I joined The Open University in November 2013, coming to work for a university I had long admired as one of the great British innovations and institutions.
Before entering academia I trained as a journalist, working at Media Wales for two years. I subsequently worked in politics, as a party press officer. It is in political life that I rediscovered my interest in study, pursuing a part-time MBA at Cardiff University. Academic research was a means of connecting my passions in life: study, the political, writing and above all else making a contribution to public life.
I was successful in 2008 in gaining a studentship to pursue a PhD on leadership development in the public sector, under the supervision of Professor Keith Grint at Cranfield, based at the UK Defence Academy.
After graduating I secured a Research Fellow position at the New Zealand Leadership Institute, University of Auckland. I spent two years in Auckland working on the practice side of leadership development, as well as pursuing teaching and research. I am committed to excellence in teaching and so pursued and obtained a PGCert in Academic Practice while at the University of Auckland.
My research focus is largely in the area of the political in leadership and its development. I am particularly interested in how political theory can contribute to our understanding of leadership.
My current focus at The Open University is on developing open-access leadership development for voluntary sector organisations, a venture approached from a political and democratic perspective.
In addition, I hold a growing interest in public and business ethics, in particular how ethical practice may be influenced by leadership practice, and vice versa.
Can quotas make gender equality happen in politics? Lessons from business
Sep 27, 2016 17:15 pm UTC| Insights & Views Business
The number of women MPs in the British parliament is the highest its ever been. There are 191 women among the 650 MPs, up a third from the 2010 election. This has to be good news, especially for the many critics of...
There’s an extra $1 billion on the table for NT schools. This could change lives if spent well
Political donations rules are finally in the spotlight – here’s what the government should do