We are delighted to announce our speakers for IEEC2024! Thanks to everyone for giving their time to share their expertise and knowledge with our delegates.
Reserve your place by August 25th – click here!
Professor Nola Hewitt-Dundas
Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast
Welcome & Introduction
1.00pm, Wednesday 4th
September
A non-executive director to the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Board, Nola is Professor of Innovation Management and Policy at Queen’s University Belfast and a Senior Research Associate with the UK Enterprise Research Centre.
Her research centres on the dynamics of innovation ecosystems with an emphasis on small and medium enterprises, technology adoption and the anchor role of Universities in economic development. Her research has been motivated by the desire to explain regional economic performance, and how this is affected by the innovation ecosystem. She has an extensive publication record in internationally-leading journals, has been awarded large research grants throughout her career and recently was appointed to the assessment panel for the UK Research Excellence Framework.
She has worked extensively with businesses and policy makers in the UK, Ireland and internationally, evaluating and advising on how governments can intervene to overcome failures in the market that constrain business growth and innovation. In 2022, she was made a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and elected a Fellow of the Irish Academy of Management. Having led transformational change in Queen’s Business School, she was awarded the Institute of Directors (NI) Public Sector Director of the Year award. Since 2020, Nola has been Pro-Vice Chancellor at Queen’s.
Professor MN Ravishankar
Dean & Head of School, Queen’s Business School
Welcome & Introduction
1.00pm, Wednesday 4th September
M.N. Ravishankar is Professor of Technology & Globalisation, and Dean of Queen’s Business School. Previously, he was Professor of Technology & Globalisation at the School of Business & Economics, Loughborough University. During his stint at Loughborough University (2006-2022), Ravi contributed in multiple leadership roles including Associate Dean (Research) and Director of Internationalisation. Ravi serves on the editorial board of five scholarly journals and he has been consistently ranked amongst the top 20 global scholar based on research publications in the Association for Information Systems’ basket of world-leading scholarly journals. His external research engagements (2004 – present) span strategic coordination of technology sourcing, management of digital social innovations, and social entrepreneurship. Ravi’s teaching has been well-received by all student groups, and he has designed and delivered undergraduate, postgraduate, MBA, doctoral, and executive education courses on the strategic management of multinational enterprises, strategies for emerging markets, technology management, management information systems, global sourcing, and fintech innovations.
Ian Snowden
Permanent Secretary of the
Department for the Economy
Welcome & Introduction
1.00pm, Wednesday 4th September
Ian Snowden is the Permanent Secretary of the Department for the Economy. He took up the position on 8 December 2023.
Ian has worked in the Northern Ireland Civil Service for 31 years. Prior to joining the Department for the Economy, he had been Chief Executive of Land & Property Services for five years, where he was responsible for Land Registers of Northern Ireland, Ordnance Survey NI, Valuation Services, rating policy and the collection of business and domestic rates. During the pandemic, he led on the delivery of a major package of rate reliefs and grants for businesses affected by the restrictions to control the virus which provided £1.25 billion in support for the local economy. He has also worked on creating a register of all land and property owned by Northern Ireland departments and arms’ length bodies and a new approach to asset management.
Before joining LPS, Ian worked the Department for Communities as Head of the Engaged Communities Group, where he was responsible for a wide portfolio that included arts, culture, language policy, sport, museums, libraries, built heritage, community development, community based regeneration and social inclusion policy.
In DfC and the former Department for Social Development, he also worked for almost 18 years in Housing and Urban , working in some of Northern Ireland’s most disadvantaged and segregated communities, including West Belfast and Londonderry.
Since 2015 Ian has led the co-ordination of Northern Ireland’s response to the immediate and longer-term needs of Syrian, Afghan and Ukrainian refugees being resettled in Northern Ireland. To date, 1,900 Syrians, over 100 Afghans and 3,000 Ukrainians have been successfully supported into new lives here.
Graeme Browne
Business Events Account Manager
Visit Belfast
Welcome & Introduction
1.00pm, Wednesday 4th September
Graeme has over 2.5 years of experience in Tourism and Business Events, with 10 years previous experience in sales. Graeme’s mission is to showcase the unique culture, history, and innovation of Belfast and Northern Ireland, and to create memorable experiences for clients and delegates. Working closely with a diverse range of stakeholders, including local venues, suppliers, academics, and industry leaders.
Graeme develops and delivers bespoke proposals and bids that highlight the competitive advantages and strengths of Belfast and Northern Ireland. Graeme attends trade shows, networking events, and familiarization trips to build and maintain strong relationships with potential and existing clients, and to keep abreast of the latest trends and developments in the business events sector.
Professor Colette Henry, PhD
1.20pm, Wednesday 4th September
Professor Colette Henry, PhD, is Head of Department of Business Studies at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT), and Adjunct Professor (Business Strategy & Innovation) at Griffith University, Queensland, Australia. She is also an Affiliated Researcher with Jönköping University, Sweden. Her previous roles include Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at UiT-The Arctic University of Norway; Norbrook Professor of Business & Enterprise at the Royal Veterinary College, London, and President of the Institute for Small Business & Entrepreneurship, UK.
She is the Founding Chair of the Global Women’s Entrepreneurship Research Network (Global WEP) and Founding Editor (and former Editor in Chief) of the International Journal of Gender & Entrepreneurship.
She has extensive experience of designing and managing international education and training programmes focusing on entrepreneurship, and currently leads a series of EU-funded entrepreneurship programmes for DkIT. She has published widely on entrepreneurship education, gender, the creative industries, and veterinary/rural business, with over 7,000 citations to her work.
In 2015 she received the Diana International Research Project Trailblazer Award, and in 2017 received the Sten K Johnson European Entrepreneurship Education Award from Lund University, Sweden. Colette is a fellow of the Royal Society, the Higher Education Academy, the Academy of Social Sciences, and the Institute for Small Business & Entrepreneurship. She has led a series of GWEP publications including, with the OECD, “Entrepreneurship Policies Through a Gender Lens” (OECD, 2021).
Her current interests have taken her into the world of creative writing. One of her short crime stories, Betrayal, was recently broadcast by BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Sounds.
https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=tv_OE5QAAAAJ
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4172-5695
Andrew Trimble
Welcome Reception Guest Speaker
7pm, Wednesday 4th September
Andrew Trimble is a former rugby player and entrepreneur. He made his debut for Ulster Rugby in 2005, earning 229 caps in a 13-year career. Internationally, he represented Ireland with 70 caps between 2005 and 2017.
After retiring from rugby in 2018, Trimble co-founded Kairos, a software company optimizing performance and communication for elite sports teams. Kairos began working with high profile football teams in the Premier League as well as Major sports franchises in MLB and the NBA. Kairos was acquired by Teamworks Innovations, a North Carolina company in December 2023 and Andrew now serves as a senior director of product with the company.
Professor Maura McAdam FRSA
10am, Thursday 5th September
Maura McAdam is Professor of Management & Director of Entrepreneurship at DCU Dublin.
Internationally renowned, Prof Maura McAdam is a trailblazer in the field of entrepreneurship, having dedicated over two decades to exploring the intricate interplay of gender and diversity in shaping entrepreneurial behaviour. An extensive background in industry prior to entering academia has augmented her capacity to navigate complex professional landscapes. Simultaneously, her diverse teaching engagements spanning nearly 25 years which includes more recently in Saudi Arabia, have equipped her with a nuanced understanding of interdisciplinary pedagogical approaches. Her use of innovative teaching practices have been recognised in her receipt of a Queen’s Teaching Award (2006), DCU President’s Teaching Award (2018) and President’s Teaching Award Nomination (2023). Furthermore, in 2019, she won an Irish Women’s Award for her Services to Education.
Her illustrious career is marked by the adept leadership and construction of international research teams, fostering successful engagements within both regional and global entrepreneurial ecosystems. With established research networks spanning the UK, Ireland, EU, New Zealand, the US, and the Middle East, she has consistently demonstrated an unwavering commitment to advancing the discourse on women’s entrepreneurship. Prof Maura McAdam has made serious and lasting theoretical and methodological contributions to the area of entrepreneurship, with her research published in FT Top 50 US journals and other top-rated US and UK journals across a range of theoretical disciplines. Ranked amongst the top 2% of scientists in the world for research for the last three consecutive years, she continues to shape the trajectory of scholarly conversations in the field of entrepreneurship. She has received several research awards for her work including most recently the 2023 DCU President’s Award for Research, underscoring her unwavering dedication to advancing the frontiers of knowledge in women’s entrepreneurship.
Dr Spinder Dhaliwal
1.35pm, Thursday 5th September
Dr Spinder Dhaliwal is a Reader in Entrepreneurship at Westminster University Business School where she leads the Entrepreneurship Research Group.
Spinder has written extensively about entrepreneurship and the business community and her latest book which she edited, Cases on Entrepreneurship and Diversity (Edward Elgar Publishing) has just been released. She is the author of The Millennial Millionaire, how young entrepreneurs turn their dreams into business (Palgrave). She compiled Britain’s Richest Asians reflecting her long held interest in the field. Her previous book, Making a Fortune – Learning from the Asian Phenomenon (Capstone) has been noted widely. Her study ‘Silent Contributors – Asian Female Entrepreneurs and Women in Business’ highlights the neglected issue of the contribution of Asian women to both entrepreneurship and the management of family businesses.
Spinder has developed what the Daily Mail described as a “high flying career” which spans academia, writing and the media. Spinder has lead Entrepreneurship programmes both in the UK and overseas. She has run workshops in Barbados, Mauritius, Hong Kong, Athens and China.
Avoiding the insularity of many in her profession, Spinder’s work targets, and hits, a much wider audience than just students and other academics. She has been a regular contributor to the media and, in the past few years, has become an increasingly influential figure in more mainstream circles. Spinder, and her work, have been profiled in The Independent, The Daily Mirror and The Daily Mail and she has appeared on the BBC’s flagship breakfast news programme.
Spinder is invited to address audiences as a speaker and is a freelance writer.
Gareth Trainer
2.25pm, Thursday 5th September
Since 2000, Gareth Trainer has been pioneering change in employability, enterprise, and entrepreneurship within UK Higher Education. As the founder and Head of the University of Sunderland’s innovative Centre for Graduate Prospects, established in March 2022, Gareth shapes the strategic direction, resources, and impact of the Centre’s transformative services for students, graduates, academics, and external partners.
In addition to heading the Centre’s Senior Leadership Team, Gareth plays a pivotal role in the University’s leadership as a key member of the Pro Vice-Chancellor for Learning & Teaching’s Senior Management Group, and as Chair of the University Graduate Progression Committee which drives the development of institutional strategy and ensures robust support for graduate success across the University.
In recognition of his outstanding contributions to enterprise education, Gareth was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of Enterprise Educators UK in 2023. His nine-year tenure as a Director of EEUK, including two years as Chair, and his role in co-authoring the UK Quality Assurance Agency’s original guidance on Enterprise and Entrepreneurshhip Education, underscore his influence in the field. He also served on the Chartered Association of Business Schools’ Small Business Charter Board for five years, where he assessed 11 institutions and led a review into the student facing aspects of the award.
In addition to being a member of hte Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS), Gareth has been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) since 2016, and before joining the University of Sunderland, Gareth led Newcastle University’s Employability, Enterprise & Entrepreneurship services. He holds an MBA alongside a degree in physiology, and qualifications in management coaching and mentoring.
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ghtrainer/
Steve Lazars
11am, Friday 6th September
Steve Lazars, a distinguished enterprise educator, business mentor, and policy advisor. With a career spanning 25 years and nine countries, Steve brings a wealth of experience from the civil, corporate, charity, community, and sports sectors. Over the past decade, he has mentored nearly 250 businesses of all sizes, showcasing his deep understanding of the socio-cultural dynamics that shape entrepreneurship ecosystems worldwide.
Steve is the visionary founder of EMEEN (Ethnic Minority Employment and Entrepreneurship Network), a national network that reaches 15,000 ethnic minority professionals across Northern Ireland, representing 52 nationalities. Currently, Steve supports the delivery of Go Succeed, driving a nationwide ethnic minority entrepreneurship strategy through pioneering workshops and mentoring programs for entrepreneurs across the country. Over the past decade, he has mentored nearly 250 businesses of all sizes, showcasing his deep understanding of the socio-cultural dynamics that shape entrepreneurship ecosystems worldwide.
In addition to his work with EMEEN, Steve founded Investors in Ethnicity, the Ethnic Minority Business Network, and the Ethnic Minority Tech Network. As a national advisor on ethnic minority entrepreneurship policy, he co-authored the first historic position paper on NI ethnic minority and migrant entrepreneurship and hosted the inaugural ethnic minority entrepreneurship summit in Northern Ireland.
His vision is to see ethnic minorities be a part of the economic journey and development of this beautiful country. Steve’s work has been instrumental in fostering socio-economic impact and entrepreneurial success.
Professor Charles Xu
11.50am, Friday 6th September
Professor Xu is President of the Innocare Group, founded in 2017 as an international innovation organisation. Drawing upon years of accumulated experience in the operation and management of technology incubators, Innocare is creating a completely new international operational model for incubators from the perspectives of innovation investment empowerment, government-enterprise empowerment, operational empowerment, and brand empowerment. Simultaneously, Innocare Group has established close collaborations with universities, science parks, technology transfer organisations, and international incubators in China. These collaborations focus on international research cooperation among universities, industry-academia-research collaboration, technology transfer, and cross-border entrepreneurial acceleration.
Professor Xu is also Vice Secretary-General of the Tianjin Proof-of-Concept and Pilot Platform Consultation Committee, and a Chartered Engineer in the UK. A Fellow of Enterprise Educators UK, he is also Head of Specialised Committee on Technology Transformation, National Industry-Education Integration Community for High-end Equipment Manufacturing (Industrial Control Technology) Industry, and Vice President of the Experimental Instrumentation Branch of the China Instrument and Control Society.
Professor Archie Clements
Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research & Enterprise, Queen’s University Belfast
Closing Session
12.40pm, Friday 6th September
Professor Clements joined Queen’s University Belfast in December 2023 as Pro-Vice-Chancellor (PVC) Research and Enterprise. As PVC, he is a member of the University Management Board, and is responsible for leading the development and implementation of the University’s research strategy. He chairs the University Research and Innovation Committee and other decision-making bodies involved in research and enterprise. Professor Clements is also the academic lead for implementation of the Belfast Region City Deal. Prior to joining Queen’s University Belfast, he held leadership roles at University of Plymouth, Curtin University in Western Australia and the Australian National University. Professor Clements is an infectious disease epidemiologist and has studied the spatial epidemiology of parasitic, bacterial and viral diseases, predominantly in tropical regions of the world. He has also worked on community-based intervention studies exploring the role of multi-component, integrated strategies for sustainable infectious disease control. As of December 2023, he has co-authored over 300 peer-reviewed publications and been a chief investigator on competitively awarded research grants valued at over £18M.