Vote Now: BAM Chair and Co-Vice Chair for Academic Career Development Election

Position: Professor of Management Learning and Education

Institution: Northumbria University, UK

BAM has shaped my academic career, and I welcome the opportunity to give back to the community that has supported me this past decade-and-a-half.  My commitment to BAM’s Mission of promoting research and education excellence, supporting scholars at every career-stage, and advocating for effective policy and practice within the sector, is reflected in the roles that I have held including SIG Chair, Peer Review College Fellow, Council member, most recently, Co-Vice Chair for MKE, also Deputy-Vice-President IFSAM.  I currently lead BAM’s BRU-“AI in Practice” Substack and serve on the Editorial Board of British Journal of Management. 

Our 40th Anniversary year is a particularly meaningful time to lead BAM.  As I straddle both educational and research excellence, I believe that I can serve our community well at this juncture and am fully committed to dedicating my energies to this role. 

My Vision for BAM aligns with Strategy 2024–2028 and the commitment to sustainable, inclusive, respectful futures.  My priorities will focus upon: 

1. Amplifying BAM's voice beyond academia with policymakers, practitioners and society.  Engaging our SIG ecosystem more deliberately, and deepening collaborations (e.g. CABS, CIPD) for real impact 

2. Growing and diversifying our community: Engaging mid/later-career academics globally through capacity-building programmes; expanding partnerships through stronger relationships with Deans of International 

3. Community and wellbeing: Supporting capacity-building to extend support for academics and doctoral-researchers facing the real pressures confronting our sector 

4. EDIR and sustainability as lived values: Continue deepening EDIR across all activity, including within our own leadership-governance pipeline.  Embedding environmental, financial and organisational sustainability across all BAM activity 

5. Leading on AI and digital transformation: Informed by BAM’s prominent work in this sphere, leading our community to navigate AI proactively, ethically, responsibly and sustainably across research, education and practice spaces. 

My experience and skills speak directly to the strategic leadership, governance and stakeholder engagement necessary as Chair: 

• Strategic leadership: As BAM Co-Vice Chair, IFSAM Deputy Vice-President Education, and institutionally as Associate Head (Education), have led strategically, managing complex stakeholder relationships at scale, safeguarding BAM’s ongoing flourishing under my leadership 

• Research and scholarly credibility: Experienced discipline and pedagogical researcher.  Published in BAM’s British Journal of Management; awarded Best Paper in Management Learning 2024.  Serve as Fellow of Peer Review College supporting BAM’s research-scholarship pipeline 

• BAM community engagement: Deep experience across the BAM ecosystem from the inside, as BAM Executive, SIG Chair and Peer Review College Fellow.  Supports my effective working with BAM members, employees and CEO 

• Capacity building: Actively support BAM’s doctoral and early-career researchers through, for example, Doctoral Symposium and mid-career development programmes (e.g. Education-focused Professor), reflecting BAM’s deep commitment in this area 

• Policy, external engagement and Partnership: Experienced in working with CABS, QAA and international partners including SIMA, ACEDE, AoM.  Confident to represent BAM credibly in these spaces, ensuring BAM’s voice not only reaches but influences. 

• Financial and charitable governance: As BAM Trustee (2022–2025), I understand the legal and constitutional responsibilities of the Chair operating within Charity Commission regulations 

I would be honoured to serve as your Chair. 

Position: 50th Anniversary Professor of International HRM and Associate Deputy Vice Chancellor International 

Institution: Aston University, UK

I have been an integral part of our BAM community since 1995, having served it in different capacities such as HRM SIG (Special Interest Group) and Track co-chair, twice organised the BAM annual conference, co-editor of BJM (2014-2020), co-chair of the Research and Publications portfolio (2022-2025), have organised many developmental workshops, and a BAM Fellow since 2012. It has been deeply satisfying to witness BAM grow over three decades into a supportive and learning-oriented organisation.  

My vision is for BAM to become a rapidly evolving, caring, transparent, innovative, and inclusive learned society that actively champions its members. It will support the creation of context relevant knowledge, capacity building and learning to address major challenges faced by our business and management community, leaders, organisations, and society. Supporting our increasingly growing diverse membership by delivering high-impact engagement programmes and cutting-edge offerings, we will foster an inclusive, transparent working and collaborative culture shaping the future of responsible management scholarship. 

As Chair, I will strengthen BAM’s role as both a supportive professional community and an influential external voice by leveraging our conferences, career developmental programmes, SIGs, context-relevant offerings, and effective partnerships with regional and global professional bodies. Working closely with business schools and higher education institutions, funding bodies, policy-makers, and other professional bodies, we will refine and create timely research, learning, and teaching agendas, will expand capacity building for early career researchers, deepen collaboration with the Global South academic community, and enhance industry partnerships to advance the practice front. 

My experiences of leading on research (e.g., as Associate Dean Research responsible for our REF 2014 submission, Co-Vice-Chair for Research & Publications at BAM and as REF panel member - 2021 & 2029), management (as Head of School, Associate Deputy Vice Chancellor International and Member BAM’s Awards Sub-Committee), editing (Co-Editor-in-Chief of BJM – 2014-2020, at present Co-Editor-in-Chief of HRMJ, Area Editor of JIBS, and Co-Editor, BAM White Paper Series on AI), amongst others (e.g., Chair, Academic Journal Guide Scientific Committee, Chartered Association of Business Schools) have equipped me with strategic, leadership and management skills needed to serve effectively in this role. 

Today’s uncertain and rapidly evolving Higher Education ecosystem demands BAM to play a more active and visible leadership role in helping our community meet the diverse needs of their beneficiaries responsibly. As Chair, I will support colleagues across career stages and institutional contexts to navigate these challenges with resilience and confidence, while positioning BAM as a trusted voice that helps shape change—not just respond to it. Building on BAM’s strengths in EDIR, well-being and sustainability, research, capacity building and international outreach, I will lead the delivery of BAM’s 2028 strategy and co-create forward-looking strategic priorities.  

It would be an honour to help enable the development of our esteemed community and to mobilise responsible scholarship for meaningful engagement and societal impact. It would be my privilege to work alongside the CEO, the President, and the Vice-Chair team in leading BAM through these challenging yet exciting times. Thank you. 

Position: Professor of Leadership and Enterprise

Institution: University of Greater Manchester, UK

Third, I will enable career development and leadership pathways. I will lead BAM in supporting members from doctoral researchers to senior scholars through mentoring, inclusive networks, and clearer progression pathways, ensuring that talent is nurtured, recognised, and empowered.

Fourth, I will embed equity, diversity, inclusion, and representation at the heart of BAM. I will ensure that our Academy reflects the diversity of our community and that every member feels seen, heard, and supported.

Fifth, I will expand strategic partnerships and global impact by strengthening collaborations across the UK and internationally with universities, practitioners, and learned societies to enhance BAM’s reach and real-world influence.

Alongside these priorities, I will lead BAM in delivering its strategic commitments, including advancing research impact, supporting the sector through digital transformation, promoting wellbeing, and ensuring EDIR and sustainability remain central to our work.

I bring extensive leadership experience within BAM and beyond. As Co-Vice Chair of BAM Communities, I oversee the development of our SIGs, networks, and conference tracks. As Chair of the Leadership SIG, I led its growth to over 900 members. I have contributed to capacity-building initiatives, co-led the Post-Experience Education Sub-Group, organised the Teaching and Learning Conference, co-founded the African Studies track, and helped establish the BAM Education Practice Award. I am honoured to have received the BAM Medal for Communities. As Chair of the 40th Anniversary Working Group, I am leading a significant milestone for our Academy.

Beyond BAM, I am Professor of Leadership and Enterprise and Director of the Centre for Leadership and Empowerment at the University of Greater Manchester.

If elected, I will lead with purpose, integrity, and collaboration to shape BAM’s next chapter.

Position: Professor of Management and Organisation

Institution: University of Bath, UK

BAM is a highly diverse and inclusive community, and I am excited about the prospect of leading on its further growth in membership numbers, diversity and international impact. My vision as Chair is for BAM to be: 1) the main scholarly association for business school academics in the UK and beyond, supporting members’ career development through a comprehensive programme of professional development; 2) an intellectual home for researchers in all sub-fields of business and management, including management learning and education, inspiring new ideas and facilitating the development and dissemination of societally and organisationally impactful, cutting-edge research; 3) a vehicle for influencing policymaking and management practice across all sectors, including Higher Education.  

My citizenship and leadership experience at BAM spans across many years and roles, and provides me with a solid basis for taking on responsibility as Chair. Most recently (2020-2024), I served as the inaugural Vice Chair for Equality, Diversity, Inclusivity and Respect (EDIR) and a member of BAM’s Executive Team (since 2018, member of Council), leading on embedding the values of EDIR across all aspects of BAM’s activities. Since 2018, I have served as an Associate Editor of the British Journal of Management, contributing to curating BJM as a world-leading business and management journal. Since 2016, I have co-convened the highly successful Critical Management Studies track at the BAM conference, and am pleased to see that ahead of the 2026 conference, the track has attracted a record number of submissions. I also regularly contribute to BAM’s professional development programme portfolio, for example, as a speaker on the BAM/CABS Development Programme for Deans and Directors of Research, and on the Becoming a Research Oriented Professor Programme. On two occasions, I was honoured to receive recognition for my contributions to BAM: a BAM medal for EDIR (2025) and BAM Fellowship (2022). 

I would also bring to the role of Chair a wealth of skills and leadership experience gained in other roles, such as Associate Dean for Ethics, Responsibility and Sustainability (Durham University Business School), Director of Research (Essex Business School) and Co-Editor-in-Chief (Management Learning). No matter what challenges we are presented with in the coming years, if elected to the Chair role, I will lead our association through these challenges in a thoughtful, non-divisive and compassionate manner, prioritising the interests of BAM’s members and working collaboratively and constructively with BAM’s CEO, Executive Team, Council and President. I will also continue with the excellent work of the current leadership in strengthening BAM’s connections with and standing among similar scholarly associations across the world. 

Since the first British Academy of Management conference I attended in 2008, the BAM scholarly community has been close to my heart. I have contributed to and led on many of BAM’s activities, and BAM has always cared about me and supported my professional and personal growth. I am now ready and enthusiastic about stepping up to the role of the Chair of BAM, and, building on its current strengths, leading on development and implementation of its 2028-2032 Strategy.

Position: Associate Professor in Management

Institution: Bangor University, UK

I am an experienced management educator who has dedicated her career to co-creating knowledge through engagement with businesses in the field of business and management. I have been a BAM member for 17 years and have served in a range of leadership roles, including Secretary of the Entrepreneurship SIG, Track Chair for the Research Methodology SIG, and currently as a member of the Academy’s Council within the Management Knowledge and Education Committee. I co-lead the ‘Education-Focussed Professor’ programme and am currently involved in its redesign, co-chair the Research Methodology SIG, and contribute to BAM’s annual Doctoral Colloquium through mentoring early career researchers and delivering workshops on mixed-methods research. In recognition of these contributions, I was awarded the BAM Medal for Knowledge Development. 

These experiences have given me a comprehensive understanding of the Academy’s structure and strategic priorities. I also contribute to shaping doctoral education globally through my role on the Steering Committee of the European Foundation for Management Development. I am therefore well positioned to serve as Co–Vice-Chair for Academic Career Development at BAM. 

I am an engaged scholar with a strong track record of securing research and innovation funding from a range of bodies, including the Welsh Government, UKRI and ISBE, and the British Academy to support the co-creation of knowledge. My current projects on GenAI in SMEs and AI in curriculum design, and their impact on graduate employability, are developed in collaboration with businesses and professional bodies to inform both policy and practice. I also publish in leading journals, including the International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour & Research and the Human Resource Management Journal. 

My vision is to strengthen BAM’s position as a leading hub that supports scholars across all career stages, while enhancing the quality, visibility and societal relevance of our collective work. 

Central to this vision is enhancing the developmental value of BAM’s core activities. I will work closely with my Co–Vice-Chair and the conference organising team to ensure that PDWs and related initiatives provide constructive, mentoring-oriented experiences that support meaningful career progression. I will further develop a structured portfolio of capacity-building programmes aligned with BAM’s strategic priorities—such as wellbeing, Doctoral Friday and professional development workshops—creating clear pathways from doctoral study through to senior leadership. 

Collaboration will be a key priority. By working closely with other Vice-Chairs and SIG leads, I will support a more integrated and accessible offer across the Academy, encouraging collaboration and amplifying impact. I am also committed to fostering innovation through initiatives such as thematic summer workshops, pathways to journal special issues, and increasing the visibility and accessibility of the ‘Research-Oriented Professor’ programme for a broader, and more international audience. 

Finally, I will support BAM’s strategic priorities by strengthening engagement with policymakers, practitioners and international scholars. Drawing on my industry experience, I will contribute to the development of Business Research Unpacked (the Academy’s Substack), empowering members to extend their influence beyond academia and address pressing societal challenges, while reinforcing BAM’s reputation as a globally connected and impactful community. 

Position: Professor of Leadership Development

Institution: University of St Andrews, UK

I am pleased to submit my application to the role of Co-Vice Chair for Academic Career Development (ACD).  I have been a BAM member for over 20 years. From 2020-2022 I served on BAM Council, where I was an active member of the Research and Publications committee and was responsible for the development of the BAM research grants’ impact reports.  In 2021 I was elected to BAM’s College of Fellows. I am currently Professor of Leadership Development at the University of St Andrews Business School, and I was previously Associate Dean for EDI and Development at Sheffield University Management School. 

Through my participation in BAM conferences and other events I am acutely aware of the value and need to protect spaces where academics have the freedom to develop their careers in supportive and creative environments.  I became an academic via a non-standard route, and BAM was vital to my career development through the many opportunities BAM colleagues have provided. I have worked in a range of different Business and Management Schools, including Russell Group, Plateglass, Civic, and modern universities, and therefore have a good understanding of the sector including the challenges and opportunities academic colleagues can encounter at different stages of their careers.  

My disciplinary expertise in management learning, human resource development, and leadership development, afford me knowledge of training and development strategies and practices and therefore the ability to identify and support the needs of academic careers and career development particularly in increasingly challenging times. My commitment to EDI and women’s representation underpins my research as evidenced through my publications, and practice as demonstrated in my role as Associate Dean for EDI and Development at a former institution. 

I have been very impressed by the work initiated by the current, and former, Co-Vice Chairs of the Academic Career Development committee in the development of programmes for academics at different career stages. I know the positive difference participation in, for example, the Research Oriented Professors’ progamme has made to several colleagues. These programmes clearly align with BAM’s EDIR values in their focus on demystifying role expectations, as well as the broadening of participants’ networks.   

If elected to the role of Co-Vice Chair I would like to support ACD committee colleagues in sustaining the current suite of career development opportunities, and to continue to enhance the range of provision available to colleagues at all career stages. In the context of significant disruptions in Higher Education, including reduced funding for career development, BAM members have less access to development and networking opportunities. Given constraints on funding, an initiative I would like to develop is an online leadership development course for colleagues new to leadership roles, or for those aspiring to management/leadership roles.  If elected to the role of Co-Vice Chair, I would also propose the development of events with BAM’s existing and future international partners (ANZAM, IAM, SIMA, SAMS, IFSAM) to facilitate the growth of members’ education and research networks.  

It would be a great privilege to work with the ACD Co-Vice Chair, and to work with the BAM Executive Committee to serve a community that has provided such a strong foundation for my career development.  

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