Dr Spinder Dhaliwal

I am a Reader in Entrepreneurship and the Director of PhDs for the Westminster Business School. I also lead the Entrepreneurship Research Group. I was the former Director of Postgraduate Programmes.

My research interests are ethnic minority businesses, women in business and more, recently, young entrepreneurs. Much of my work covers diversity and my latest book which I edited, Cases on Entrepreneurship and Diversity and Entrepreneurship (Edward Elgar Publishing) 2024 has case studies of real entrepreneurs from around the world and is aimed at educators and students. My book.The Millennial Millionaire, how young entrepreneurs turn their dreams into business (Palgrave) 2017 provides insight into how young entrepreneurs are turning their aspirations into reality. Through in-depth case studies and research, it shows how young entrepreneurs with their energy, drive, confidence and resilience could be the perfect formula for entrepreneurial success.

I have written extensively about entrepreneurship and the business community and compiled Britain’s Richest Asians reflecting my long held interest in the field. My previous book, Making a Fortune – Learning from the Asian Phenomenon (Capstone) charts the journey of Asian entrepreneurs in the UK and the challenges they faced, and how they were overcome.

My study, 'Silent Contributors, Asian female entrepreneurs and women in business' highlighted the neglected yet important role of these women who are pivotal to many family businesses. It gave them a voice and was widely noted in the press.

Prior to joining Westminster in June 2013, I was at the University of Surrey where I headed the Entrepreneurship modules. I helped thousands of students develop their business plans and some of them have gone on to run successful businesses. I completed the prestigious International Teachers Programme at HEC, Paris which looks at best practice in teaching and learning from internationally rated scholars.

My career has spanned academia, writing and the media. I was both founder and director of the Centre for Asian Entrepreneurial Research (CAER). I know all about the challenges of the Asian entrepreneur from first hand experience. My parents, who came to the UK from the Punjab, India in the 1960s, ran a corner shop and I balanced the demands of a busy family business with academic achievement. I attended Warwick University as an undergraduate and was awarded my Doctorate from Brunel University before embarking on an academic career.

My work targets, and hits, a much wider audience than just students and other academics. I was a regular contributor to the Asian media and, in the past few years, in more mainstream circles. I have featured in The Independent, The Financial Times Advisor and The Daily Mail and appeared on the BBC's flagship breakfast news programme. I was also featured as a commentator and expert on BBC2's peak time programme, "Making a Fortune - the Asian Way".

I am invited to address audiences as a speaker, and I have helped major organisations target and understand the Asian community. My clients have included Barclays, Pirtek and the Human Resource Development Council, Mauritius. I am a former Vice President of the Institute of Small Business and Enterprise (ISBE).

My main area of research is Asian Entrepreneurship and I was fortunate to have the opportunity to compile the Asian Rich List for the media and use the data for my academic articles. This celebrated the success and wealth of UK based Asian entrepreneurs. It led to work with Barclays and my report, 'Asian Entrepreneurs in the UK' received much attention globally. It was the basis of a national training programme for Barclay's managers which took place in mosques, temples and gurdwaras across the country.

My book, Making a Fortune - Learning from the Asian Phenomenon(Capstone) reflects my long held interest in the field and my study " Silent Contributors - Asian Female Entrepreneurs and Women in Business" highlighted the important, yet often neglected, issue of the pivotal role of Asian women in business.

Publications

Books

Dhaliwal, S (Editor) Cases on Entrepreneurship and Diversity (2024) Edward Elgar Publishing.

Dhaliwal, S. The Millennial Millionaire, how young entrepreneurs turn dreams into business (2017) Palgrave.

Dhaliwal, S. Making a Fortune - Learning from the Asian Phenomenon Capstone, John Wiley and Sons (2008)

Contributions to Books

Contribution to chapter 7, More Questions than Answers: Reflections on the Search for Entrepreneurship.  Simon Bridge (2017) Routledge 

Case Study in Kariv, Dafna (2012) Female Entrepreneurship and the New Venture Creation. An International Overview. Routledge. New York and London.

Case Studies in Deakins, D and Freel, M. (2012) Entrepreneurship and Small Firms McGraw Hill

Case Studies in Deakins, D and Freel, M. (2009) Entrepreneurship and Small Firms McGraw Hill

Dhaliwal, S. and Adcroft, A. (2007) Accurate Portrayal or Lazy Stereotype? The changing nature of the Asian Business Sector in the UK in Dowling, M and Schmude, J. (eds) Empirical Entrepreneurship in Europe: New Perspectives, Edward Elgar, UK.

Refereed Papers

Tosey, P.,Dhaliwal, S, and Hassinen, J (2015) ‘The Finnish Team Academy model: implications for management education’   Management Learning. Vol.46(2) pp175-194

S. Dhaliwal (2010) Review of Charles Hampden-Turner, Teaching Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Building on the Singapore Experiment. Forthcoming Journal of International Management 16 pp. 314-315

Dhaliwal, S (2010) Training women to win: A practical perspective on the training needs of women entrepreneurs International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship Vol. 2 Iss: 3, pp. 287 - 290

Dhaliwal,S, Scott, J and Hussain, J(2010), Help or Hindrance - South Asian Women in the Family Firm. Journal of Family Business Studies, Issue 1, Vol. 4,2010 pp 5-23

Dhaliwal, S(2009) Training Women to Win: Women and Enterprise Development in the UK Journal of Business and Entrepreneurship Vol.21, No.2, October 2009

Adcroft, A. and Dhaliwal, S. (2009) Disconnections in Management Theory and Practice: Poetry, numbers and postmoderism in Journal of Management Philosophy, volume 7, number 3.

Dhaliwal, S. (2008) Business Support and Minority Ethnic Businesses in England Journal of Immigration and Refugee Studies Volume 6 issue 2

Dhaliwal, S and Gray, D., (2008) Asian Wealth in the UK Equal Opportunities International Volume 27 Issue 3

For details of all my research outputs, visit my WestminsterResearch profile.