Barbara  co-ordinated the Manchester Fashion Institutes response to the COVID-19 shortfall of garment PPE for local NHS Trusts. She  engaged the support of HMP Prison Industries (The largest garment manufacturer in the UK) to respond to the call for UK manufacturing support for PPE garments for the NHS.
Commercial director and academic, with board-level experience of working in British fashion across all major UK High Street retailers. Specialising in co-ordinating and developing "New Business" opportunities for both Home and Garment textile multi-line manufacturing businesses. Recognised as a sector specialist for garment manufacture and with an experienced understanding of both UK and global supply chain management. Head of Business Engagement at the Manchester Fashion Institute working with the textile and fashion sectors to support and develop businesses to deliver research expertise that transfers cost benefits for their industry sector.

Barbara has developed and runs the Sponsored Masters Programme that was originally developed as a way of providing Employability Skills Training for Masters students in the Manchester Fashion Institute. These took the form of individual sponsored dissertations delivered for fashion retail and small to medium enterprises (SMEs) and a sponsored group project for Her Majesty’s Prison Service Industries. The programme has since been extended through the financial support of the Pro VC for Arts and Humanities into a programme available to other Masters students across a number of faculties in the university.

Academic and professional qualifications

2018 CText FTI – Fellow of the Textile Institute
2017 SFHEA – Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Authority
2014 MAAP – Masters in Academic Practice with Merit - Manchester Metropolitan University
2012 PGCAP – Post Graduate Diploma in Academic Practice- Manchester Metropolitan University
2009 C.Text.A.T.I – Associate of the Textile Institute
1988 BA (Hons) Home Economics (Student of the Year) - University of Ulster Jordanstown NI

Previous Employment

My background includes more than 25 years in garment manufacturing and supply, to the leading UK High Street retailers. This has involved bulk manufacturing of all major product sectors for the market leaders in the UK. I have extensive global sourcing experience and have worked with both UK and Off Shore manufacturers.

Undergraduate teaching

BA ( Hons)Fashion Promotion

BA ( Hons ) Fashion Design Technology

BA (Hons ) International Fashion ( Top Up)

Projects and initiatives

• The creation of spin-out companies

2013-2015 Supporting a creative peer through the development of concept to commercialisation of a product range. Explaining and mentoring with commercial client interactions to build confidence and knowledge in the intricacies of fashion retail

2013 – Winner – MMU KEIF funding award -Fashion start Up Label -Andrea Zapp -The School of Art
2013 – Joint Winner – MMU Knowledge Exchange Award -Hollings Faculty-Fashion Start Up Label / Andrea Zapp -School of Art

Collaborations with public, private and third-sector organisations;

2014 – Winner – MMU Knowledge Exchange Award -Hollings Faculty -Body Scanning Research for Fashion Retailing

2015 – Winner – MMU Knowledge Exchange Award -Hollings Faculty -Body Scanning Research for Canterbury Sportswear

2016 -2020 HMP Prison Industries
 3 years Sponsored masters programmes
 CFS -HMP Staff Training
 Covid -19 Response

• 2020 NHS/ GMCA - Covid -19 PPE

Consultancy and advisory roles

 2016 Appointed as Textile Specialist for Regional Growth Fund-GMCA- Approving textile suppliers for eligibility for sector funding for British Manufacturers. Recognised by sector governing bodies as both an academic and commercial textile specialist that understands the needs of the textile industry manufacturing sector.
2017 Appointed as a Textile Industry Specialist by Central Government. Selected  to peer review applications across numerous industry sectors including textiles. This involves marking applications, the provision of feedback and review against set government descriptors.

2020 Appointed to NW Task Force for PPE  Workstream of GM Recovery Plan As part of the Greater Manchester (GM) Covid Recovery plan, a series of working groups are being established to look in to specific themes that will be important, both in an immediate sense, but also as part of the longer-term recovery plan, leading to the “Build Back Better” approach that GM has proposed. 

Government and industry links

2016 -2020 HMP Prison Industries
 3 years Sponsored masters programmes
 CFS -HMP Staff Training
 Covid -19 Response

GMCA/ Business Growth Hub

Innovate UK

KTN - Knowledge Transfer Network

Make it British

BTMA -British Textile Machinery Association

Textile Institute

Impact and influence on policy

June 2020 MMU press release on Government policy related to recommendations for UK PPE procurement going forward post COVID-19

https://www.mmu.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/story/12429/

Media appearances or involvement

May 20202 - Interviewed by BBC Radio Manchester re PPE response to COVID-19 pandemic

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08b4w10
Programme starts at 2pm so you will need to scroll through 2 hours to find 4pm news bulletins

Prizes and awards

• BA (Hons)
• MAAP
• PGCAP
• SFHEA
• CText FTI

Other distinctions

• 2010 – Shortlisted Outstanding Teaching for Employability
• 2012 – Nominated -Best Overall Teacher & Outstanding Teaching for Employability
• 2013 – Shortlisted Outstanding Teaching for Employability
• 2013 – Winner – MMU KEIF funding award -Fashion start Up Label -Andrea Zapp -The School of Art
• 2013 – Joint Winner – MMU Knowledge Exchange Award -Hollings Faculty-Fashion Start Up Label with Andrea Zapp -School of Art
• 2014 – Shortlisted Outstanding Teaching for Employability
• 2014 – Winner – MMU Knowledge Exchange Award -Hollings Faculty -Body Scanning Research for Fashion Retailing
• 2015 -Finalist UKTI- Greater China Achievement in International Trade Awards-Education Links Award
• 2015 – Winner – MMU Knowledge Exchange Award -Hollings Faculty -Body Scanning Research for Canterbury Sportswear

Membership of professional associations

• CText FTI – Fellow of the Textile Institute (2018 )
• SFHEA- Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2017).