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Marian Evans joined Leicester Castle Business School in 2014. She gained her first degree at Cambridge University, returning back into Higher Education to study for an Executive MBA in 2012, winning the best student performance award. She  explored small business opportunity-related decision-making for her PhD and her research interests today still focus on small business growth and entrepreneurial cognition, as well as enterprise education and apprenticeship pedagogy.

Prior to joining Ï㽶Éç, Marian taught in schools and Further Education colleges in London, Huntingdon and Peterborough.  She owned a SME retail and electronic manufacturing business and later, a manufacturing company. Currently, her business specialises in innovative design packaging for the chemical adhesives industry.  Marian has worked in industry as a trainer/assessor for Business Improvement Techniques (Lean Manufacturing) and as a tutor for CMI  Leadership and Management qualifications.  As an examiner,  she developed several international qualifications for City and Guilds in quality control and assurance and moderates CMI Diploma apprenticeships for a Further Education college.

After developing the new Senior Leader Apprenticeship programme  (SLA-E) at Ï㽶Éç, Marian teaches the final module 'Reshaping the Future of Work'.  This prepares apprentices for leading future change in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambigious (VUCA) business environment. Marian is also the module leader for the follow-on MBA top-up programme, encouraging  ideas and research approaches for a strategic business proposal and project based dissertation. 

As a member of the DBA team, Marian is the tutor for the second module on 'Research Methods and Paradigms'.  She supervises several DBA students, supporting their thesis writing and personal development. She also delivers modules for the 'Help to Grow Management' programme and the 'Crucible Project' at Ï㽶Éç.

Evans, M. and Cloutier, M.C. (2024) Examining perceptions of the Tripartite relationship in higher degree apprenticeship programmes, Education + Training, DOI 10.1108/ET-01-2024-0011

Evans, M. and Cloutier, M.C. (2022) Integrating Higher Degree Education with Practice: Exploring the Value Proposition of Executive MBA Apprenticeships, Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, DOI 10.1108/HESWBL-10-2022-0207

Evans, M. (2021) Conversations across the table: shared cognition in top management, teams, Team Performance Management, Vol. 27 No. 5/6, pp. 406-424.

Evans, M. (2019) Exploring decision-making: an information processing perspective, in Higgins, D., Jones P. and McGowan, P. (eds) Creating Entrepreneurial Space: Talking through Multi-voices, Reflections on Emerging Debates, Bingley, Emerald Publishing, pp45-71.

Entrepreneurial cognition

Creative problem-solving and strategic decision-making

Small business growth

The Entrepreneurial Mindset

Group Concept Mapping

 Doctorate of Business Administration DBA

Senior Leader Apprenticeship (Executive) SLA-E

Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship CMDA 

Leadership in Clinical Practice (Masters)

Gambia Programme Module 3,  STEM in Entrepreneurship and Solution Protyping

Help to Grow Managment Programme

Mentoring (Crucible and Help to Grow)

PhD 'Exploring how entrepreneurs make decisions on the growth of their business: A cognitive perspective' (Ï㽶Éç)

MBA (Distinction) Dissertation: ‘Why do entrepreneurial SMEs fail to grow?' (Ï㽶Éç)

CMI Diploma in Strategic Direction and Leadership, Level 8 (CMI)

CMI Chartered Manager (CMI)

Bachelor of Education B.Ed. (Cambridge University)

Projects and Consulting Live. (BA) honours

Future of Work, Relationship Management, SLA and SLA-E

Research Methods, (DBA)

Operations and Project Management, (CMDA)

End Point Assessment, (SLA-E)

Help to Grow Management Programme modules - Strategy and Innovation, Winning New Markets,  Organisational Design, Operations

Crucible Programme - Project Design and Planning, Reflective and Reflexive Practice

Fundamentals of Leadership and Change Management, Concepts of Education,  (Masters in Clinical Practice)

ISBE conference, Birmingham, November 8-10 November 2023, Best paper award, Practitioner Learning Track

Excellence in Research Informed Teaching, July 2020

Ï㽶Éç Best Student Performance, Executive MBA, 2012

Smart Award for Innovation, Business Link, 2002

Institute of Small Business & Entrepreneurship (ISBE)

British Academy of Management (BAM)

Fellow, Chartered Management Institute (FCMg)

Fellow, Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

NLP Licensed Education Practitioner

A1 Assessor Certificate

National Skills Academy for Manufacturing Certificate for Advanced Learning Practice

Cloutier, M. and Evans, M. (2025) Mentoring higher degree apprenticeships: a collaborative relationship using a non-metric multidimensional scaling comparison, ISBE conference, Glasgow 5-6th November 2025, accepted for presentation, Methods track.

Evans, M. (2025) Looking forward, looking back: the duality of a start-up entrepreneurial mindset, accepted for Practitioners Learning Track, ISBE conference, Glasgow 5-6th November 2025, full paper.

Evans M. and Cloutier, M.C. (2024) Developing self-confidence for leadership through a senior leader degree apprenticeship programme: perceptions and challenges,ISBE conference, Sheffield, 6-7 November 2024.

Evans, M. (2024) Help to Grow Management Programme: Does it do exactly what it says on the tin? ISBE conference, Sheffield, 6-7 November 2024, Finalist in Practitioner Learning Track.

Evans, M. and Cloutier, M.C. (2023) Examining perceptions of the tripartite relationship in Higher Education apprenticeship programmes, ISBE conference, Birmingham, November 8-10  2023, Finalist in Best Research Paper.

Cloutier, M. C. and Evans, M. (2023) Convergence and Divergence in Conceptual Representations Between Apprentices, Staff and Mentors’ Conceptualisations of the Value Proposition of Apprenticeship Programmes, ISBE conference, Birmingham, November 8-10  2023, presentation.

Evans, M. (2023) Stick or Twist? Evaluating small business opportunity for sustainable growth, ISBE conference, Birmingham, November 8-10  2023, Best paper award, Practitioner Learning Track

Evans, M and Cloutier, M.C. (2022) Are there Differences in Apprentices’ and Mentors’ Value Proposition of Executive MBA apprenticeship Programmes? An Application of Group Concept Mapping, presentation, Research methods track,ISBE conference, York October 23rd-25th, 2022.

Evans, M and Cloutier, M.C. (2022) Integrating Higher Degree Education with Practice: Exploring the Value Proposition of Executive MBA Apprenticeships, ISBE conference, York October 23rd-25th, 2022.

Evans, M. (2021) Evaluating Opportunities: Closing the Gap between Identification and Exploitation,ISBE conference, Cardiff, October 28th-29th, 2021.

Evans, M. and Cloutier, M. (2021) Collective Explorations of Value Proposition Dimensions of Apprenticeship EMBA Programmes, ISBE conference, Cardiff, October 28th-29th, 2021

Evans, M. (2019) Conversations across the table: team decision-making, ISBE conference, Newcastle, November 14th-15th, 2019.

Evans, M. (2018) Making Decisions for Small Business Growth: A Cognitive Style Approach, ISBE conference, Birmingham, November 7-8th, 2018.

Evans, M. (2018) Learning by doing: using experience to develop expertise, Organisational Learning, Knowledge and Capabilities (OLKC) conference, Liverpool, April 25-27th, 2018.

Evans, M. (2017) Developing cognitive versatility; Thinking it through.  Institute of Small Business & Entrepreneurship (ISBE) Conference, Paris, October 27-28th, 2016. Nominated for award in Entrepreneurial Practitioner Learning Track.

Evans, M. (2016) Exploring how Entrepreneurs make Decisions on Growth:  A Cognitive Perspective.  Nominated for award in Entrepreneurial Practitioner Learning Track.

Evans, M. (2016) Exploring how Entrepreneurs make Decisions on Growth:  A Cognitive Perspective.  Institute of Small Business & Entrepreneurship (ISBE) Conference, Paris, October 27-28^th, 2016. Nominated for award in Entrepreneurial Practitioner Learning Track. 

Entrepreneurship and small business decision-making

Current availability :Yes

PhD second supervisor

Associte Editor International Journal of Organisational Analysis, Jan 2023-present

External  Examiner Salford Business School, MSc Entrepreneurship, November 2021-September 2025

Track chair, IEEC 2024, 2025, Supporting Start-up, Growth and Scale -up.