Biography
Miles is an Associate Professor in Systemic Sustainability and Supply Chain Management at Edinburgh Napier University Business School. He holds a PhD and First-Class Honours degree from Aston Business School.
Research focuses on systemic approaches to bring about a meaningful engagement between business and communities to co-create more impact to attain the Sustainable Development Goals and place-making. He is passionate about inspiring the next generation of leaders who will build impactful and regenerative purpose-driven organisations. His research has been pivotal in Edinburgh’s designation as the first UK member of the global Cities CAN-B movement and founding of Everyone’s Edinburgh as a charity. CAN-B places Edinburgh as part of a growing international cities network – promoting wider individual and organisation engagement to impact global change at a city level. Miles also serves on the Just Economic Transition Group, to support Edinburgh and Scotland’s effort in the transition to net-zero and a well-being economy.
Miles has led the development of the ‘Get on Board Competency Pathway’ to empower young people to make a difference as Trustees on charity boards. The framework underpins the Charity Board Initiative, bringing training and opportunities to six Universities across Scotland’s central belt. The initiative has trained and encouraged over 250 participants to get on board and supported more than 50 charity partners in better governance and increasing diversity of thought in the boardroom. The initiatives have been recognised nationally for innovative and novel practice and impact, winning:
• Advance HE Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence in 2020
• Herald Higher Education Award for Enhancing Student Learning in 2015.
The impact of this work has been published in “The CATE Collection – together in collaborative educational leadership” that he co-edited in 2021 (see "outputs") and detailed in a REF2021 Impact Case, entitled: “Influencing organisational strategy to support responsible business practice”. The “Connect model” that proposes an approach to build meaningful engagement between business and communities has been published in the European Journal of Operational Research, see "outputs". You can learn more about applying systemic approaches to attaining the SDGs, published in the Encyclopedia of the Sustainable Development Goals (See "outputs"). Miles Chair’s the Operational Research Society annual conference “Making an Impact: Grand Challenges and OR” workshop, to address challenges offered in each host city with novel approaches of Operational Research & Data Analytics.
Miles is the Programme Leader for the CPD course: Leadership in Board Governance, with SFC Upskilling funded places for Scottish domiciles. You can also access a free “Build for Purpose Canvas” MOOC funded by the HCI Gateway (both UK and Scottish Government), complimented by the “Business for Good” programme & network offered by Everyone’s Edinburgh. He is also the Programme Leader for the MSc International / Business Management with specialist routes and teaches modules in Purpose-driven Organisations, Sustainability Strategy & Supply Chain Management. Previously to working at Napier, Miles held appointments at Aston, Loughborough, Leicester & Warwick Business Schools and has acted as an External Examiner to Alliance Manchester, Robert Gordon & Newman Business Schools.
He leads the Business School efforts towards PRME (the United Nation's Principles for Responsible Business in Management) and at a university level, Societal Impact.
Tweet with Miles: @weavermiles.