Role
I am a Senior Lecturer in Fashion Marketing and Branding and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). Drawing on more than 20 years of industry experience, my teaching focuses on helping students connect academic theory with professional practice through live projects, industry engagement, and authentic learning experiences.
I believe higher education should do more than provide knowledge. It should create opportunities for students to develop confidence, critical thinking skills, and a strong sense of professional identity. My aim is to create engaging learning environments where students feel supported, challenged, and equipped to succeed in their future careers.
As a module leader across undergraduate programmes, I have designed and delivered projects that enable students to work with brands and industry partners on real-world challenges. These experiences encourage students to apply their learning in meaningful ways, while developing the collaborative, creative, and reflective skills valued by employers.
Alongside my teaching, I contribute to curriculum development and strategic initiatives within the course, supporting innovative approaches to teaching, assessment, industry collaboration, and student experience.
Career overview
Before joining academia, I spent over 20 years working in senior marketing, brand management, and commercial leadership roles within the fashion, sportswear, and lifestyle industries.
Throughout my career, I worked with internationally recognised brands including Barbour, New Balance, Lacoste and Speedo, developing and delivering multi-channel marketing campaigns, public relations strategies, brand partnerships, event programmes, sponsorship initiatives, and consumer engagement activities across UK and global markets. My experience combines strategic brand leadership with hands-on execution, helping organisations build meaningful connections with customers and stakeholders.
Working across diverse global markets gave me valuable insight into consumer behaviour, cultural influences, and the challenges facing brands in increasingly competitive and fast-moving environments.
My industry background enables me to bring real-world perspectives into the classroom, helping students understand how marketing and branding concepts are applied in practice and preparing them for the realities of working within the industry.
Research areas
My interests focus on employability, authentic learning, industry engagement, and professional identity development within higher education. I am particularly interested in how live projects, knowledge exchange activities, and industry partnerships can enhance student engagement, confidence, and career readiness.
My work explores how higher education can create meaningful opportunities for students to develop transferable skills, apply learning in real-world contexts, and build the capabilities needed for lifelong professional success. I am also interested in the role that industry collaboration plays in enriching the curriculum and improving graduate outcomes.
Through my teaching and scholarship, I seek to create inclusive and engaging learning environments that encourage critical thinking, creativity, and personal growth, while ensuring students develop the knowledge and skills required to make a positive contribution to the fashion and wider creative industries.