Sarah Underwood

Professor Sarah Underwood is the Head of the Strategy, Enterprise & Sustainability Department at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) Faculty of Business & Law, holding a Chair in Entrepreneurial Practice. She previously led Leeds University Business School’s Centre for Executive and Professional Education (2018-2022) and Centre for Enterprise & Entrepreneurship Studies (2015-2018). Her roles include University Academic Commercialisation Lead (from April 2025), member of the CABS Executive Education Committee, and Scale Up Institute’s Leadership, Talent & Skills Committee.

Education: BSc Hons, PhD. Awards: National Teaching Fellowship (2017), Honorary Fellowship of EEUK (2019). Research focuses on entrepreneurship education, academic leadership, and sustainable enterprise. She pioneered enterprise education at Leeds, including the first Level 7 Degree Apprenticeship (MSc Senior Leadership) and CPD programs. Key contributions include designing MMU’s commercialisation strategy and leading Goldman Sachs initiatives (e.g., 10,000 Women/Small Businesses).

Her articles bridge entrepreneurship education and microbiology. Notable works include frameworks on student emotional responses to entrepreneurship and studies on Clostridium difficile sporulation. She has driven institutional recognitions, including MMU’s ‘Entrepreneurial University of the Year’ (2015/16).

Advising/grants: Validated programs like Help To Grow (2021) and contributed to strategic projects. Labs/teams: Leads cross-functional teams in enterprise and sustainability initiatives within MMU and Leeds.