Contact David Molian

Background

David was educated at the universities of Oxford and Aix-en-Provence, and holds an MBA from Cranfield School of Management. He trained in consumer goods advertising and has been personally involved in the founding and sale of three businesses. He has served on the faculty of Imperial College and, as visiting faculty, at INSEAD and London Business School. From 2009 - 2011 he chaired the Board of the Cranfield Management Association and was a member of the Advisory Board of Peter Leach LLP, the leading UK firm of family business advisors. He is a Criticaleye Thought Leader, and advisor to Coutts & Co. David has published extensively on issues involved in marketing and business start-up, and is a prolific author of cases. In 2002 (with colleague Robert Brown), he was awarded the EFMD case-writing prize for his study of Hotel Chocolat, a Sunday Times Fast Track 100 company whose MD attended the Business Growth Programme in 2000. That success was repeated with the IViewCameras case in 2005 and yet again in 2009 with Pacific Direct, with co-author Robert Brown. In 2010 with Bettany Centre co-author Dr Stephanie Hussels he was awarded a further EFMD prize for the GoApe! case study.

Current activities

Director of BGP, the UK's largest programme for ambitious entrepreneurs, and involved with entrepreneurship education at Cranfield since 1998. Mentored numerous fast-growth businesses and continues to do so. Within the Bettany Centre leads initiatives in executive education and, with Professor Andrew Burke, is joint director of the Coutts Private Banking Academy Entrepreneurs Programme. Regular commentator on entrepreneurship in press and other media. Publishes on marketing in the independently-owned smaller firm and the impact of training and development on high-growth enterprises.

Clients

UK Department of Trade & Industry/BIS [advisor on Business Link services delivered via internet]

Scottish Enterprise [advisor on high growth business sector]

Coutts & Co [entrepreneurs and family businesses]

Quadrangle Ltd [board advisor]

Vodafone [SME survey advisor]

nPower Challenger Brands report [advisor and commentator]

Open University [course reviewer]

Publications

Conference Papers

Books