Steve Butler, author and Chief Executive of Punter Southall Aspire, a national retirement savings business, with offices in Oxford, is joining Oxford Brookes Business School (OBBS) this month for a two-year tenure as part of the Visiting Industrial Fellow scheme[i].
The scheme, which started in 2021, was set up to strengthen ties with local, national and international entrepreneurs and businesses, and for industry experts to share real-world knowledge and experience with those starting their careers in business.
Steve will be sharing his knowledge, insights and the challenges involved in running a growing professional services organisation. He will focus on supporting staff and students on topics around entrepreneurship; SME funding; equality, diversity and inclusion; and managing intergenerational teams.
Steve said: “I’m honoured to be joining Oxford Brookes Business School as a Visiting Industrial Fellow, and to be able share my experiences and insight of building a successful business. I’m looking forward to engaging with the students at the business school and supporting links in Oxfordshire and the Thames Valley.”
Professor Tim Vorley, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Oxford Brookes Business School said: “I am delighted to welcome Steve as a Visiting Industrial Fellow to Oxford Brookes Business School. His extensive experiences as an academic researcher, author, business leader, and industry diversity campaigner make him an invaluable addition to the school, and my colleagues and I look forward to working with him.”
Steve is a Chartered Manager and Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute. He gained his Master’s in Business Administration from Southampton, Solent University and is currently researching for his Doctorate in Business Administration at Winchester University, Centre for Responsible Management.
He is a campaigner for developing an inclusive culture in the workplace, regularly writing and speaking on intergenerational working, retirement and older worker business management issues. He has written four books:
- Inclusive Culture: Leading change across organisations and industries focusing on how to improve diversity and inclusivity in the investment and savings industry
- Midlife Review: A guide to work, wealth and wellbeing offering business leaders, managers and employees guidance to help them understand and support ‘midlife’ workers
- Manage the Gap: Achieving success with intergenerational teams looking at the impact of an ageing population on the workforce, but focusing on employees in the middle of their career
- The Diversity Project: Accelerating progress towards an inclusive culture in the investment and savings industry which recounts the progress made to date, discusses what still needs to be done and sets out practical ways to achieve it
[i] https://www.brookes.ac.uk/business/about/visiting-industrial-fellows
