Summary

I am the Director of Business Development in the Faculty of Business and Law. I have worked in the Solent region since 1998 and for the university since 2009. I am responsible for managing and driving the faculty’s business relationships, supporting our researchers and developing key business partnerships or programmes. I work across the business landscape from Entrepreneur to Corporation, helping organisations to collaborate with the faculty and derive mutual benefit from combining experience and expertise.

Biography

I am a frustrated electrical and electronic engineer hiding in the business world.  I studied a BEng in Communications Systems Engineering at the end of the dot.com bubble. Although I know that now, I did not know that then and I graduated from university to a lacklustre job market and an industry experiencing rapid contraction.  With that in mind, I turned to my previous experience and worked in the retail and hospitality industry for around 10 years. During that time, I developed a talent for dealing with customers and driving sales and marketing. In 2009, I saw an opportunity to come back to the university helping academics and businesses understand each other and see the potential benefits of working together. This led me to my current position in the faculty.

Research interests

Whilst not a researcher, my day-to-day activities bring me into contact with a fascinating bunch of business practitioners (academics and students) who regularly pique my curiosity. Through the application of my MBA studies, I am fascinated by the conditions that make business success happen from governmental interventions, entrepreneurship, the role of people, and serendipity. As a result, I am always interested in economic growth initiatives and business support schemes as I believe the Faculty of Business and Law's staff and students have a lot to offer the world around them.

Teaching responsibilities

I am responsible for the faculty’s external business profile and reputation, as well as ensuring that the business community understands who we are and how to get in touch. My team provides project management support to our collaborations with external partners and drives the outreach activities that raise the profile of our students and staff, such as our #BusinessTalk events, the annual Business Talk magazine and the fortnightly local #Businesstalk e-newsletter.

Media availability

I have spoken for the university on local radio, presented at local and national conferences and authored articles for publication. I am very happy to respond to journalists in a timely manner. Please contact me directly by email pete.hooley@port.ac.uk or by phone +44(0)23 9284 2976.