Featured Post from Aston University

Timpson CEO joins Aston University as visiting professor

Sep 22, 2021

2 min


• James Timpson OBE has been the chief executive of Timpson since 2011

• He will work within Aston University’s College of Business and Social Sciences to develop connections in personal financial wellbeing and tax

• Professor Timpson will engage with students about values in leadership and will deliver a public lecture on corporate kindness.


The CEO of retail chain Timpson has joined Aston University as a visiting professor within the College of Business and Social Sciences.


James Timpson will work closely with Aston University’s head of accounting to develop connections between Aston Business School and the tax and financial wellbeing industry over the next three years.


In his first 12 months he will engage with both first year and pre-University students about University life, running a business and values in leadership and corporate kindness, delivering a public lecture around the latter reflecting Timpson’s work with ex offenders.


He will also have the opportunity to talk to Masters students who have interests in corporate cultural development alongside Aston University’s Work and Organizations and Strategy departments and its MBA programme.


Professor Timpson will also work with colleagues at Aston Business School to develop connections on his interests related to the University’s research agenda, such as TaxWatch, and connect Timpson with the student placements team to explore possible opportunities for student third year placements on MSc and MBA project work.


Professor Timpson said:


“I am excited to join Aston University as a visiting professor and to pass on some of the knowledge and connections I have built over the last 27 years in business.


“I am looking forward to discussing the mechanisms of business with the business leaders of tomorrow at Aston University and about culture and corporate kindness at the University and its activity and plans in this area.


“The Timpson Foundation specialises in the recruitment of marginalised groups within society as well as supporting numerous other socially minded projects. Approximately 10 per cent of our workforce is made up of people who have criminal convictions. We believe in giving people a second chance.”


Professor Andy Lymer, head of accounting at Aston Business School, said:


“I am really looking forward to working with James.


“This well-deserved award recognises the distinguished contribution that he has made and continues to make to the business community. We are privileged to have a business leader of James' stature join our faculty.


“As a university that values highly practical experience, his wide and varied track record at boardroom level will provide invaluable stimulus and advice for our students and staff alike.”


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Even now, boys are ten times more likely to be referred for assessment for autism and twice as likely to be diagnosed than girls, even when they have exactly the same traits. 80% of autistic females have received multiple wrong diagnoses, including borderline personality disorder, social anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). But why? The reason is the unchallenged belief that ‘autism is a “boy” thing’ causing a male spotlight problem in all aspects of the autism story. It could also be that females with autism express the condition differently. Professor Rippon said: “This took me back to [my previous book] The Gendered Brain when I was looking at the very clear view of what males should be like and what females should be like. If you look at the autistic population you have this clear idea that males are like this, but females, er, not so much? 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