About

To the School of Humanities and Journalism I bring many years of creative industries and business experience, having established what has become a successful non-fiction book publishing company in 1984. I have now worked in higher education for several years, helping to establish Publishing as an academic discipline at the University of Derby (both at postgraduate and undergraduate level), and now as part of the college management team.

I am a passionate believer in the power and ability of a good Humanities degree to provide graduates with the attributes that are necessary and sought after within professional life and career.

My academic background is in History, specifically seventeenth-century England, though my work in book publishing and subsequent academic career have led me to study a wide range of related subjects, from graphic design to project management, applied English language to business studies.

I am proud to be the Head of School, leading a group of inspiring academic colleagues, in turn supported by a wide range of dedicated professional services staff, to deliver truly excellent foundation, undergraduate, and postgraduate courses for students who hail from an astonishing variety of locations and backgrounds.

Teaching responsibilities

Over the past few years I have taught a wide range of subjects related to book publishing and editing, English language, business, book and publishing history since the fifteenth century, book design and production, and the creative industries in general.

Professional interests

• A passionate believer in the inspiring and liberating power of a good Humanities degree to help people, from whatever background to achieve their full professional and personal potential. Also in the increasing relevance of a Humanities or Social Sciences degree in what is being termed the Fourth Industrial Revolution
• I have been a non-fiction publisher for over thirty years, during which time I have been a business leader and manager, and commissioning editor
• I am still a part-time company director of a thriving consumer publishing house (based in the North), which also provides publishing services to a wide variety of publishers, including project management, typesetting and design
• I attend publishing conferences, including the London International Book Fair

Research interests

• The History of Publishing, including state censorship and freedom of the press
• Open Access in Scholarly Publishing
• The English Language in modern publishing, including the ethics and practicalities of editing the texts of other people
• The creative and cultural industries, in the UK and globally
• The Fourth Industrial Revolution and how it will impact people's professional lives in the coming decades

Membership of professional bodies

• Association of Publishing Education
• The Publishers Association

Qualifications

Recent conferences

I deliver conference papers relating to History and to Publishing, most recently to the By the Book conference, in Florence, Italy, where I talked about the ethics of editing the textual work of authors.

Experience in industry

• Publishing company founder, director and manager, 1984–
• Company director
• Director of public service companies

Additional interests and activities

• Road cycling
• Fell running
• Italian opera, especially Puccini and Bellini
• Reading about ancient history