Dr Liang Lu is a Senior Lecturer in Economics and e-Commerce at the Fashion Business School, LCF. She is the Course Leader of the Integrated MSc. Strategic Fashion Management. She is also a Research Member at the Centre for Competition Policy at the University of East Anglia (UEA), where she previously held a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship. Before her post-doc, Liang obtained a fully funded Ph.D. in Economics at UEA (2017), an MSc in Economics from the University of Warwick (2013) and a BSc in Business Economics from UEA (2011). Liang researches and publishes on Industrial Organisation, Competition and Consumer Policy and Behavioural and Experimental Economics, with applications to e-commerce, fashion and regulated sectors such as energy and water. Read Liang's full profile here and here.
Dr Emmanuel Sirimal Silva is the Head of Research Coordination: Fashion Business School and Principal Lecturer in Quantitative Methods. He is the recipient of a BSc (Hons) Economics and Actuarial Science (2011) and MSc. Risk Management (2012) from the University of Southampton, PG Cert Academic Practice in Art, Design and Communication (2019) from UAL, and PhD Statistics (2016) from Bournemouth University (BU) in the UK. Emmanuel is also a fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Since joining the Fashion Business School as a Lecturer in 2015, Emmanuel went on to serve as the Course Leader MSc Strategic Fashion Management prior to his current appointment. Emmanuel is responsible for the evolution and enhanced integration of quantitative methods within the curriculum and supervises the quantitative research components of all MSc final major projects. In recognition of his contribution to teaching and learning, Emmanuel was awarded a 2017 UAL Teaching Award. His research interest is in time series analysis and forecasting with singular spectrum analysis. Emmanuel has presented his research at several international conferences and has a portfolio of 50 published journal articles (with several AJG ranked 2*, 3* and 4* publications) with over 900 citations. He is also a co-author of the book "Fusing Big Data, Blockchain and Cryptocurrency". Read Emmanuel's full profile here.
Dr Affan Hameed joined the Fashion Business School at UAL in 2018 as a Lecturer in Quantitative Methods. He obtained his BBA (distinction) with major in Finance at the Lahore School of Economics (2010), having studied under a four-year scholarship on merit. Thereafter, Affan completed his masters in Finance (distinction) at the Queen’s University Belfast (2011). In 2018 Affan was awarded a PhD. in Finance by the ICMA Center, Henley Business School at the University of Reading. He has interned in several roles such as operational analyst, investment analyst and accounts assistant at large financial institutions (JS Investments, Bank Alfalah, and Holiday Inn) and was also employed in the public sector as a statistical officer in Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS). Affan’s research interest lies in corporate governance and corporate finance. After his masters, Affan conducted hands-on lab sessions in Financial Econometrics at Queen’s University Belfast. During his PhD., Affan gained three years of teaching experience in the following modules: Corporate Governance, Financial Engineering, Securities, Options and Derivatives, and Mergers and Acquisitions. Affan also worked in various financial institutions including the Mergers & Acquisition Department at Mercer, London during his PhD. Currently, Affan teaches the areas of Quantitative Methods, Research Methods, Corporate Finance and Risk Management, and Principles of Business.
Dr Max Tookey is a Lecturer in Management (Quantitative Methods) and is the Second Year Tutor at the Fashion Business School. Max’s academic background is in Psychology and Social Science, having studied at the Universities of Bath, Oxford, Cardiff and the University of East Anglia. After working for a period of time an Occupational Psychologist, Max embarked on an career in academia, having held positions at University College Cork (Ireland), the University of Bath, the University of East Anglia (UEA), the University of the West of England (UWE), the University of Greenwich and the University of Brighton. He has extensive experience of teaching Research Methods, Organisational Behaviour and Social Psychology, and has supervised numerous projects up to doctoral level. He is Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has received various teaching awards, in addition to achieving a recognised qualification in counselling. In 2013 Max completed his PhD at UEA on Psychological Contracts in Academia, and has published in various peer-reviewed journals in the areas of career-related behaviour and ethical behaviour in the workplace. He is interested in developing research on the applicability of these areas to the creative industries and would like to supervise further doctoral projects.
Ayshen Ali is Senior Lecturer Fashion Management and acting course leader for BSc Fashion Management. She is an early graduate of the London College of Fashion BA (Hons) Fashion Management course. After which, she went on to work in buying, within companies such as Burberry, Harrods and ASOS. She worked on Selecting ranges for the customers and dealing with many luxury brands such as Ralph Lauren, Missoni, D&G, Paul Smith and Moschino. She has been teaching Fashion Management since 2013, and has taught at UCA and Instituto Marangoni. She completed her PGCE in 2013 and completed her MA Creative Arts Education in 2018 with Distinction, her thesis focused on graduate employability. Ayshen is a Senior Fellow of Higher Education Academy. She has a keen interest in student engagement, developing innovative and industry relevant course content, as well as embedding employability skills into curriculum and has published research regarding this.
Adrian Gauci is Lecturer in Fashion Management with teaching experience specialising in Fashion Marketing, Leadership, HRM and Strategy at leading universities in New York and London. Adrian published articles in the Journal of International Business and Law and was CEO of the American Marketing Association chapter at Hofstra University in New York. Adrian also attended several academic conferences in the US and UK. He is also certified in public speaking by Toastmasters International. He led consultancies at Merrill Lynch Centre and other enterprise software corporations in New York. Adrian run his own consultancy based in London and New York. Adrian read a dual MBA with distinction in Management and International Business at the Frank G. Zarb School of Business in New York on full international academic scholarship. Adrian was also awarded a Master in Integrated Marketing Communications from San Diego State University and University of Malta. He was ranked on the Dean's list on both courses. Adrian was recently awarded a teaching excellence award from LCF for his MBA teachings and a Teaching Fellow Award from the LSE Management Department. Adrian led business development teams in New York and London and also works in industry consultancy projects. His hobby is portraits photography using analogue and having a drama degree is also acted in several motion pictures for international cinema release.
Ronit Zilkha is a British fashion designer. She studied fashion design in London, after which she launched her eponymous collection. Her unique designs, including inspired eveningwear and daywear, have been worn by members of the Royal family, celebrities, stars and fashion editors the world over, showcasing at London Fashion Week for 15 consecutive years. The Ronit Zilkha label achieved international recognition and success, as well as the eighteen independent Ronit Zilkha stores, and concessions in Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges and House of Fraser. With 27 years’ experience in the fashion industry Ronit is a Lecturer at the London College of Fashion in the MA Fashion Design Management, Grad Dip Fashion Management, BSc Fashion Management & MSc Strategic Fashion Management and BA Fashion Marketing courses, leading masterclasses, lectures and workshops whilst contributing to curriculum development.
Jenny Wilson is a lecturer in Retail Strategy, Innovation and Operations at the Fashion Business School. She first joined the teaching team at LCF in 2014 and spent 4 years working on campus, working predominantly with BSc Year 3 Fashion Management. Her initial background spans from retail management to consulting for recruitment firms specializing in premium and luxury retail projects. Her experience within talent management and operations has taken her as far afield as South Africa and as locally as her home city of Edinburgh. Since then, Jenny has been working as both a consultant and lecturer across the UK, Europe, and the Middle East. Her teaching has spanned several universities including those in the UK, Spain, China, and the UAE, predominantly at final year undergraduate and MSc/MBA level. Last September, Jenny rejoined the Fashion Business School permanently and continues to work from Dubai, teaching both undergraduate and postgraduate cohorts. When not teaching, she continues to work in a freelance capacity in both luxury retail recruitment and is a content creator in CMI material for PwC's Training Academy in the Middle East. She holds a MSc (Distinction) in International Fashion Marketing, an MBA (merit) in Global Business and a PGC in Academic Practice. Her research interests lie in Omnichannel retailing and the effects of increased digitilisation on organisational behaviour. She studies her PhD part-time and aims to publish her first research paper in 2022.
Kelly Darcy is s a Lecturer in Management: Retail Strategy, Innovation and Operations alongside beingan Associate Lecturer in the areas of Fashion Business, Psychology & Sustainability, Marketing, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the London College of Fashion and London Southbank University. Alongside her work, she also coaches entrepreneurs on a one-to-one basis. Kelly is part of an MBA in Sustainability Leadership where she campaigns for policy change and also brings sustainable practices into her own life and consumer behaviours. She also runs wellbeing workshops in fashion & body positivity and in 2020 started to run courses in starting a sustainable fashion business.She has worked as a fashion business consultant in the fashion industry for 10 years and across her client portfolio, Kelly also researches, coaches and is an experienced facilitator. Kelly is also an Associate Fellow with the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts (FRSA).
Kelly studied at LCF with a BA in Fashion Business and an MSc in Applied Psychology in Fashion, she hopes to make it a hat-trick with a PhD in Consumer Culture, which she aims to start over the coming years.
Karen Manville is a lecturer on the Fashion Management course at the Fashion Business School who's industry experience includes working with companies including Nails Inc, Harrods, L'Occitane and training with brands including Aveda, Decleor, Demalogica, Elemis and Guinot. She has been teaching at the UAL since 2005 during which she gained an MA in Education (2013). Karen is currently in her final year of her PhD focusing on the benefits of canine assisted interaction on the mental health of HE students. She has presented her research at a number of conferences in the UK including Worcesters University: Seeds of Knowledge and British Psychology Society: Division of Health Psychology, and alongside her dog Elvis (more commonly known as Fathead) she had provided canine therapy for a number of years as part of her research for her PhD at Middlesex University.
Toyin Laketu is the Product and Supply Chain Management Lecturer at the Fashion Business School, working across undergraduate and post graduate programmes. Toyin has a Masters in International Business and has been teaching across business and fashion disciplines since 2019. She has completed her PG Cert in creative education and holds a Fellowship of Higher Education Academy.
Toyin has over 14 years’ experience of working with UK leading fashion, retail, and creative businesses, focusing on business development, marketing, and international strategy.
She has worked to promote the UK creative industries and fashion across Europe, Asia, Middle East, and the US and has delivered new business success and partnerships for brands, such as Cath Kidston, Marks and Spencer, Christopher Raeburn, Alex Monroe, Debenhams and many more.
Toyin has worked in partnership with organisations such as British Fashion Council and UK Fashion and Textiles Association and many others, working on Government initiatives to increase UK businesses export activity in new markets.
Dr Cigdem Gogus is an experienced academic, marketing practitioner and researcher, with a background in sales, business development and entrepreneurship. She has an MBA in e-business (City University Business School, London) and a PhD in Consumer Behaviour - Marketing (Henley Business School). Her expertise lies in consumer behaviour, e-commerce, digital marketing, and start-up’s. Cigdem has taught across a wide range of marketing topics at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. She has overseen countless Master’s dissertations. She has in-depth knowledge of marketing theory, research methods as well as broader theoretical knowledge of social sciences and business management. Her work experience includes; market research, merchandising, sales and business development, starting and running a successful e-commerce business. Cigdem regularly attends academic and business conferences run by: The Association for Consumer Research, Market Research Society, Association for Qualitative Research and ESOMAR.
Fran Sheldon, Lecturer in Fashion Management (Sustainability). Fran holds a BA in Design for Performance: Costume, and an MA(Dist) in Fashion Promotion & Imaging. Teaching qualifications include a PGCert in Creative Education, and professional recognition as an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Fran has taught globally at leading fashion schools in the subjects of retail data analytics, fashion technology, and sustainable development for fashion and retail. Fran has provided research and analysis for successful Fashion Revolution campaigns (‘Who Made my Clothes?’ and ‘Fashion Transparency Index’), including compiling their Influencer learning pack for their ‘#HAULTERNATIVE’ campaign. Fran is Chair of the Education Committee for Fashion Roundtable, and contributing writer to their Informer publication. Prior to working in Higher Education Fran was Head of Education at EDITED (Retail Data Analytics) and designed and launched the online education platform and accreditation for fashion retail professionals to encourage accurate retailing, and data lead decision making. Whilst at EDITED Fran worked closely with companies like John Lewis, Fitflop, and Farfetch, and continues to speak and write about big data in fashion at retail industry events like Magic, Top Drawer and Pure, and for publications like Fashion United and WWD. Fran is the UK Research Lead for the ‘Give (back) credit to the heritage communities project’ proposed by the Give Back Credit social activist network. The project seeks to address the pervasiveness of cultural appropriation in the global fashion industry, by protecting endangered knowledge, local supply networks, and heritage crafts vital to our sustainable fashion future.
Sonia Vega-Pérez, Lecturer in Product Management. Sonia’s academic background is in Marketing and Communications and Fashion and Luxury Business Management, having studied at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, as well as University of Oxford and UAL. For the last 10 years, Sonia has worked in multiple industries and markets for brands of the likes of ASOS, Google and Farfetch. She has extensive experience in Brand and Business Strategy, and a strong expertise in Ecommerce and Digital Marketing. Sonia is Fellow of the RSA. Since 2020 Sonia studies for a PhD at UAL on Consumer Culture within Fashion and Aesthetics, researching on trends and cultural movements.
Serena Gossain teaches on luxury brand management, branding and marketing at FBS, on the BSc and MSc programmes in Fashion Management as well as guest lecturing at other leading arts universities. Luxury brand management is a specialist subject area that Serena has been engaged with for over 8 years. Serena has an MA in Visual Communication from Central Saint Martins, a PGCHE and is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Serena is an accomplished creative professional with over 25 years of experience in branding, design and advertising. Her industry background working within advertising and design agencies, provides a strategic appreciation of the power of brand communication, positioning and marketing. Serena has created successful campaigns and branding concepts for clients in the UK and USA. Serena also works as a freelance art director/branding consultant and is based in West London.
Dr Shuyu Lin’s expertise lies in value creation and appropriation in the fashion ecosystem. Her research aims to extend the application of network-based strategic management and social capital theories to the discipline of aesthetic innovation. Exploring both structural and relational mechanism in open innovation has been at the centre of her research interest. Following a BA in Journalism, Shuyu pursued her career in the fashion industry as a PR consultant and fashion editor. She then received the degree of MSc in Management with Marketing and PhD in Management from the University of Bath.
