities, Energy-efficient data centres, Social innovation and Participatory Budgeting (currently being developed as an impact case). Some of the key past and present industry and public sector partners that he has collaborations with are Fraunhofer, Deloitte, Thales, Enel, Telefonica, Vodafone, Leeds Council, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Cambridgeshire County Council, Hounslow Council, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Arup and PA Consulting to name a few. 

He was awarded a PhD in 2014 in Management Information Systems from Brunel University London, which focused on the development of a technology evaluation and impact assessment framework for local government authorities.  He holds a first-class BSc (Hons) in Business and Management specialising in Computer Sciences from Brunel University London and MSc with Distinction in Management specialising in Entrepreneurship from The City Business School (previously known as Cass), City University London.

He was also recognised and awarded by The City Business School an honorary membership to the Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS) society, an international honour society recognizing business excellence. He is a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and a member of the British Academy of Management (BAM) and Association for Information Systems (AIS). He tweets at @SankarSivarajah.

Jing joined University of Bradford, School of Management, as a Lecturer in Accounting in 2008, and became Senior Lecturer in Accounting in March 2012 and then Reader in Accounting in May 2017. Before joining the School of Management as a lecturer, Jing studied for a PhD in accounting at the School. She has an MA in Finance, Accounting and Management and a bachelors degree in Business and Management Studies. 

During the 10 years of working at the School, Jing has been entrusted with various academic leadership and administrative roles, including Stage tutor (levels 5 & 6 students), Director of Studies for BSc Accounting & Finance programme for over 4 years, Deputy Head for Accounting, Finance and Economics Division, Impact Champion (from Nov 2017 onwards), and more recently Interim Associate Dean - Research & Knowledge Transfer (from June 2018). Jing serves on various university and faculty committees and is currently the coordinator for UoA C17 Business and Management Studies for REF2021.

(View full profile for Jing Li

Amizan's research interest and expertise is interdisciplinary focusing on the use of emerging digital technology for the betterment of society, especially in the context of public sector. This is due to her 15 years’ experience working on different portfolios in Malaysian public sector, including in Education, Human Resource and Transportation . Her current and evolving research interests include exploring the role of actors and structures in the adoption of digital-led transformation in the context of public service, implication of disruptive technology and circular economy on talent management, the ethics of artificial intelligence in the HRM context, the application of responsible management concepts in government policies and other public sector transformation in general.

David is Director of Business Engagement in the Faculty of Management Law and Social Sciences and is leading on the development of the School of Management's programme and portfolio in respect of small business and entrepreneurship.In addition David is also programme leader for the School'd HRM degrees. David has over 20 years experience in higher education and returned to Bradford (where he began his academic career) at the start of the 2019/20 academic year, having previously led the Business School at the University of Salford. David is a member of the People, Organisations and Entrepreneurship research cluster, and his research interests include organisational learning, change and leadership and he has undertaken research and consultancy and delivered executive education in both SMEs and with large corporate firms. He currently teaches on both the Undergraduate and Postgraduate programmes within the School of Management. 

Paul Waller is pursuing research interests in the impact of information technology on politics, democracy, government, public policy design and administration, and public sector innovation. He also undertakes research, advisory, and speaking engagements for international bodies, national public authorities, and companies.

Formerly he was a UK senior civil servant leading policy development and delivery. Paul has acted as a Project Assurance Reviewer for high-risk UK government projects and major government policy initiatives. During his civil service career, he led e-Government work for the UK Presidency of the EU and has presented at numerous top-level EU and international conferences. He is an advisor and consultant to the European Commission and is an expert evaluator and reviewer for the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. Paul is a Chartered Manager and Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society.

Prof. Dr. Alexander Mohr, is Professor of International Business at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. He previously held positions at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, the University of Bradford, and the University of Kent. He works in the area of international strategic alliances, non-market strategy, and international human resource management. His research has been published in journals, including the Journal of International Business Studies, the Journal of World Business, and Strategy Science.

Prof.dr. Marijn Janssen is a Full Professor in ICT & Governance in the Technology, Policy and Management Faculty of Delft University of Technology and a honorary visiting professor at Bradford Univeristy. His research interests are in the field of design science, orchestration, shared services, blockchain, quantum, algorithms and open and big data and infrastructures. Marijn is a founding board member of Digicampus – a quadruple helix innovation partnership - in which government, business, science, and citizens work together to innovate public services. This is done through collaborative research, agenda-setting, round-table discussions, market consultation, and experimentation. He is Co-Editor-in-Chief of Government Information Quarterly (CiteScore of 11.6 in 2020), chair of the IFIP WG8.5 in ICT and public administration, conference chair of IFIP EGOV-CeDEM–ePart series and president-elect of the Digital Government Society (DGS). He was ranked as one of the leading e-government researchers in surveys in 2009, 2014, and 2016. He was nominated in 2018 and 2019 by Apolitical as one of the 100 most influential people in the Digital Government worldwide. He has published over 500 refereed publications, his google h-score is 70, having over 19K citations. More information: https://www.tudelft.nl/tbm/onze-faculteit/afdelingen/engineering-systems-and-services/people/full-professors/profdrir-mfwha-marijn-janssen.

Dr Phil Hunter joined the University of Bradford School of Management as an Honorary Visiting Fellow in December 2020.  Phil gained his PhD in Politics and International Studies from the University of Leeds.  He holds BSc (Hons) in Sociology from the University of Surrey; MA in Philosophy and Social Theory from the University of Warwick; and MSc in Economic Development Policy and Research from the University of Birmingham.  His academic interests cover political philosophy and theories of state, the crisis of the state settlement in the UK, and the recurrent failure of economic governance and policy addressed to uneven development in the UK.

Phil has over 17 years experience of working in the public sector in policy research, development and implementation spanning the national, regional and local government and agencies.  He has worked for the Office for National Statistics, Devon County Council, the Learning and Skills Council and Bradford Council.

David holds an honours degree in economics from the University of Manchester, a masters degree in business and management from the University of Warwick and a doctorate from the University of Bradford.

Before joining the faculty at the Bradford School of Management, David worked for the TI Group in marketing and sales., and was a Senior Lecturer in Marketing at the University of Huddersfield.

David has over 150 publications in such high ranking journals as the International Journal of Research in Marketing, MIS Quarterly, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Management, Journal of Business Research, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Journal of Selling and Sales Management, and Journal of the Operational Research Society. He has served on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Research in Marketing, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, European Journal of Marketing and the Journal of Marketing Management.

David has acted as Special Advisor to the Research Assessment Exercise Panel that rated research output from business and management schools throughout the UK. He has received the Academy of Marketing's Life Achievement award for distinguished and extraordinary services to marketing.