Dr Antonio Malfense Fierro

Dr Antonio Malfense Fierro

Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Programme Leader for BA Business Management with Entrepreneurship (2018 onwards). Knowledge Exchange lead for Hull University Business School 2021- Present. Hull University Business School Careers (Placements) Lead 2022-Present

+44 (0)1482 463239 | A.Malfense-Fierro@hull.ac.uk

Faculty and Department

  • Faculty of Business, Law and Politics
  • Hull University Business School

Related groups

  • Marketing Management and Business Strategy

Qualifications

  • PhD / DPhil (University of Edinburgh)
  • MA (University of Edinburgh)
  • MSc (University of Edinburgh)

Summary

Antonio is a multiple award-winning entrepreneurship academic. He is currently Hull University Knowledge exchange and Careers Lead (where he runs the Business School’s placement degree provision). Dr Malfense Fierro's commentary and insight pieces on entrepreneurship and African entrepreneurship in particular, have been published in the Conversation, CNN Edition and World Economic Forum (amongst others).

Antonio won the Inspired in Hull Awards 2022 for the most outstanding contribution to developing the scholarship of Learning and Teaching. This award recognised Antonio’s role in developing entrepreneurship as a subject area at Hull University Business School.

“Antonio’s involvement of entrepreneurs at every level of the programme is a significant pedagogical innovation at Hull.”

“His work in developing the entrepreneurship field at Hull University Business School has empowered countless students.”

At Hull University Business School, Antonio was the sole Lead of the school's Small Business Charter Application (2020-21), where he drove a team that lead to Hull University Business School being awarded a five-year accreditation, at its first attempt (Dec21). Activities leading to this achievement resulted in his nomination and shortlisting in the Universities Annual Knowledge Exchange Awards for best external KE initiative.

In 2022 Antonio was nominated in the inspired in Hull awards (which merged with the employee excellence awards) in three categories: External Community Engagement category; Scholarship of Teaching and Learning and Innovation and Impact.

In 2020 and 2021 the Inspired in Hull awards and nominations were not run.

In the inspired in Hull teaching awards 2019 run by the student union Antonio was nominated for Innovative Teaching and Admin and Support award. In 2018 he was nominated for best module Starting a New Business.

In 2018 he was shortlisted for excellence in teaching in the Employee Excellence Awards for his introduction of a novel Ed Tech platform in entrepreneurship classes.

He won the Hull university student union inspiring teaching award in 2017.

In 2013, he was a visiting researcher at Makerere University Business School in Uganda and joined Hull University Business School in the same year.

While undertaking his PhD at the University of Edinburgh Business School, Antonio became the first Chazen Visiting Scholar in Entrepreneurship at the Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Centre at Columbia Business School in New York in 2010-2011.

In 2010 Antonio was selected as one of the 100 global ‘Young Leaders of Tomorrow' at the St Gallen Symposium, Switzerland in 2010.

Hull University Business School Careers (Placement) Lead 2022-Present

Programme Director BA Business Management with Entrepreneurship 2018-present

Programme Director MSc Marketing and Advertising 2020-1

Programme Director MSc Marketing Management 2020-1

Academic lead and Advisor, for Hull University Dare to Be Social Enterprise Project 2020-2022.

First Academic lead and Advisor, for Hull University Enactus Society 2018-21

Current Teaching

Assessing entrepreneurial Opportunities

Creating the New Venture

Undergraduate and Postgraduate Dissertation (including MBA & PhD) Supervision

Recent outputs

View more outputs

Book Chapter

Portfolio Entrepreneurs: The role of risk

Malfense Fierro, A., & Rosa, P. (2022). Portfolio Entrepreneurs: The role of risk. In D. Lingelbach (Ed.), De Gruyter Handbook of Entrepreneurial Finance (75-85). Berlin: De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110726312

Resilience and family business groups in unstable economies

Discua Cruz, A., Malfense Fierro, A., Basca, R., Parada, M. J., & Alvarado-Alvarez, C. (2019). Resilience and family business groups in unstable economies. In M. Rautiainen, P. Rosa, T. Pihkala, M. Parada, & A. Cruz (Eds.), The family business group phenomenon: Emergence and complexities (315-352). Palgrave Macmillan

Digital Artefact

What's needed to help mining minnows get off the ground in Africa?

Malfense Fierro, A. What’s needed to help mining minnows get off the ground in Africa?. [https://theconversation.com/whats-needed-to-help-mining-minnows-get-off-the-ground-in-africa-54345]

Consultancy model shows how micro and small firms can be grown in Africa

Malfense Fierro, A. Consultancy model shows how micro and small firms can be grown in Africa. [https://theconversation.com/consultancy-model-shows-how-micro-and-small-firms-can-be-grown-in-africa-54431]

Journal Article

African portfolio entrepreneurship and the creation of jobs

Malfense Fierro, A. C., Noble, D., Hatem, O., & Balunywa, W. (2018). African portfolio entrepreneurship and the creation of jobs. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 25(5), 730 - 751. https://doi.org/10.1108/jsbed-02-2017-0074

Research interests

African business and entrepreneurship

Portfolio entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship in developing counties

The value chain and enterprising activity

Knowledge Exchange in Higher Education Contexts

Market Opportunity assessment

Market Feasibility Studies

Business Models/ Business Model innovation

The relationship between risk and entrepreneurship

Educational Technology

Start-ups and Venture Capital

Prototyping and design thinking

Entrepreneurship Pedagogy

New Market Entry

Competitive Analysis

Consultancy and Industry projects in higher education contexts

Applied research and collaboration between universities and public/private sector

GRANT AWARDS

2022 amount awarded £12,436.26 (Feb &March 22)- Principle Investigator QR Policy Support Fund: Understanding the long-lasting Impact of Covid-19 on SMEs and Micro Businesses in Hull’s non, city centre locations

2021 amount awarded £39,747.72 (Jan- July 21)- Principle Investigator TPF-CV 19: Developing a Post-Covid 19 recovery framework for Tanzania’s Tourism sector. Funder: GCRF Fund 2020-1 link: https://www.hull.ac.uk/work-with-us/research/case-studies/supporting-post-covid-19-recovery-in-tanzania

2021 amount awarded £23,000 (Jan-July 21)- Co- Investigator Assessment of the potential of geothermal energy to enhance economic development, health and well-being in Malawi. Funder GCRF Fund 2020-1

2019-20 amount awarded circa 52k (Co-investigator) Lobster Marketing phase 2-'Supporting the future of the Lobster Trade and Tourism in the Holderness Coast' Funder: European Maritime Fisheries Fund, Marine Maritime Organisation and Holderness Flag

2017-2019 amount awarded: circa 93k (Co-investigator) Lobster Marketing phase 1- Sustaining & Growing the lobster trade for Holderness coast fishermen’ Funder: European Maritime Fisheries Fund, Marine Maritime Organisation and Holderness Flag

OTHER RESEARCH PROJECTS

Sep 2021 - Present- Understanding the long-lasting Impact of Covid 19 on Small and Micro Businesses in Hull’s non, city centre locations

Jun 2021 - Aug 2021- An Assessment of the John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank: Benefits and suggested future actions An

Oct 2020 - Jun 2021- Covid 19’s impact on Hull and the surrounding areas High growth firms: insights for best practice

CONSULTANCIES & KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE

2021-2022 (Sept-Feb)- In-depth market feasibility and assessment for a proposed innovative agricultural waste slurry product. (value circa 17k)

2021 (April-May) Academic Lead (Work package 4)- Developing Low Carbon Agriculture in the Humber Region: A Case Study of Black Grass (value circa 6k)

2021 (Feb-April) Academic Lead- Entrepreneurship in the Humber a Gap Analysis (value circa 10k)

2020 (August-December) Academic Lead- Global market trends and analysis of Carbon Nanofiber 2016-24 (value circa 11k). Project link: https://aura-innovation.co.uk/osl-consulting-engineers/

2020 (March - August) Academic Lead - Vehicle to Grid (V2G): UK Market Insights on Electric Vehicle Charging Industry (value circa 10k)

2016- Work (gratis) with grow movement in Lilongwe Malawi measuring the economic success of their membership programme for SMEs within Lilongwe.

Co-investigator

Project

Funder

Grant

Started

Status

Project

HEIF: Granulated Carbon nano fiber market analysis

Funder

00 University of Hull

Grant

£23,340.00

Started

1 January 2022

Status

Complete

Postgraduate supervision

Dr Malfense Fierro is interested in supervising Masters students, and hearing from potential PhD candidates that are desirous of doing novel research in his main areas of interest (Please see research interests section).

These primarily include (but are not limited to) African large scale entrepreneurship and business, portfolio entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship in challenging environments, as well as entrepreneurship topics generally (in any country) and in developing contexts.

Further interest include applied research involving SMEs large organisations. and Knowledge Exchange.

Completed PhDs

- Dr. Mato Magobe (as first supervisor)

- Dr. Ontida Chanuban (as first supervisor)

- Dr. Priscilla Otuo (as joint first supervisor)

- Dr. Abdullah F Al Mulhim (as second supervisor)

- Dr. Peter Djabang (as second supervisor)

- Dr. Asiamah Yeboah (as second supervisor)

Current PhD supervisions (1st Supervisor)

- Mr Francis Moto Jnr Aug/Sept 2022 -onwards

- Mr Hecham Chahin Feb 2023- onwards

- Ms Ellie Carrick (Joint first supervision)- Aug/Sept 2023- onwards

Awards and prizes

Multiple Nominations in the Inspired in Hull Awards 2022

2022

Nominated in three categories: External Community Engagement category; Scholarship of Teaching and Learning and Innovation and Impact

Winner in the Inspired in Hull Awards for the most outstanding contribution to developing the scholarship of Learning and Teaching

2022

'The outstanding contribution to developing the scholarship of learning and teaching award, recognizes and celebrates the outstanding performance of individuals or teams through teaching or research-related scholarship. These contributions help the University of Hull to achieve our aspiration to be gold in the next TEF and help us to work towards our goal of achieving a Top 50 Research Profile in the 2021 REF'. In particular, this award reflects my achievements in building entrepreneurship as a subject area at Hull University Business School over the past nine years and in particular my leading of the school's awarding of a five year accreditation for the Small Business Charter (Dec21/Feb22). The award further highlights the numerous innovations implemented on the BA business management with entrepreneurship degree at Hull university Business School. Of note is the involvement of many UG, PG and graduate, entrepreneurship students in applied research projects with SMEs and organisations focused on supporting entrepreneurship in the local economy.

Nominated for Best External KE Initiative in the Inaugural Hull University Knowledge Exchange Awards

2022

Multiple Nominations in the Innovative teaching award for the Student-led teaching awards

2019

Nominated for admin and support award at the student led teaching awards

2019

Shortlisted for Empoloyee Excellence Awards- Excellence in Teaching

2018

Nominated for Best Module (Starting a new Business) in the Student-led teaching awards

2018

Winner of the Inspiring Teaching Award in the Student-led teaching awards

2017

Committee/Steering group role

Board Member, of the Business Support Board of the Hull and East Yorkshire Local Economic Partnership (HEY LEP)

2021

The business support board supports the HEY LEP main board, in its vital work in developing and delivering Hull and East Yorkshire’s economic strategy. The business support board plays an important role in the implementation and delivery of the various regional economic strategies and funding programmes, focused on business support in Hull and East Yorkshire. These business support focused funding programmes will aim to transform the Hull and East Yorkshire region over the next five to ten years.

Board Member- Local Advisory Board, Sirius Academy West

2021

Community representatives have a vital role to play in the improvement of children’s education. The advisory board members aim to make a positive difference to both school standards and professional development at Sirius Academy West. My role is to focus on learning and teaching bringing my experience from higher education to bear in assessing/providing comment to current teaching practice and outcomes.

Conference organisation

London School of Economics Africa Summit- Academic Advisory Panel Member

2014

Journal peer reviewer

Ad Hoc reviewer for ESRC, USASBE, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise development and Africa Journal of Management

2013

Membership/Fellowship of professional body

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

2020

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

2017

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