St Mary's Formally Welcomes Prof Francis Davis to its School of Management and Social Sciences

Prof Francis Davis, a graduate of Warwick Business School, London (SOAS), Durham and Southampton Universities has formally begun his role as Professor of Social Justice and Innovation at St Mary’s University, Twickenham. An international authority on social justice, enterprise and public innovations research, innovation, and leadership, Prof Davis is currently working on the development of new modules within St Mary’s School of Management and Social Science (MSS). St Mary’s Vice-Chancellor Francis Campbell welcomed the news, saying, “Francis will be a real asset to St Mary’s and we are proud he will be strengthening our excellent team here. Francis will undoubtedly enrich the quality of academic thought here and I personally look forward to working with him.” Christopher Hull, Head of the School, commented, “We’re delighted to have Francis on board. His experience in creating and delivering high quality programmes and research is very strong and we look forward to the contribution he’ll undoubtedly make to our team.” Prof Francis Davis added, “I’m looking forward to getting my feet under the table in my new role at St Mary’s, working with my esteemed colleagues. I’ve seen great talent in the young people at St Mary’s and observed a uniquely close and supportive community. I hope to encourage them to take a fresh look at social injustice, to inform there studies here at St Mary’s and to better equip them to make a positive contribution to their communities outside university.” Prof Davis’ academic research has been focused on: enterprise at the bottom of the economic pyramid; social enterprise; political economy; and public innovation. His research has been the subject of multiple debates and motions in both Houses of Parliament. He has also recently been active with: Vietnamese ministers; Japanese educators; Mayoral candidates from the Global South; civil servants; faith based NGOs; family firm boards; and a wide variety of charities and social innovators. A weekly columnist for the Catholic Times, Prof Davis is also currently: a non executive director of the £0.2 billion Solent NHS Trust; the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust; and the Mile End Institute at Queen Mary University London. Prof Davis is a Fellow Royal Geographical Society; Member Chartered Institute for Public Relations; Member Institute of Fundraising; Fellow Helen Suzman Foundation, Johannesburg; and a member of the Advisory Board Tell Mama. MSS is a member of the Chartered Association of Business Schools, and aims to provide a high quality, vocationally centred education through its undergraduate and professional courses. At undergraduate level, the School offers a diverse curriculum aiming to combine the best in traditional academic rigour with the high-level skills development essential to successful graduate employment.