Anglia Ruskin University

Profile

Leigh is currently Principal Lecturer in Enterprise and Entrepreneurial Management at the Lord Ashcroft International Business School and Chief Executive of SFEDI Solutions, part of the SFEDI Group, which is the Standard Setting Body for Business and Enterprise in the UK. In this role, Leigh develops and maintains the business enterprise and enterprise support standards and units. In addition, he delivers research and development projects on behalf of a variety of public, private and not-for-profit clients.

Having previously worked at Durham Business School and Wood Holmes Group, Leigh has over 17 years experience of understanding and supporting enterprise development at a national and international level. In the UK, Leigh has worked with a range of national government departments and agencies, regional development agencies, local authorities, local enterprise agencies, higher education institutions, community and voluntary sector organisations, large corporates (e.g. banks) and SMEs.

He has experience in undertaking a range of applied research and consultancy projects including policy and strategic reviews, monitoring and evaluations, audits and reviews of business support structures and needs analyses. Leigh has particular expertise and interest in working with SMEs to develop their strategic enterprise development capabilities and organisations supporting SME development to enhance their understanding and competencies.

Leigh is Chair of the Advisory Body for the Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative (SFEDI) and for six years (until 2008) a Director and Board Member of the Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (a UK small business research body). At a European level, Leigh has been a member of the Executive Committee of the Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Small Business Network at the European Foundation of Management Development. Leigh is also an Associate of the Centre for Knowledge Innovation, Technology and Enterprise (KITE) within the University of Newcastle.