Salford alumnus, Gabi Round, left university and entered the hectic world of international events management where she spent her days catching flights, managing large teams of people and working on high-profile events, including the Ryder Cup.
When COVID hit, she began guest lecturing at the University, as a Lecturer in Enterprise, in tandem with completing her PhD. We recently caught up with, Gabi, to hear more about her diverse experiences and the endless skillset she has built, as she’s navigated through her professional journey from industry to academia.
How did you get into academia as a career path?
I have always loved academia and when I finished my masters in International Events Management in 2014 (at the University of Salford) I knew that I would come back one day. But, it was actually the pandemic that brought that forward a few years.
Prior to 2021, I was working in international events, managing the design and build of conferences, temporary structures, and exhibition booths etc. It was a very mixed career, from managing the build of the restaurants at the Ryder cup, plus outdoor events for Co-op and Marks & Spencer (M&S), to huge pharmaceutical stands, I was travelling a lot, and I was your typical busy Project Manager spending lots of time on calls and in airports. When 2020 brought that to a standstill and we watched in real time as each big event we had booked in was cancelled one by one, I knew I needed something different to keep me busy.
I moved into digital marketing for a while, helping my old clients undertake new digital outputs in lieu of live events and started taking on a few teaching hours alongside. It was one of the best decisions I could have made, I loved it and quickly applied for a PhD because I was sure this was the right career move for me and I was excited to start researching alongside teaching.
Why did you choose to work at the University of Salford?
I am an alumnus of the University and I live here too! I moved here in 2013 for my masters, fell in love with the city and never looked back. Salford has a very progressive mindset, as a University we are always improving, open-minded, plus student and sustainability focused. These are things that are really important to me.
What’s the best thing about being an academic at Salford?
I love the freedom to develop our craft, learn and research new things, and ensure that we are putting out the very best work we can. But actually, the very best thing about being an academic at Salford has to be the students. I am yet to meet a cohort that hasn’t been enthusiastic, bright and hilarious! They make teaching the best job in the world.
Can you tell us about any of your career highlights to-date?
I have worked on some really cool projects – there was The Big Bang Fair, that many of our students have attended, I ran the operations for that in 2016. I have also worked with some really wonderful clients, from toy manufacturers to truck tyre manufacturers and everything in between.
My academic highlight so far has to be the Young Enterprise 2022 European final, when a group of our amazing students, Jake, Jordan and Arran, went on to win the competition in Tallinn, Estonia, and I got to be there with them as their academic mentor. The following year, we hosted the UK final with Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal in attendance.
I could also give you a very long list of career low lights, if you ever want stories about when everything goes wrong and you’re problem solving in the most frantic way and to the tightest timescales… ask an ex-Project Manager!
What’s your current research focused on?
I submitted my PhD thesis last month, which was another great career highlight. My PhD research focuses on the gender disparity that exists when small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) look to find a successor to senior leadership roles. The aim is to find solutions to help women get chosen in these pipelines as often as men. This isn’t just essential for gender equity, but also helps businesses, as a diverse management team improves success.
Outside of this topic, I also research the intersectional experience of feminism and veganism, the social capital of food in the workplace, women in business and I have lots of other exciting projects on the go. But, everything I do is linked back to purpose and equity as the core thread.
Do you have any published papers we can read?
Yes! At the end of 2024, Communication Studies Journal published an article I wrote with my amazing co-author, Dr Martina Topić, of The University of Alabama, titled “…Like Confrontational About It, which I didn’t Expect” —An Analysis of Conversational Experiences of Women Vegans When Dining with Colleagues: Meat Eating as a Symbolic Capital in the Workplace.
And finally, the all important question, where in Manchester or Salford is best to grab a coffee?
Obviously, the Old Fire Station is great, but when I’m on campus you’ll often find me nipping out to Kith + Kin on Chapel Street – it’s a little independent family-owned coffee shop that does the most amazing selection of teas and homemade cakes. It’s a really lovely, chilled place to catch up on work over a chai latte.