My background
When I was young I won a direct grant place at Plymouth College, where I was awarded a Lower VI Modern Subjects (Astor) Prize and a Middle VI Economics Prize. My very first job was with a pasty factory in Plymouth, I can still remember the yummy smells! I went to Exeter University where I gained an LLB (Hons), experience of jamming with a band and met my wife to be. After that I worked in professional firms and along the way gained the dual qualifications of solicitor and barrister (I don’t practice as either). I’m very grateful to Deloitte, Haskins + Sells’ London office for having given me the chance to work on some of their business publications, especially my joint authorship of “Becoming a Director, What You Need to Know”. (continued below ...)
I became a legal academic at Bournemouth University and gained a PhD in the early development of company law which took me to the dark underworld of Victorian business. One of the joys of academic life was the chance to share and learn new ideas at conferences; I was delighted to have the chance to deliver papers at many universities, including Cambridge University. I published on company law and corporate governance in a variety of journals, including Accountancy, the Company Lawyer, Economic Affairs, Faith in Business Quarterly, the International Company and Commercial Law Review, and the Journal of Markets and Morality. If I had to name the work of which I’m most proud, it would be the Hobart Paperback, “The Legal Foundations of Free Markets”, which I both edited and contributed to, and which attracted (jointly) a Seldon Award for Excellence. (continued below)
Legal academia opened the door to seeking to make a positive impact on the business world. I was a patron and academic advisor to the Cambridge University “Transforming Business” project, a member of the Relational Finance Group meeting in London, took part in a BBC World Service debate on human rights, had joint work cited by the New Zealand Court of Appeal and much, much more. I was especially delighted to be associated with St Mary’s University, Twickenham, London for a time as visiting professor in their School of Management and Social Sciences.
Coming from a working class background it was an unimaginable privilege to have had all these experiences. I was sad to leave academia where I had so many special memories but it was time to pursue new challenges. A list of my academic writings, papers and stuff can be found by clicking here.
