Dr. Bridget Irene is a distinguished academic, researcher, and advocate for women's empowerment, particularly in entrepreneurship and sustainable development. As the founder of the Women Research Network (WRN), Dr. Irene has created a dynamic platform dedicated to fostering collaboration, mentorship, and advocacy for women entrepreneurs and researchers globally.

Currently serving as a Senior Lecturer in Business Management at De Montfort University, UK, Dr. Irene specializes in gendered entrepreneurship, sustainability, and innovation in the Global South. Her work focuses on amplifying the voices of women, addressing systemic barriers, and promoting inclusive policies that drive economic growth and social equity.

Dr. Irene has a prolific academic record, presenting her research at esteemed conferences such as the British Academy of Management (BAM), Gender, Work and Organization (GWO), and the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE). She has won multiple Best Paper Awards and has published extensively in high-impact journals. Her recent studies explore critical themes such as entrepreneurial education, energy poverty, and the intersection of gender and sustainability in Sub-Saharan Africa.

A Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, Dr. Irene combines academic rigor with practical insights. Her leadership and dedication to advancing women’s roles in entrepreneurship have been recognized globally.

Through WRN, Dr. Irene continues to inspire and support women by providing access to mentorship, resources, and networking opportunities. Her vision is to build an inclusive ecosystem where women’s contributions are celebrated and leveraged for sustainable development.

Dr Charlotte Felix-Faure is research professor of entrepreneurship at IDRAC Business School, Lyon campus, and visiting professor at Leuphana University, Luneburg, Germany, and associate researcher at FERE (Women entrepreneurship) Chair - Grenoble Ecole de Management, France.  She is a member of CREE, a community of researchers in entrepreneurship education in France. She is also the founder of the Inclusive Entrepreneurship Academy, South Africa. Her main research interests focus on women entrepreneurship and inclusive, sustainable, and transformational entrepreneurship within specific institutional settings. As well as on social mechanisms and their underlying institutional logics within a specific context, cultural imprinting, and the influence on entrepreneurial behavior and mindset. Charlotte is also an experienced business practitioner, she has founded and managed a fair-trade interior and fashion concept store for 14 years, engaging in activities such as international sales and distribution, import-export, and marketing.

Dr Sunita Dewitt is an Assistant Professor in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship and Programme Director for MSc International Entrepreneurship with ICTE at Coventry University. Having been in engaged in academia for a number of years she has gained a broad range of teaching experiences ranging from entrepreneurship in diverse sectors. Her current research interests include Women Entrepreneurship, Transformational entrepreneurship, Economic growth through entrepreneurship, Belief system businesses and Firm formation

Dr Regina Frank is an Associate Professor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Management School, Liverpool University UK. Regina has a distinctively international personal, educational and professional background which informs her positionality in research, too. In academia, Regina has always particularly enjoyed interdisciplinary work. Today, her primary research interests include social innovation and entrepreneurship for poverty alleviation and empowerment, for and with marginalized communities, in emerging markets, and in education for sustainable development. Current projects range from critical perspectives on entrepreneurship (research), women entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurship education to art and entrepreneurship for social inclusion.

Prof. Joan Lockyer is a Professor in Education Practice - Entrepreneurship and Head of the School of Strategy and Leadership (SSL) at Coventry University.  Joan is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) and a Fellow of the Royal Society and Arts (FRSA). She has worked in Higher Education for 15 years, prior to which she worked in industry (in product development, testing and certification) for over 10 years and consultancy for 12 years. Her teaching experience covers the full spectrum of accredited and non-accredited programs (undergraduate; postgraduate to doctoral level; professional development and vocational). She is an experienced enterprise educator, leading on the development of a wide range of educational and training programs for students and staff, regardless of discipline.

Chioma Onoshakpor is a lecturer in management and entrepreneurship, an experienced entrepreneur, and an accomplished non-profit female advocate leader with ten (10) years of experience in helping female entrepreneurs scale their businesses in Africa. She runs the Boss Babes NG platform, advocating for women's growth through business financing. As a lecturer at the Aberdeen Business School of Robert Gordon University, she teaches both entrepreneurship and core management modules. Her core research interest is in the field of entrepreneurship, with a specific interest in the areas of gender, access to finance, and entrepreneurial motivation.

Dr Tabitha Sindani is a lecturer in Enterprise and Innovation in the Department of Management and Human Resources at Coventry University London. She is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy, holds a PhD in Entrepreneurship and a Master’s of Science degree in Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship. She’s currently involved in teaching postgraduate modules in entrepreneurial leadership and management, and Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship, as well as undergraduate and postgraduate dissertation supervision.

Dr Julius Irene is a Senior Researcher at Transformative Innovation Africa Hub (TIAH) Transformative Innovation Policy Consortium. Before embarking on his PhD, Julius worked in the oil and gas sector as an upstream exploration operations geologist for over 20 years. Julius is passionate about developing and supporting research related to the institutional and sociocultural context of sustainability transition processes, science and technology studies (STS), foresight and strategic planning. Dr Julius' research provides an enhanced understanding of environmental, and energy challenges and solutions from a place-based perspective to develop findings, tools and theories, which can be applied by local and national policymakers, communities and practitioners.

Dr Siona Ndeh is an enthusiastic and dynamic researcher. She is passionate and committed to addressing challenges of international development research, turning insights gained into significant and practical contributions for improved and lasting implementation. Her areas of expertise include Entrepreneurship, International Labour Law, Management, International Business, Qualitative research and Educational assessment.

Mirhiga Okuwhere holds a PhD from Coventry University, UK, and is a visiting lecturer in Business Management at Birmingham Newman University. He has taught at the International Centre for Transformational Entrepreneurship (ICTE), Coventry University and the Department of Entrepreneurship, University of Benin, Nigeria.

He has an MSc from Bournemouth University, UK, an MBA, a BSc and a diploma from the University of Benin, Nigeria. His research interests are focused mainly on SMEs Digitalisation, SMEs Sustainable Performance, Entrepreneurship, Cluster, Open Innovation.

Dr Doyin Olorunfemi is lecturer in Management at University of Sunderland, London. She is passionate about micro businesses and SMEs, and keen on knowledge transfer projects that enable MSMEs adopt technology in cost effective ways. As a past business owner, she understands the importance of strategy and innovation in ensuring competitive advantage, so she actively creates tools to upskill MSMEs in these areas. Her research focuses on entrepreneurial intersections (e.g. practice, learning, spirituality, sustainability) and specifically the role of selling as a trigger for the entrepreneurship in women. Findings from her research suggest that practice-based approaches, like selling, foster entrepreneurial learning and development of entrepreneurial self-efficacy. As an educator, she employs a practice-led approach, exploring the intersections of practice and theory through cases, to deliver engaging, experiential learning sessions that translate to optimal student experience. This is useful in her role as an ACEE (Academic Champion for embedding Employability and Enterprise) at the University of Sunderland, London.

She is a Case Centre, ‘Case teaching scholar’ and also a certified Business Model You® practitioner, both of which enhance her output as an educator and researcher.

Dr Bisola Ariyo is a Lecturer in strategic management at De Montfort University. Main research explores resilience capabilities of Nigerian micro and small businesses during crises. Other research interests include food security, crisis and business continuity management. Co-researching with a European Commission-funded research team that uses Copernicus data to develop solutions for farm extension service/small-scale farmers. A self-motivated individual who is committed to teaching-learning activities and applying appropriate strategies to propel learning. Skilled in analytical and commercial thinking. Also, a collegian to the core and adept at time management.