I am a PhD researcher in Management at the University of Birmingham focussed on sustainable innovation in food systems. My research aims to explore the evolution of disruptive vegan innovations such as plant-based foods that aim to alleviate the environmental impacts, in particular carbon footprint, of our food systems through vegan solutions. The research hopes to improve our understanding of how conscientious ventures manage to develop business models with environmental and social concerns at the core of their mission while remaining competitive with traditional firms in the foods and drinks sector. This will be a key step in making veganism accessible to mainstream consumers and allowing said ventures to scale up and establish a new status quo in order to achieve environmental targets.
I am primarily a qualitative researcher with experience in interview methods as well as ethnographical and case study designs. My work aims to improve our understanding of how personal activism translates to business strategy through leadership identities.