DrSamia Mahmood

As one of the leads of the Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Economic Growth (EIEG) research cluster at the University of Wolverhampton, I contribute to leading a team of researchers advancing knowledge in entrepreneurship and SME development. As the Postgraduate Research Tutor for Business and Law, I also oversee the PhD students' programme in the Business and Law Schools.

My expertise centres on women entrepreneurship, digitalisation in SMEs, and women’s leadership, as demonstrated by my membership in the Gender and Enterprise Network Committee of ISBE. I am especially committed to supporting women in business leadership, SME growth, SME digital and net-zero adoption within the Midlands. My research addresses key challenges such as barriers to accessing finance, adopting digitalisation and Net Zero, and the contextual factors that influence entrepreneurial success. These insights can provide practical, evidence-based strategies for businesses aiming to innovate and grow.

Currently, I am engaged in impactful projects, including membership in the newly formed Women in Manufacturing (WiM) Policy and Research Working Group, where we advance gender equality, diversity, and inclusion within UK manufacturing. I recently led projects "Impacts on Regional Growth and Policy Effectiveness for Digital and Sustainable Adoption in West Midlands Manufacturing SMEs" funded by IRC, Innovate UK and “Investigating Disparities in SMEs Digitalisation,” funded by the Department for Business and Trade. These funded projects explore SME  digital and net zero adoption issues in manufacturing SMEs in the region and also identify the disparities in SME digitalisation across gender, ethnicity, region, and industry.

I am particularly interested in collaborating with businesses in the Black Country and Midlands on Management Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (mKTPs), where my research can be directly applied to support business innovation, digitalisation, and strategic growth. My experience in gender-focused, entrepreneurial finance and digitalisation can provide value to organisations looking to integrate research-backed strategies into their operations.