Could you please tell us a bit about yourself?
I have achieved a great deal in life, never give-up is my motto, which I pass-on to my students, my life has been very diverse, I have lived abroad and made my own opportunities.
In business I am a Fellow of the Institute of Directors the leading directors organisation in Europe, owning different companies, also a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, Fellow of the CIPR Public Relations in London and the Society of Public Relations in New York, I use to co-chair the Dubai Society in London for trade and British Business in America, in-regards to law in Europe and the USA.
In regards to the academic front I was awarded for my hard work as an Academic Fellowship for the University of Bournemouth Media and Public Relations and spent six years in that particular position, guest speaking and helping the school, I was also a Fellow of Kingston Business School in-relationship to Entrepreneurship and Human Resource Management for four years
Also I am a Qualified Journalist, European Editor of four magazines from Canada, USA and France, I write about the best luxury brand hotels in the world and brands, including Four Seasons globally, from Florence to Westlake California, Dorchester Collection from Le Richmond in Geneva to Park Lane, The Savoy and Claridges in London and many others, plus luxury brands Bulgari and Armani.
In the last three years I have contributed to policy for the Coalition via the Department of Business and Innovation for David Willett and Dr Vince Cable on Internships and graduate working schemes, I believe in trying to help students gain the maximum out of the education and experience.
Many great experiences and achievements from interviewing the former American Ambassador to London Philip Lader to former CEO of Steve Ridgeway of Virgin Atlantic, also guest speaker for the American Military Officers Training Citadel in Charleston SC, on Europe the implications of Europe and the relationship between Britain and America, very unique experience, treated like a officer of the USA Military.
Been guest speaker in Las Vegas, Washington DC, Chicago, Montreal and Vancouver on business topics and at  University of Surrey, Bournemouth and Judge Business School Cambridge.
Worked also on the merger between Lloyds/TSB Bank and a number of other areas of finance, including Mergers and Acquisitions.
I am now involved in research on heart problems in the professional industries in the City of London.
My view is never give-up in life, also feel that I talk to my students as very much equals, my classes are very open and we debate points, university education has to reflect what business requires, presentation and communications skills are so important, I ask my students to present without using powerpoint, unless it is financial data, so then they can think on their feet, which companies look for.
What is your area of academic interest and which courses are you involved in?
My interests of academia are very different from the subjects I teach at Westminster, I am a visiting Lecturer and work at a number of universities over the years. I am very interested in Brand Stretching, say for example a brand like Armani introduces itself into new markets and it retains existing clients and attracts new ones from brand loyalty. I was asked to guest speak and be involved with Judge Business School on their leading MBA on the subject of Brand Stretching, there are a number of brands including Armani and Bulgari, that have taken their brands into hospitality with hotels around the world, for example in London and Milan. I guest speak internationally on Luxury Brand Development with special reference to the luxury hotel market, with many of the leading hotels in the world my clients.
Also I guest speak on Public Relations the luxury brand market, where there is ten to fifteen per cent growth in the market worldwide, with a number of job opportunities for our graduates.
At Westminster I lecture for the Human Resources and Leadership and Development Teams, subjects include Cultural Differences, been with the school for eleven years as a visiting lecturer. Another area I am involved with is project work on under and post graduate, I always ask my students to relate their projects to a business they may want to join when they graduate. This most certainly is beneficial to the student, will talk more about this later.
I have also been module leader on Retail Management and Merchandising for another university and retail development internationally, another area which interests me, Strategy and International Business.
What was your first job? What did you learn from it?
My first job was working in advertising and marketing for a London agency, I use to have to gather business cards and complement slips from all the companies I visited in a road, and go back and convert so many of them into new clients for the agency, it gave me great training of never giving-up, it proved to be ideal for my life and to pass-on to students always keep trying to obtain new business.
Through time I moved to Account Director of a agency, looking after advertising and design accounts in Britain. I learned my business management through working at senior level in London.
What did you do in your career before coming to WBS?
Before coming to WBS, I was in advertising and marketing, as a Director of two companies, one of them I sold.
What do I think is special about WBS?
What I think is special about WBS is the diverse students from the university, how they blend in with one another, it gives a very special feel that you often don’t get at other universities.
If you were asked to give one piece of advice to students then what would it be?Â
My advice which I always say to students is look beyond the horizon, that is where your future lies, in other words never be put off, look to the future and aim for the top. Â One of my students wanted to work for the Emirates got nowhere applying in Britain and went to Dubai and arranged an interview and got the job, through just being different. Â Also don’t change, it is a balance between academia and business, employees want different skills, you need to be adaptable, many leaders of business are.
How do you relax out of work? What are your interests/leisure activities?
How I relax outside of work, I love sports, I used to play tennis to a reasonable level, still play tennis if my bones will move quickly enough, I also like football, with my favourite teams being Chelsea and Watford. Also I read and write articles which is a very key part of my job.
Travelling is very important to me, travelling to many places around the world, which you need if you are lecturing to international students, students are demanding more, we have to have the necessary experience.
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