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Marian Evans joined Leicester Castle Business School in 2014. She gained her first degree at Cambridge University, returning back into Higher Education to study for an Executive MBA in 2012, winning the best student performance award. She  explored small business opportunity-related decision-making for her PhD and her research interests today still focus on small business growth and entrepreneurial cognition, as well as enterprise education and apprenticeship pedagogy.

Prior to joining ̽»¨ÏµÁÐ, Marian taught in schools and Further Education colleges in London, Huntingdon and Peterborough.  She owned a SME retail and electronic manufacturing business and later, a manufacturing company. Currently, her business specialises in innovative design packaging for the chemical adhesives industry.  Marian has worked in industry as a trainer/assessor for Business Improvement Techniques (Lean Manufacturing) and as a tutor for CMI Leadership and Management qualifications.  As an examiner,  she developed several international qualifications for City and Guilds in quality control and assurance and moderated CMI Diploma apprenticeships for a Further Education college.

After developing the new Senior Leader Apprenticeship programme  (SLA-E) at ̽»¨ÏµÁÐ, Marian teaches the final module 'Reshaping the Future of Work'.  This prepares apprentices for leading future change in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambigious (VUCA) business environment. Marian is also the module leader for the follow-on MBA top-up programme, encouraging  ideas and research approaches for a strategic business proposal and project based dissertation. 

As a member of the DBA team, Marian is the tutor for the second module on 'Research Methods and Paradigms'.  She supervises several DBA students, supporting their thesis writing and personal development. She also delivers modules for the 'Help to Grow Management' programme and the 'Crucible Project' at ̽»¨ÏµÁÐ.

 Institute for Responsible Business and Social Justice

Evans, M. (2026) Does business training make a difference? Exploring individual and strategic business outcomes of the Help to Grow Management Programme,  Journal of Management & Organization, https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2026.10083. 

Evans, M. and Cloutier, M.C. (2026) Developing  self-confidence for leadership through a senior leader degree apprenticeship programme: perceptions and challenges,  Journal of Workplace Learning, https://doi.org/10.1108/JWL-06-2025-0166.

Evans, M. and Cloutier, M.C. (2025) Examining perceptions of the Tripartite relationship in higher degree apprenticeship programmes, Education + Training, DOI 10.1108/ET-01-2024-0011.

Evans, M. and Cloutier, M.C. (2022) Integrating Higher Degree Education with Practice: Exploring the Value Proposition of Executive MBA Apprenticeships, Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, DOI 10.1108/HESWBL-10-2022-0207.

Evans, M. (2021) Conversations across the table: shared cognition in top management, teams, Team Performance Management, Vol. 27 No. 5/6, pp. 406-424.

Evans, M. (2019) Exploring decision-making: an information processing perspective, in Higgins, D., Jones P. and McGowan, P. (eds) Creating Entrepreneurial Space: Talking through Multi-voices, Reflections on Emerging Debates, Bingley, Emerald Publishing, pp45-71.

Entrepreneurial cognition

Creative problem-solving and strategic decision-making

Small business growth

The Entrepreneurial Mindset

Group Concept Mapping

Doctorate of Business Administration DBA

Senior Leader Apprenticeship (Executive) SLA-E

Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship CMDA 

Leadership in Clinical Practice (Masters)

Gambia Programme Module 3,  STEM in Entrepreneurship and Solution Prototyping

Help to Grow Management Programme

Mentoring for Crucible start-up programme

PhD 'Exploring how entrepreneurs make decisions on the growth of their business: A cognitive perspective' (̽»¨ÏµÁÐ)

MBA (Distinction) Dissertation: ‘Why do entrepreneurial SMEs fail to grow?' (̽»¨ÏµÁÐ)

CMI Diploma in Strategic Direction and Leadership, Level 8 (CMI)

CMI Chartered Manager (CMI)

Bachelor of Education B.Ed. (Cambridge University)

Projects and Consulting Live (BA) honours

Reshaping the Future of Work,  Senior Leader Apprenticeship (SLA-E)

Research Methods: Philosophies and Paradigms (DBA)

Operations and Project Management, (CMDA)

End Point Assessment (SLA-E)

Taught Help to Grow Management Programme modules: Strategy and Innovation, Winning New Markets, Organisational Design, High Performance Workplace Case Study, Efficient Operations.

Crucible Programme - Project Design and Planning, Reflective and Reflexive Practice,  Mentoring Reviews of Business Plans

Fundamentals of Leadership and Change Management, Concepts of Education,  (Masters in Clinical Practice)

ISBE conference, Glasgow, November 5-6th 2025, Best paper award, Practictioner Learning Track

ISBE conference, Birmingham, November 8-10 November 2023, Best paper award, Practitioner Learning Track

Excellence in Research Informed Teaching, July 2020

̽»¨ÏµÁÐ Best Student Performance, Executive MBA, 2012

 Smart Award for Innovation, Business Link, 2002

Institute of Small Business & Entrepreneurship (ISBE)

British Academy of Management (BAM)

Fellow, Chartered Management Institute (FCMg)

Fellow, Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

NLP Licensed Education Practitioner

A1 Assessor Certificate

National Skills Academy for Manufacturing Certificate for Advanced Learning Practice

Cloutier, M. and Evans, M. (2025) Mentoring higher degree apprenticeships: a collaborative relationship using a non-metric multidimensional scaling comparison, ISBE conference, Glasgow 5-6th November 2025,  Research Methods, Practice and Enquiry Track presentation.

Evans, M. (2025) Looking forward, looking back: the duality of a start-up entrepreneurial mindset,  ISBE conference, Glasgow 5-6th November 2025, Award winner Entrepreneurial Practictioner Learning Track.

Evans M. and Cloutier, M.C. (2024) Developing self-confidence for leadership through a senior leader degree apprenticeship programme: perceptions and challenges,ISBE conference, Sheffield, 6-7 November 2024.

Evans, M. (2024) Help to Grow Management Programme: Does it do exactly what it says on the tin? ISBE conference, Sheffield, 6-7 November 2024, Finalist in Entrepreneurial Practitioner Learning Track.

Evans, M. and Cloutier, M.C. (2023) Examining perceptions of the tripartite relationship in Higher Education apprenticeship programmes, ISBE conference, Birmingham, November 8-10  2023, Finalist in Best Research Paper.

Cloutier, M. C. and Evans, M. (2023) Convergence and Divergence in Conceptual Representations Between Apprentices, Staff and Mentors’ Conceptualisations of the Value Proposition of Apprenticeship Programmes, ISBE conference, Birmingham, November 8-10  2023, presentation.

Evans, M. (2023) Stick or Twist? Evaluating small business opportunity for sustainable growth, ISBE conference, Birmingham, November 8-10  2023, Best paper award, Entrepreneurial  Practitioner Learning Track.

Evans, M and Cloutier, M.C. (2022) Are there Differences in Apprentices’ and Mentors’ Value Proposition of Executive MBA apprenticeship Programmes? An Application of Group Concept Mapping, presentation, Research methods track, ISBE conference, York, October 23rd-25th, 2022.

Evans, M and Cloutier, M.C. (2022) Integrating Higher Degree Education with Practice: Exploring the Value Proposition of Executive MBA Apprenticeships, ISBE conference, York, October 23rd-25th, 2022.

Evans, M. (2021) Evaluating Opportunities: Closing the Gap between Identification and Exploitation, ISBE conference, Cardiff, October 28th-29th, 2021,Entrepreneurial Practitioner Learning Track

Evans, M. and Cloutier, M. (2021) Collective Explorations of Value Proposition Dimensions of Apprenticeship EMBA Programmes, ISBE conference, Cardiff, October 28th-29th, 2021.

Evans, M. (2019) Conversations across the table: team decision-making, ISBE conference, Newcastle, November 14th-15th, 2019.

Evans, M. (2018) Making Decisions for Small Business Growth: A Cognitive Style Approach, ISBE conference, Birmingham, November 7-8th, 2018.

Evans, M. (2018) Learning by doing: using experience to develop expertise, Organisational Learning, Knowledge and Capabilities (OLKC) conference, Liverpool, April 25-27th, 2018.

Evans, M. (2017) Developing cognitive versatility; Thinking it through.  Institute of Small Business & Entrepreneurship (ISBE) Conference, Belfast, November 8-9th, 2017. Nominated for award in Entrepreneurial Practitioner Learning Track.

Evans, M. (2016) Exploring how Entrepreneurs make Decisions on Growth:  A Cognitive Perspective.  Institute of Small Business & Entrepreneurship (ISBE) Conference, Paris, October 27-28^th, 2016. Nominated for award in Entrepreneurial Practitioner Learning Track. 

Two pending submissions for book chapters under review, Jan 2026.

See publications produced from 2019.

Entrepreneurship and small business decision-making

Current availability :Yes

Mr. Anthony Asabi: Impact of artificial intelligence on health commodity supply chain management in Nigeria. Second Supervisor

Mrs. Adebola Adeniyi: Examining the Impact of Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Managerial Decision-Making (MDM) on Hotel Performance in Nigeria. Second Supervisor

Ms. Isley Leinyuy Maimo: Enhancing Organizational Performance through Strategic Management in Higher Institutions of Learning. First Supervisor

Associate Editor International Journal of Organisational Analysis, Jan 2023-present.

External  Examiner Salford Business School, MSc Entrepreneurship, November 2021-September 2025.

External Examiner Wrexham University, MBA Top-Up, October 2025-present.

Track chair, IEEC 2024, 2025, Supporting Start-up, Growth and Scale -up.