Katrina Starkie, Chair, Influencer Pathway Network

I am the Space and Community Manager at the Dryden Enterprise Centre. In between making the Dryden Enterprise Centre the best place to base a business, you’ll find me championing marketing, supporting entrepreneurs, and getting clued in on investment and business growth.

After studying Broadcast Journalism at NTU I started a film production company with a colleague during my 3rd year. We grew the business (and won some shiny awards) and then merged it with a larger marketing agency where I became the Marketing Director (and won some more shiny awards) and worked with clients from around the world.

After 8 years my feet were starting to itch, and my heart led me back to where the magic began – Nottingham Trent University – in 2021.

Now, I’m the mama hen to the Dryden Enterprise Centre. From spreading the word about our fantastic facilities to ensuring every nook and cranny is in tip-top shape, you’ll find me clucking around to ensure everything is all under control.

I take enterprise education seriously – I snagged the Rising Star Award at the National Enterprise Educator Awards 2023 – and appreciate the role people like me have to play in influencing entrepreneurial minds.

With support from our team at NTU Enterprise we make sure the DEC is not just a workspace, it’s a community where ideas soar and success stories are written.

Andy Mew, Chair, Practitioner Pathway Network

My name’s Andy Mew and I’m the Head of Startup Support at the University of Essex.

My role includes overseeing the development of enterprise and entrepreneurship education opportunities for students as a co- and extra-curricular offer, as well as programmes of support for graduate startups. Alongside this, I also have responsibility for Angels@Essex, our investment platform.

I’ve always had an interest in business – from starting my own car wash service at the age of 13 to being a Duty Manager and helping run a 2000-person nightclub whilst at uni, through to helping run a family-owned business and then setting up my own freelance hustle as a copywriter and growth strategist.

After some time spent digital nomad-ing around Asia, New Zealand, and South America, I set up shop at Essex, growing the team from two staff and two consultants to nine staff and four consultants – working to embed entrepreneurship at the heart of the university here.

I genuinely believe student enterprise roles are the best in the university and want to help practitioners futureproof what they do. I also want to help them demonstrate their value to the institute to create well-rounded, and well-resourced, student enterprise teams.

I love what I do and believe the skills entrepreneurship offers are of the utmost importance to develop the next generation of graduates – regardless of whether they start their own thing or go into employment.

Reach out to me via andy.mew@essex.ac.uk if you want to discuss ways to better support practitioner-led enterprise.

Carys Watts, Chair, Academic Pathway Network

Hello, it’s Carys here, I’m a Senior Lecturer in Bioscience Enterprise at Newcastle University, UK. I started my HE journey with a microbiology degree, then continued with bench science through my PhD and several years’ post-doctoral research (whilst taking evening class qualifications in management), before moving to a Teaching and Scholarship Academic pathway. I’ve always been determined to keep learning and questioning which has helped my personal development; completing additional qualifications including the Academic route FEEUK, Newcastle Policy Academy Fellowship, and the experiential IEEP, and studying an online bio-commercialisation course in lockdown so I could appreciate the experience of my students learning online.

My role involves teaching both science and enterprise and I underpin this with pedagogy involving creativity and experiential learning. I keenly embed and emphasise my values through my work, including commitment to inclusivity and equity of opportunity for students and staff; I co-wrote our school Athena SWAN bronze award application and I lead on Global Education for my Faculty; including student physical and virtual mobility and co-teaching. I am currently working towards Principal Fellowship of Advance HE (currently SFHEA) predominantly based on my enterprise education and commitment to UN SDGs and equality. I am a member of the Regional (Northeast) Enterprise Community of Practice and Newcastle Enterprise Academy, and work with colleagues across and outside my institution to embed enterprise concepts and sustainable behaviours.

At my institution I actively support my colleagues through mentoring, and I am proactive in initiatives that align with my personal values to improve the working environment and work-life balance (NUWomen, single parents’ group, bicycle users’ group). I hope that my experience, enthusiasm and approach to helping others find and articulate their value and meaning will be of benefit to those following the Academic Fellowship pathway.