New and re-elected ISBE trustees announced
8 June 2020
We are very excited to welcome eight new trustees to the ISBE board, and look forward to their active participation in the Institute’s future strategy. This is the largest influx to the board for many years, and we are delighted to have attracted such a wealth of experience and knowledge, especially during these challenging times.
We would also like to thank all those nominees who put themselves forward in what was a close-run election, and welcome their continued involvement with the Institute and in future elections.
The ISBE board meets at least quarterly to discuss and plan the ongoing development of the Institute, and always invites feedback from our membership whether at our AGM during the conference, as part of our annual year-end online survey, or at any time to
Please join us in welcoming our new trustees.
Professor Kiran Trehan
President, ISBE
Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Partnerships and Engagement, University of York
Professor Andrew Henley – Cardiff University
Professor Andy Henley is Professor of Entrepreneurship and Economics and Director of Research Engagement and Impact at Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University. Much of Andy’s research focuses on questions of who chooses to become an entrepreneur, and why and where they choose to do so. He is particularly interested in applications of longitudinal data. His research also focuses on entrepreneurial leadership and small business growth. He has published over 60 papers in leading academic journals in entrepreneurship, economics and regional studies, as well as contributing to several recent edited books.
‘We are pleased to welcome Andy back to the board as Chair for the Cardiff conference’.
Endrit Kromidha – University of Birmingham
Dr Endrit Kromidha is an Associate Professor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Birmingham. Much of Endrit’s research relates to digital entrepreneurship, collaborative innovation and access to finance. He is also interested in social entrepreneurship and creative industries that overlap with the sharing economy, e-government, e-learning and information and communication technologies for development. Endrit has published in numerous academic journals, led international impact projects, and as certified Project Management Professional (PMP) combines industry and academic experience.
“International networks and digital ecosystems are creating new opportunities for more connected small businesses. I am delighted to be part of the ISBE team, contributing to its leading role in such present and future global transformations”
Joan Lockyer – Coventry University
Professor Joan Lockyer is Professor of Education Practice (Entrepreneurship) and Director of Education at the International Centre for Transformational Entrepreneurship (ICTE) at Coventry University.
As Director of Education, Joan is involved in the design, development and delivery of enterprise and entrepreneurship education both in Coventry and internationally, online and face to face. She has led a number of projects that aim to build entrepreneurship capacity in higher education and to foster closer collaboration between HE and industry in a wide range of cultural contexts. Her research interests focus on the transformative effect of entrepreneurship through education, but specifically on the interplay between policy, innovation and leadership. Gender and entrepreneurship is also a keen interest.
“Being elected to the board of ISBE is a real privilege. I will do my best to bring my experience and energy to bear on the challenges and opportunities ahead. I am looking forward to working with colleagues and fellow members to forge collaborations that could be useful in expanding ISBE’s footprint both in the UK and internationally.”
Anne Meikle – Women’s Enterprise Scotland
Anne Meikle is a consultant specialising in research and policy development in equality, gender and economic development, and is the Policy and Parliamentary manager for Women’s Enterprise Scotland (WES). WES is a research-led not for profit organisation focusing on the economic contribution of women-owned businesses to local and national economies, and over the past few years, WES has played a key role in policy development and action to progress women’s business ownership.
“I’m pleased to have been elected to the ISBE board. I hope to encourage relationships locally, nationally and internationally between academic institutions and practitioner networks to support the dissemination of research to policy makers and business support organisations for informed policy improvements. There is a significant opportunity in Covid-19 economic recovery measures to progress and improve the UK economy through a more meaningful policy framework while considering a progressive economic analysis.”
Lorna Treanor – University of Nottingham
Dr Lorna Treanor is an Assistant Professor in Entrepreneurship at Nottingham University Business School and a Divisional Research Director. She is an invited Fellow of the Royal Society and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Her research interests lie in the area of entrepreneurial behaviour; specifically, she explores how gender influences entrepreneurial activity, outcomes and learning, particularly in STEM contexts. Lorna’s research has been published in a range of journals including Human Relations, Technological Forecasting & Social Change and the International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research among others. Lorna is a co-founder of the Gender and Enterprise Network (ISBEGEN), the ISBE Special Interest Group established in 2010 to promote scholarly research into the gendering of entrepreneurship, and she has co-chaired the Gender track at the ISBE annual conference since 2015. Lorna is also a member of the Women’s Enterprise Policy Group which seeks to establish an evidence base of effective supports that enable women and, further, to lobby for that evidence base to inform UK central and devolved enterprise policy. Additionally, Lorna serves as a Consulting Editor for the International Small Business Journal, having been on the editorial board since 2016. Lorna can be contacted at:
“I am delighted to have been voted onto the ISBE Board; I have been a committed ISBE member for over 10 years. I want to help ensure ISBE continues to deliver benefit to its three communities: academics, policy makers and practitioners to support inclusive and sustainable entrepreneurship in the challenging times that lie ahead.”
Natalia Vershinina – Audencia Business School
Natalia Vershinina is Professor of Entrepreneurship at Audencia Business School in Nantes, France. She started her academic career at Leicester Business School, De Montfort University and also worked for University of Birmingham in the UK. Natalia has researched how entrepreneurship intersects with ethnicity, gender and family business contexts and her latest work is on effect of regulation on small firms; impact of online communities for development of confidence and legitimacy amongst women; and finally transitions to self-employment and entrepreneurship of women in couples. She is a member of British Academy of Management Council. She is a great supporter of ISBE, and is involved in Gender and Enterprise Network and Family Business Special interest groups.
“I am delighted to be elected to the ISBE Board. I have a keen research and practical interest in supporting marginalised communities in their entrepreneurship endeavours. I am looking forward to working with Board Directors, President of ISBE and members to further embed this organisations within the small business and entrepreneurship communities in the UK and abroad. ISBE has an important role to play in enabling our diverse academic community of researchers to work on most pertinent issues faced by entrepreneurs and find solutions that may have resonance practically on the ground as well as through policy.”
Elinor Vettraino – Aston University
My journey to entrepreneurship education has been organic. I have spent the past 10 years developing the concept of team learning, specifically the Finnish Team Academy model of entrepreneurship education most recently through developing the business and enterprise area of Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln. As a Director of Akatemia CIC UK, I have also worked to support the development of this model in the broader Higher Education sector, both nationally and internationally.
I am currently Director and Head Coach of the Team Academy inspired Business Enterprise Development programmes at Aston University, Birmingham, as well as Director of the Aston Business Clinic. In these roles, my philosophy remains the same which is to foster real-life business through real world learning, and specifically learning through collaborative practice. Running my own consultancy, Active Imagining, has also given me an insight into small business development and the importance of working with others to succeed.
My main areas of interest in entrepreneurship education lie in team learning and the power of community to move business forward, as well as the use of storytelling to develop embodied reflexivity. I also draw heavily on my extensive work with applied theatre and visual arts, making use of theatre techniques and creative approaches in the work I do developing nascent entrepreneurs.
“I am excited and privileged to have been elected to serve on the ISBE Board. I am looking forward to the creative possibilities and connections that we can continue to make.”
Kayleigh Watson – Northumbria University
Dr Kayleigh Watson is Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at Northumbria University. Kayleigh’s main research interests are located within entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial learning. In her published work to date, she has sought to develop understanding of the start-up competition phenomenon and consider how competition provision might be reimagined going forward. Kayleigh is passionate about and committed to supporting the development of early career academics, this serving as her impetus to establish and co-chair the ISBE early career researcher forum.
“I am really pleased to have been re-elected to the ISBE board. I look forward to building upon the contributions made during my previous term, as well as working with colleagues toward the continued evolution of the Institute’s activities and agendas over the coming years”.