I am not an academic. I am a linguist by education having studied French and Italian at Nottingham University. I am from a business background, having word for many years in International Trade, shifting for a brief while to a major accounting firm, before establishing my own consultancy business specialising in small business start-up and development, international trade advice and business funding. Before coming to Nottingham Trent University, I ran my own consultancy business, as well as developing a number of other small business opportunities over the last few years in areas such as mobile communications, printing, software development, first aid supplies and latterly express courier transport. I am currently student enterprise adviser at Nottingham Trent University and provide support, encouragement and advice to undergraduates and graduates in their business development aspirations. I manage the Students in Free Enterprise programme for the university as well as the Student Placements in Education (SPEED) programme and am an integral member of the Hive team. The Hive is the university’s own business development and creation centre based on campus in Nottingham.

I am co-founder of UNI-T Designs, a promotional goods business specialising in custom printed garments for organisations across the UK. As a student at Lancaster University, I have been president of the Young Entrepreneurs Society and am co-founder of the ‘UK Entrepreneurial Summit’, the UK’s university-based annual enterprise summit. Now employed as a consultant at Accenture in London, I continue to manage UNI-T and oversee the UK Entrepreneurial Summit as both projects move from strength to strength.