Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurial, SME Development, High Growth Small Firms, Social Entrepreneurship, Enterprise Development, Local Economic Development, Entrepreneurial Communities, Leadership & Management

An examination of the determinants of the number of high growth small firms in Northern Ireland - PhD under the supervision of Prof Pauric McGowan

Innotal: Building Innovation & Entrepreneurship Capacity in Asian Universities (2017-2020)

Economic Think Tanks, Antrim Newtownabbey Borough Council (2018)

SME Engagement Strategy, Tourism Northern Ireland (2018)

Entrepreneurship, Enterprise Development, Business Start, Business Growth

Leadership & Management Development

Social Entrepreneurship. Third sector Leadership

Course Director Transform - Social Enterprise Programme working with 3rd sector organisations, activists and social entrepreneurs to support start-up and growth of social enterprises. Bursary funding from The Executive Office and Urban Villages. Leads to an Advanced Diploma in Social Enterprise.

Course Director - BSc Management Practice (SMEs) - Funded in the Republic of Ireland through Skillsnet. Leadership and Management Development Programme for SMEs

Course Director - Entrepreneurs Programme - Fully funded in the Republic of Ireland by Springboard. Supports pre-start and early stage start-ups. Leads to an Advanced Certificate in Management Practice.

Course Director - Range of bespoke programmes to support SMEs e.g. Business of Tourism and Business of Veterinary Practice

Executive Education - Working with a wide range of organisations plus state agencies to develop, manage and deliver a wide range of tailored executive education programmes.

Teaching Teams:

MSc Executive Leadership

MSc Strategic Growth

BSc Business Studies

BSc Management Practice

BSc Human Resource Management

Current:

Innotal Erasmus 

Flax Trust 2015- current

The Executive Office (Northern Ireland Assembly) 2018 - current

An Associate Lecturer from 2008 Steve joined Ulster University full-time in 2015 where he worked in the Business Institute a self-financing unit within the Ulster University Business School developing and delivering a wide range of executive education programmes and in particular programmes to support entrepreneurs. Steve now works in the Department of Management, Leadership and Marketing where his focus is primarily on entrepreneurship.

Steve joined the University from professional practice where he has extensive experience of promoting enterprise, supporting business start-up and growth. He combines this with experience of starting and running successful businesses. Starting and running Social Enterprises along with senior leadership gained in the private, public and third sectors. A highly experienced Non-Executive Director and Small Business Adviser Steve has a passion for creating a more entrepreneurial society and for supporting entrepreneurs and the self-employed.

Steve is also active in and committed to efforts to tackle social and economic inequality. In the main this work has been through work in local economic development with a particular focus on community capacity building, promoting skills (particularly vocational education skills) and work to promote and support social entrepreneurship.