I am a Senior Lecturer specialising in fashion business, employability and sustainability.  I am also Employability Lead here at Manchester Fashion Institute.

My role involves working closely with industry to develop partnerships, collaborations, placements and work experience opportunities within the fashion industry. My role also includes teaching and working with students here at Manchester Fashion Institute to support personal development and employability skills. My teaching is within fashion business which includes, fashion buying, sourcing, product development, bringing a product to market, responsible fashion business, sustainability and trading. I also teach employability skills within the curriculum. My philosophy is to support and inspire our students to reach their potential.

I am passionate about the industry in which I have 20 years’ experience. I started my career as a designer and then moved into product development/sourcing and garment technology. I have also worked on both the supply and retail side of the business. I have been lucky enough to witness a thriving UK manufacturing industry at the start of my career and work with incredibly talented people. I then travelled globally to factories to develop and source new products and oversee manufacturing of these products. I am excited to see the growth in UK manufacturing. I have visited key fashion capitals including New York and Paris, gaining experience of the different retail environments.

Prior to studying fashion I gained experience as a sewing machinist on the factory floor- this experience inspired me to undertake a career in the fashion industry and was invaluable.

My role here at Manchester Fashion Institute allows me to keep up with our fast paced industry as I work closely with our partners on a daily basis. This ensures current curriculum reflects industry practice and supports graduate employability.  

Academic and professional qualifications

Academic Qualifications

• MA in Academic Practice (Distinction) Employability and curriculum design for the fashion industry. 2014
• Post Graduate Certificate in Academic Practice. (Distinction) 2012
• BSc (Hons) International Clothing Technology and Design. 2010
• Awarding Institution: Manchester Metropolitan University

Professional Qualifications

• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) 2023

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

• Associate of the Textile Institute  (CTextATI)

Postgraduate teaching

I teach the core units on the MSc Fashion Buying & Merchandising Management course

Range Planning & Development

Sourcing & Supply Chain Strategy 

Postgraduate research supervision

I am part of the team which supervise Masters students here at Manchester Fashion Institute

External examiner roles

University of Manchester: Buying & Merchandising undergraduate subject areas. 

University of Lancaster:  BA Fashion Design, BA Fashion Design and Contemporary Costume. 

Projects and initiatives

• Collaborative project with industry partners; N.Brown and Matalan. 'An Exploration of Responsible Fashion'  A live brief embedded into BA (Hons) Fashion Buying & Merchandising employability unit giving consideration to current best practice and challenges faced by industry in the area of sustainability and responsible business practice. 
• International collaborative project with HE Partner; Pearl Academy, India. Global knowledge exchange in the area of Responsible Fashion. A live brief embedded into BA (Hons) Fashion Buying & Merchandising employability unit. The rationale for this live brief was to promote an Indian craft/artefact potentially suitable for the UK market. This would tell the story of the selected craft/artefact which would raise awareness of traditional Indian techniques.

Community, charity and NGO links

I am a volunteer for Liverpool Football Club Employability Programme, this initiative supports local communities with the development of employability skills.  

Media appearances or involvement

Chair for THE FASHION NETWORK – Buying & Merchandising Masterclass Webinar 03.12.2020

Youtube Link: https://youtu.be/e1CWB9uHBmY

Podcast Link: https://anchor.fm/thefashionnetwork/episodes/TFN-Masterclass-Buying-and-Merchadising-enaftc

Chair for THE FASHION NETWORK - Range Planning Masterclass Webinar 10.11.2021

Youtube Link: https://youtu.be/M2kA3o3NLA0

Podcast Link: https://anchor.fm/thefashionnetwork/episodes/Range-Planning-Masterclass-e1a2h3p

Prizes and awards

Staff Awards 2022: Employability Champion Finalist.
Teaching Awards 2022: Outstanding Teaching for Employability Finalist.