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.
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.
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 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 having 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 Year 1 Tutor & Lecturer in BSc Fashion Management/MSc Strategic Fashion Management, MA Fashion Design Management, Grad Dip Fashion Management and BA Fashion Marketing courses, leading masterclasses, lectures and workshops whilst contributing to curriculum development.
Dr Lan Wang is lecturer in Economics and Finance at the Fashion Business School. Lan is a member in Centre for Business and Climate Change at University of Edinburgh Business School. She has been completed PhD in climate finance at University of Edinburgh, MSc in Carbon Finance from University of Edinburgh (2013), and MSc in Corporate Finance from ICMA Centre, University of Reading (2010). Lan had two-year financial industrial working experience at Bank of China and participated in consulting and research projects granted by World Bank and British Consulate Guangdong General in China. She also gained teaching experience in the modules of Principle of Finance and Energy Finance during her PhD. Lan research interest is in green finance, sustainable investment, climate policy, and carbon market design. She has published on Journal of Environmental Science and Pollution Research in carbon market efficiency.
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.
