Uni's leading local lady!
Thursday, 26 January 2012
Dr Karise Hutchinson, Head of Department of Business, Retail and Financial Services (Business and Management Research Institute).
A COLERAINE native is the youngest woman to be appointed Head of Department within the Ulster Business School at the Coleraine campus of the University of Ulster.
Aged 35, Dr Karise Hutchinson, who is leading research into the survival and growth of small businesses in Northern Ireland, is the new Head of Business, Retail and Financial Services.
A local girl, Dr Hutchinson grew up in Coleraine and now lives in Castlerock with husband Ali and their three children.
Dr Hutchinson graduated with first class honours in Retail and Distribution Management from the University of Ulster in 2000 and became a lecturer in the Department in 2004 and obtained a PhD in international retailing in 2006. She is the first female to take up such a senior role in the Department from which she graduated.
Dr Hutchinson also holds a number of external appointments including Chair of Marketing & Retail at the British Academy of Management; Academic Member of the ESRC Peer Review College and Director on the Causeway Enterprise Agency Board. Her research papers have been published in numerous high quality international journals and presented papers at conferences across the world. Dr Hutchinson is a well-known commentator on retail and business issues in the media.
“I am delighted to be taking up this post during what is a very challenging time for businesses both locally and internationally. However, despite this time of intense change and challenge for retailers, marked by a lack of consumer confidence and increased failure on the high street, it is now clear that retailing has entered a new era," she said.
“While there is nothing quiet or new about this recession, there is now an acceptance on behalf of retail owners and consumers that in the current climate of economic uncertainty, change is here to stay. In this 'quiet revolution', the rules of the game have changed for retailers and consumers have the upper hand.
Uncertainty
“In this new era of uncertainty there are a few sure things - many retailers will be history while others simply survive. But in 2012, a select few will emerge stronger. These retailers willseek opportunities where survivors see only challenges. In Northern Ireland, the opportunity for economic growth lies not only with the inward investment by multinational retailers, but in the independent retail sector. For in Northern Ireland, when independent retailers thrive, the region will thrive.
“There is some evidence of firm growth and success in Northern Ireland as owners of independent retail firms capitalise upon their unique selling points and bring in new customers and sales. The good news is that the research carried out at the Ulster Business School recognises the important contribution of the independent retail sector and continues to provide current and relevant knowledge to assist the survival and growth of these firms in the future."
Subscribe to read full newspaper »
Send to a friend
Please complete the following form to inform a friend about this page.
