Simon O'Leary

I am the Academic Lead and Course Director for the research-focused Academic Professional Apprenticeship (APA) and for Post Graduate Research (PGR) at CCCU.

I have extensive academic experience in leadership, research, and teaching, with long-term roles at Canterbury Christ Church University, University of Hertfordshire, Anglia Ruskin University, Regent’s University London, University of Kent, and Leeds Beckett University.

My leadership includes roles as Programme & Course Director, Subject Cluster Head, Chair of Programme Validations and HEA Fellowship Panels, Member of University Senate, External Examiner, and numerous other activities and projects.

I am a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, teaching, supervising and leading on Academic Professional Apprenticeships with staff, and in Post Graduate Research and Business & Management fields with students from Undergraduate to Masters and Doctorate/PhD levels.

I have over one hundred outputs across journals, books, news, and conferences. I founded a Research Centre, University Working Papers series, raised research funding, and have been appointed to multiple academic journal editorial roles. Two-thirds of my research output is in business and management fields and one-third on student experience issues in higher education, while some work complements both fields. The business and management issues are connected to enterprise, family business, luxury brands, brand advertising on social media, and global issues such as climate change and Brexit. My student experience research focuses on embedding employability into the curriculum, and the importance of business school research reputations.

Research Projects

Embedding employability: Regent’s University London. Researcher(s): Professor Simon O'Leary. [Project report]
Embedding employability: Regent’s University London. Researcher(s): Professor Simon O'Leary. [Project report]

Bringing unseen employability support into view O'Leary, S., (Jan 2020): JISC. [Research report]
Focusing on the golden skills of effective communication and collaboration to further enhance graduate employability attributes O'Leary, S., McGee, M., Qi, M., Millns, S., Eyden, A.: Canterbury Christ Church University. [Journal article]
Innovations in immersive technology and artificial intelligence to enhance the golden skillsets of effective communication and collaboration O'Leary, S., Ward, G., Jackson, T., (25 Sep 2024): Canterbury Christ Church University. [Journal article]
Leadership and succession in Trinidadian family businesses Boodoo, K., O'Leary, S., Martin, L., (2024). Canterbury: Canterbury Christ Church University. [Journal article]
Using generative artificial intelligence to catalyse further interdisciplinarity across higher education Clarke, S., Billingsley, B., O'Leary, S., (Jan 2024). Canterbury: Canterbury Christ Church University. [Journal article]
Management actions to address the climate emergency: Motivations and barriers for SMEs and other societal micro/meso-level groups O'Leary, S., Lieberman, S., Gulyas, A., Ogilvie, M., Bates, D., Heath, T., Pelz, C., Williams, S., Shalet, D.: Elsevier. [Journal article]
Retailers, don’t ignore me on social media! The importance of consumer-brand interactions in raising purchase intention - Privacy the Achilles heel Gutierrez, A., Punjaisri, K., Desai, B., Alwi, S., O'Leary, S., Chaiyasoonthorn, W., Chaveesuk, S., (28 Jan 2023): Elsevier. [Journal article]
Digital entrepreneurship: opportunities, but not a panacea - implications for premium products and entrepreneurship education O'Leary, S.. [Journal article]
The climate emergency across business, community and campaign groups: motivations and barriers to driving change for the common good O'Leary, S., Gulyas, A., Lieberman, S., Ogilvie, M., Bates, D., Heath, T., Shalet, D.. [Journal article]
The climate emergency across business, community and campaign groups: Motivations and barriers to driving change for the common good O'Leary, S., Lieberman, S., Gulyas, A., Ogilvie, M., Bates, D., Heath, T., Pelz, C., Williams, S., Shalet, D., (25 Sep 2024): Canterbury Christ Church University. [Journal article]
The role of research reputation in choosing a UK business school and the contrasting perspectives of students and research leaders Sirkeci, I., O'Leary, S., (30 Sep 2021): Elsevier. [Journal article]
Gender and management implications from clearer signposting of employability attributes developed across graduate disciplines O'Leary, S., (21 Jul 2019): Taylor & Francis. [Journal article]
An exploratory study on social entrepreneurship in Egypt Fakoussa, R., O'Leary, S., Salem, S., (28 Jan 2020): Emerald. [Journal article]
Profiling a niche market and establishing an entrepreneurial strategy for a niche brand; the costume jewellery sector in Switzerland O'Leary, S., Hirt, S., (2015). London. [Working paper]
Walking that family and business tightrope; the relationship between family business adviser and the family business Swaffin-Smith, C., O'Leary, S.. London. [Working paper]
Walking the tightrope between family and business; longitudinal reflections of a Family Business Advisor Swaffin-Smith, C., O'Leary, S., (2020). London. [Working paper]
Exploring the growth challenges of social enterprises: Identifying staffing, earnings-generation and communications as critical success factors O'Leary, S., Fakoussa, R., Lawal-Solarin, A.. London. [Working paper]
Migrant entrepreneurs’ views on the potential impacts of Brexit on their UK businesses O'Leary, S., (2019). London. [Working paper]
Using privacy calculus theory to explore entrepreneurial directions in mobile location-based advertising: Identifying intrusiveness as the critical risk factor Gutierrez, A., O'Leary, S., Rana, N. P., Dwivedi, Y. K., Calle, T., (20 Sep 2018): Elsevier. [Journal article]
Walking the tightrope between family and business; the owner-manager transition towards a sibling partnership Swaffin-Smith, C., O'Leary, S.. London. [Working paper]
Designing the geography of luxury: Online perceptions and entrepreneurial options Carlotto, F., O'Leary, S., (01 Oct 2018): Intellect. [Journal article]
Influencing decision-makers as the next step for entrepreneurship educators: lessons from entrepreneurship education in challenging economies O'Leary, S., Fakoussa, R., Boccacci, A., Salem, S.. Regent's University London. [Working paper]
Internships and graduate employability O'Leary, S., (2018), International Internships: Mission, Methods & Models. Boston, MA.. [Book chapter]
Mapping the geographies of luxury cognitive “purity” Carlotto, F., O'Leary, S., (2018). London. [Working paper]
An economic impetus for enhancing employability support across higher education in Russia O'Leary, S.: Ministry of Education and Science, Russian Federation. [Journal article]
Developing entrepreneurial and employability attributes through marketing projects with SMEs O'Leary, S., (10 Jul 2017): Emerald. [Journal article]
Enhancing graduate attributes and employability through initiatives with external partners O'Leary, S., (20 Jul 2020): University of Oxford, Centre for Teaching and Learning . [Journal article]
Entrepreneurial transitions in Family Business: Organic model, governance and succession O'Leary, S., Swaffin-Smith, C., Fakoussa, R., (22 Sep 2017). London. [Book]
Graduates’ experiences of, and attitudes towards, the inclusion of employability-related support in undergraduate degree programmes; trends and variations by subject discipline and gender O'Leary, S., (05 Jan 2016): Taylor & Francis. [Journal article]
Planning a new venture O'Leary, S., (2017), Flexible Learning Practice Guide Practitioner Exemplars. York, UK: Higher Education Academy. [Book chapter]
Developing global team working abilities and enhancing employability through enterprise initiatives O'Leary, S., (15 Aug 2016), Teaching with Team Projects in Higher Education. Santa Rose, CA. : Informing Science Press. [Book chapter]
Disciplinary and gender variations in employability-related support across higher education O'Leary, S., (2015). London. [Working paper]
Organic model to reflect the transitional nature of family firms O'Leary, S., Swaffin-Smith, C., (01 Sep 2016): Ingenta, Westburn . [Journal article]
The opportunities and challenges for employability-related support in STEM degrees O'Leary, S.: University of Leicester. [Journal article]
Economic governance and enterprise-related activities in higher education O'Leary, S., (Jul 2015): Centre of Sociological Research. [Journal article]
Integrating employability into degree programmes using consultancy projects as a form of enterprise O'Leary, S., (01 Dec 2015): SAGE. [Journal article]
Organic model to reflect the transitional nature of family firms O'Leary, S.. London. [Working paper]
Consultancy projects as an alternative to dissertations. O'Leary, S., (2014), Enhancing Employability Through Enterprise Education: Examples of Good Practice in Higher Education. York, UK.: Higher Education Academy. [Book chapter]
An appraisal of family enterprise advisors as enhancers of both group performance and individual family member employability profiles O'Leary, S., Swaffin-Smith, C., (2013). London. [Working paper]
Case Study 2: MA in Luxury Brand Management O'Leary, S., Taught Postgraduate Student Experience: Transition to Master’s level study - Collection of International, UK and Scottish case studies. [Book chapter]
Collaborations in higher education with employers and their influence on graduate employability; an institutional project O'Leary, S., (15 Dec 2015): Taylor & Francis. [Journal article]
Investigating the impact of entrepreneurship online teaching on science and technology degrees on students attitudes in developing economies: The case of Egypt El-Gohary, H., O'Leary, S., Radway, P., Small and Medium Enterprises: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications. USA: IGI Global. [Book chapter]
Problem-solving skills and employability traits amongst Generation Y and Millenials in developed economies O'Leary, S., Denton, K.. London. [Working paper]
Case study on client-focused business projects O'Leary, S., (2012), A Compendium of Examples of Innovative Assessment at Masters Level. [Book chapter]
Impact of entrepreneurship teaching in higher education on the employability of scientists and engineers O'Leary, S., (01 Dec 2012): SAGE. [Journal article]
Investigating the impact of entrepreneurship online teaching on science and technology degrees on students attitudes in developing economies: The case of Egypt El-Gohary, H., O'Leary, S., Radway, H., (Mar 2012): IGI Global. [Journal article]

People search

Contact me

simon.oleary@canterbury.ac.uk

01227923129

Professor Simon O'Leary

Research Projects

Contact me