Peter Wyer, PhD

Peter is Professor of Entrepreneurship, an internationally respected specialist in entrepreneurship and business education. He has over 25 years experience managing, ‘partnership working’ with and consulting for growth-seeking small businesses. For several years, he divided his time between the teaching, research and development roles of Professor in Entrepreneurship in university business schools and provision of direct support to small businesses. His research focuses predominantly upon small business strategy development processes and incorporates a comparative dimension that examines small business development in the developed economy context of the UK, the developing economy contexts of Malaysia and Ghana and the transitional economy context of Russia.

He has held leadership positions in the higher education and commercial sectors ranging through Dean and Departmental Head of Business Management to Professorial Lead of Entrepreneurship Research Centres. Within such roles, Peter has designed, developed and delivered innovative business and management education programmes at all educational levels [undergraduate; postgraduate and executive education] and in developed, developing and transitional economy contexts; and has developed creative teaching and assessment approaches and methodologies.

In recognition of his work, his appointments have embraced business and management subject Quality Assessor for the Higher education Funding Council, Director on the Board of North Manchester Business Link and Consultant Industrial Fellow to a leading London independent school. His teaching and lecturing capability has regularly unfolded a ‘repeat client-base’ with students following him from their school context to undergraduate studies; and undergraduates requesting his support for their ongoing study at PhD level. Indicative of his coaching and mentoring skills are five PhD completions (and two of these progressing on to Professorship and Associate Professorship in their specialist fields}.

His international consultancy work includes small business strategic development support and the design, development and delivery of small business management training provision in Russia and Ghana, and Masters level curriculum development in the area of small business management in Malaysia. He has also undertaken consultancy activity for major British companies and agencies, based upon the outputs of his academic research activity, including projects for British Aerospace; the National Freight Consortium; London Development Agency; Welsh Development Agency, the British Council and the UK Small Business Service. His output in the field includes articles, book chapters and conference papers disseminated across ten different countries.