Kiran Trehan is a key contributor to debates on leadership, enterprise development and diversity in business. She has led a number of leadership, enterprise and business support initiatives and has extensively published a number of journal articles, policy reports, books and book chapters in the field. Her work has been supported by grants from a full range of research funding bodies; including the Economic and Social Research Councils and Arts Humanities Research councils, government departments, regional and local agencies including Local Enterprise Partnerships and Chambers of Commerce and the private sector. She has also received invitations as Guest Editor from reputable international journals (Human Relations, Management Learning, International Small Business Journal), as well as national and international advisory roles that shape debates and policy in diversity and enterprise.
Professor Trehan has a national and international reputation in a senior research capacity: publishing in peer reviewed journals of a high quality; being an invited professor/scholar in Europe and internationally, presenting at a range of policy and research events, conferences and symposia with policy-makers and community networks to pioneer and promote research and engagement which facilitates widening participation. The research embeds the complementary concerns of practitioners, policy-makers and academics by converting academic insights into effective action, policy initiatives and sustainable impact.
She was elected 14th of November 2019 to be the next President of Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE). ISBE is the leading national body for SME research and policy learning.
In 2018, Professor Trehan was invited to be one of the lead commissioners on the West Midlands Leadership Commission to lead a new research and policy agenda on leadership diversity for Andy Street and the West Midlands combined authority. The final report was commended by the Prime Minister Theresa May and was featured in the Times Higher in 2018.
Awards
- Awarded the business desk Midlands Leadership Awards in the diversity category, for outstanding contribution to leadership, diversity and inclusion.
- ESRC Outstanding Impact in Business and Enterprise Prize
- College of Social Science Impact Prize on Society
- National Diversity Awards – Best in Education for work on diversity and enterprise
- NatWest Venus Awards – Awarded the Enterprise Development bridging the gap between academic and business.
