Back to the Centre
Developing leadership capacity conference
University of Greater Manchester
Deane Road, Bolton, BL3 5AB.
Back to menu
Back to menu
Study with an Off-Campus Partner
Back to menu
The Centre for Leadership and Empowerment at the University of Greater Manchester, in collaboration with the Global and Sustainable Business Futures Research Cluster at the University of Bradford and the SHE Inspires Foundation is proud to host a Joint conference titled Empowering Leaders for Global Contemporary Businesses on its beautiful campus in Bolton from the Monday 27 to Wednesday 29 of October 2025.
This pioneering event brings together scholars, practitioners, industry leaders, and changemakers to explore leadership strategies and approaches, sustainable business practices, and strategic innovation within contemporary global enterprises. Positioned at the intersection of academic research and real-world impact, the conference aims to spark meaningful dialogue and inspire actionable insights towards a more empowered, equitable, and future-oriented business landscape.
This joint conference aims to advance current understandings of empowering leadership within the context of contemporary global business. In this conference, we welcome submissions that offer novel insights, challenge conventional wisdom, or present evidence-based practice across a range of leadership and organisational contexts. Topics may include, but are not limited to:
This conference is for academics and practitioners who are interested in developing the leadership and managerial capacity to succeed within a dynamic environment. Our purpose is to create a meaningful dialogue between academics and practitioners by creating space for debate in the following three formats. However, participation in the conference is also possible without a submission.
While we encourage submissions linked to the conference theme, we also welcome work on any theme linked to research on leadership and allied fields.
Submissions to the conference should be in the form of a 750-word (excluding references) abstract and should be forwarded to the conference organisers on or before Friday 15 of August 2025 at w.nandini@bolton.ac.uk or r.hashmi2@bolton.ac.uk
The conference committee will consider abstracts after the deadline, and decisions are communicated within two weeks.
Further information can be found here
Gulnaz Brennan stands at the helm of the SheInspires Network, where her unwavering commitment revolves around empowering women, amplifying their voices, and ensuring their safety. Her world is dedicated to inspiring positive change, and she finds immense joy in lighting the spark of inspiration in the hearts of countless individuals.
A passionate advocate for women's empowerment and celebration, Gulnaz wears the hat of an accomplished author. Through her narratives, she weaves tales of triumph, resilience, and empowerment that resonate deeply with her audience. With over two decades of experience in the education sector in the UK and abroad, she has become a stalwart figure, making significant contributions to the field.
Gulnaz is not only the creative mind behind lifestyle books and the community newspaper ChaiTimes but has also launched a national women's magazine, BEE, adding another dimension to her impactful storytelling.
Joanne Maguire is the Managing Director of ScotRail- the prestigious public owned company which operates the rail services in Scotland.
She has been instrumental in ensuring ScotRail Trains achieves its business objectives across a spectrum of areas including safety, finance, operations, people, and corporate social responsibility, working collaboratively with a range of partners and stakeholders.
Before joining ScotRail, Joanne was Vice Principal of Resources at the University of the West of Scotland, where she was responsible for, among other things, Finance, HR and industrial relations, health and safety, sustainability, and information services.
Joanne was previously Executive Director for HR at the university and has held senior leadership roles at City of Glasgow College, as well as in the manufacturing and retail sectors.
Professor Mohammad Elahee is the William S. Perlroth Endowed Professor of Business at Quinnipiac University (QU), USA.
He earned his Ph.D. from the The University of Texas-Pan American, USA and an MBA from the University of New Brunswick - Fredericton, Canada. He also has a Bachelor's (Hons.) and Master’s in Accounting from University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Professor Elahee was a US Fulbright Professor in Jordan in 2018. He also taught in several countries including Bangladesh, China, France, Egypt, and Mexico. A recipient of multiple teaching excellence awards, Professor Elahee is an expert in International Negotiation and International Business. His research intersects culture and various aspects of business.
A widely published author, Professor Elahee serves as a reviewer for the U.S. Department of Education and multiple journals. He is also actively involved with the Hamden Rotary Club, Columbus House, Inc, and the Albert Schweitzer Institute. Professor Elahee has appeared in various media including Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)- CT, CBS-CT, NBCUniversal-CT, Fox Corporation-CT, NPR and has published op-eds in various newspapers.
Donna Fraser OBE is the Director of People, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion at the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA)
She has become a leader in equality diversity and inclusion with over 10 years of corporate experience within business, sport, leadership, well-being and PMA for both start-ups and established companies.
In 2021 she was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for services to equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and has served as a Trustee, advisor and Board member for multiple organisations, such as the The London Marathon Charitable Trust Limited, Women’s Sports Trust, British Athletes Commission, International Women’s Group and Her Spirit to name a few.
Donna Fraser is a 4x Olympian and former 400m sprinter for Great Britain, with a successful athletics career which spanned over 20 years and has a host of European, Commonwealth and World medals.
Donna, unfortunately, retired in 2009 due to being diagnosed with Breast Cancer. She was recognised with the Freedom of the Borough of Croydon in 2018 for services to sport and continues to inspire a generation through sharing her knowledge and experience with people aspiring to achieve their goals.
She has made several appearances (Sky Sports news, CNN, BBC Radio; 5 Live). Donna is also the non-executive director of Commonwealth Games England, former vice president of UK Athletics etc.
Professor Mustafa Özbilgin is the Associate Dean Equity and Inclusion and a Professor of Organisational Behaviour at Brunel Business School, London. His research focuses on workplace equality, diversity and inclusion from comparative and relational perspectives. He has conducted field studies in the UK and internationally. Supported by international and national grants from the ESRC, EPSRC, EU Horizon2020, CIPD, ACE, ACCA, and British Academy. he studied changing policies and practices of workplace equality, diversity and inclusion. He is an engaged scholar, driven by values of workplace democracy, equality for all, and humanisation of work.
He has authored and edited more than 20 books and published over 200 papers in academic journals such as the British Medical Journal, Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Learning and Education, Journal of Management Studies, British Journal of Management, Journal of Vocational Behavior, Human Resource Management, Human Relations, Gender Work and Organization, and Social Science and Medicine, among others.
He has conducted research, consultancy and training at a large number of organisations, including the House of Commons, Barclays Bank, The Bank West Australia, Google, Halifax, the CIPD, the National Health Service, the NHS Employers, L'Oreal, Tesco, the Probation Services, The UK Fire Service, the Economist Research Unit, the OECD, the WRVS, DTI, Rio Tinto, PwC, Linklaters and ACCA.
He served as the editor-in-chief of the journal, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: an international journal (Emerald Press) between 2006 and 2010. He served as the editor-in-chief of the European Management Review (EMR), the official journal of the European Academy of Management (EURAM), from 2014 to 2018 and as the editor-in-chief of the British Journal of Management, the official journal of the British Academy of Management, for four years from 2010 to 2014. He is currently serving on the editorial boards of over 20 journals internationally.
Kirsty Sandwell is the Head of Consulting, RSM UK.
As Head of Consulting at RSM UK, Kirsty Sandwell leads a diverse team of over 1,800 professionals across six core advisory areas: business transformation, forensic services, deal services, restructuring, finance function support, and risk & governance.
Kirsty joined RSM in 2001 as part of the newly formed Mergers and Acquisitions team, advising on complex deals and transactions. Her expertise and leadership quickly earned her a promotion to partner in 2006, where she played a key role in shaping and driving RSM UK’s national growth strategy.
With over 15 years in senior leadership roles, Kirsty has been instrumental in expanding RSM’s consulting capabilities and delivering strategic value to clients. She is passionate about developing talent and creating an environment where individuals can thrive both personally and professionally.
A committed and inspiring leader, Kirsty is especially proud to champion women in leadership and empower her team to achieve excellence. In addition to leading the Consulting business, she serves on RSM’s National Leadership Team, helping to steer the firm’s vision to become the first-choice premium adviser to the middle market.
Professor John Connolly is a Professor of Public Policy and Vice Dean of the Glasgow School for Business and Society, Glasgow Caledonian University.
He has published widely in the areas of expertise include the politics of crisis management, policy analysis, evaluation, public administration, and multi-level governance. He is Chief Editorial Advisor for Routledge Open Research and former Editor of the Contemporary Social Science journal (the flagship journal of the Academy of Social Sciences) and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He is also Expert Adviser to the Cabinet Office's Evaluation and Trial Panel.
Professor Connolly has been an Associate Dean for Research & Enterprise and Head of Department with over 20 years’ experience of teaching in higher education and has worked for the Open University, the University of Strathclyde and University of the West of Scotland. He also served as a Policy and Evaluation Adviser for NHS Scotland and an Educational Standards Adviser for Strathclyde Police.
He has led on capacity building programmes in the public sector and undertook/commissioned evaluations of complex health programmes. His public sector activities and networks have led to a number of consultancy and knowledge exchange projects.
Dr. Evgenia Pavlakou is the Associate Dean and Head of Research, New York College, Greece.
She holds a Doctorate from the Department of Marketing and Communication at the Athens University of Economics and Business, with research focusing on digitalisation, organizational behaviour, and employee psychological capital.
With a strong academic foundation in Political Science, Marketing, and Adult Education, Dr. Pavlakou has over two decades of experience in higher education, executive training, and educational leadership. Her scholarly work explores positive organizational behaviour, digital transformation in HRM, and adult learning and development. A certified adult educator and active researcher, she contributes to bridging theory and practice in the fields of leadership, innovation, and sustainable business.
Professor Elizabeth Rose is a Research Chair Professor in Business Policy and Strategy at the Indian Institute of Management Udaipur (India). She is also a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the University of Leeds. Her work has appeared in a variety of top-tier journals, including the Journal of International Business Studies, Strategic Management Journal, and Journal of World Business.
She is an elected Fellow of the Academy of International Business (AIB). Beth has held leadership roles in several academic professional organizations. She served as Vice President for Administration for the AIB, where she worked closely with AIB chapters from around the globe. She was the founding chair of the AIB’s Australia and New Zealand Chapter (AIB-ANZ, now AIB-Oceania) and is a past President of both the Australia and New Zealand International Business Academy (ANZIBA) and the Association of Japanese Business Studies (AJBS).
Jackie Hyde is the Owner-Managing Director at Stanmore Insurance Brokers Ltd. Since 1962, Stanmore Insurance Brokers have been providing personal and professional insurance to North West businesses. Offering protection, peace of mind, and superior quality of service in the face of ever-changing market conditions. Jackie has worked at Stanmore for 35 years and joined as an Account Handler, working her way through to owning the business.
Stanmore is an award-winning commercial insurance broker who aim is to change the perception of insurance for the better. Stanmore is also home to a dedicated children’s day care nursery insurance scheme, dot2dot, who insure over 3,000 nurseries across the UK.
Jackie sits on the fundraising boards of various charities and community interest organisations and is an avid supporter of females so they maximise their true potential, which includes sponsoring a number of awards.
In 2017, 2020 & 2022 Stanmore was named Schemes Broker of the Year at Insurance industry awards. Also in 2022, Jackie was named one of the insurance industry’s Elite Women by Insurance Business Magazine which is just one of her many accolades.
Jack is an award-winning social entrepreneur based in the United Kingdom. He possesses vast experience in international development, finance, and edtech. In his current role as Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Rural Inclusion, a social enterprise supporting rural communities in over seven countries, he leads a team across the UK, Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America to develop innovative projects on training and research to support smallholder farmers, microentrepreneurs, refugees and host communities become more resilient and prosperous.
Jack regularly travels in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, and collaborates with community-based organisations, international development partners, academic institutions and financial institutions.
He is also the host of a development podcast called The Social Impact Journal, where he meets with founders, academics and development practitioners to discuss important topics surrounding the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Michelle Howard is a sought-after speaker, trainer, contributor and consultant who helps businesses grow and succeed. With over 25 years of experience in the corporate and public sector, Michelle has helped business leaders across the UK and beyond to implement strategies that have resulted in better strategy, improved performance, enhanced customer and employee satisfaction, and reduced costs.
Her career began as a Chartered Marketer working within Legal 500 Law Firms, a title she has held for over 20 years. It progressed to the public sector where Michelle built up expertise implementing strategic and change initiatives and leading transformational projects, often developing strategic practices which were recognised for their contribution to national best practice. With an award-winning record of building long-term relationships, Michelle brings her strategic marketing and her leadership knowledge to the forefront of all that she does to help businesses to develop. She has led and contributed to substantial partnerships which have led to business success. This includes a partnership between education, health, local government, and third sector organisations which won a Guardian Newspaper Innovation in Partnership Healthcare Award. Judges praised it for its innovation and contribution to the future of both education and healthcare.
Ayo is the founder of the Mastermind Business Edge.
He trained as a Chartered Accountant with MBA from Oxford in United Kingdom. He is the author of the great book on mindset and entrepreneurship ‘Goldmine of Your Mind-Your Fast Track to Abundance’.
After many successful years in the corporate environment, He has devoted the rest of his career to helping established entrepreneurs as a Business Coach to help them get exponential results without the stress of working 70 to 90 hours a week. His desire to help people was implanted from his early life experience and his full story could be found in some of his television, radio, newspapers etc. interviews. He is a subject matter expert sought after by the media because of his insights about business and psychology of success.
Thousands of entrepreneurs have benefited from his coaching, books, seminars, TV programs, Radio programs, webinars, public speaking, digital marketing packages etc. His uses his expertise to take small businesses and turn them into big businesses; he takes struggling businesses and turn them around within a short period of time.
Download the app for your smartphone from:
