Economics & Finance
University of Gdańsk — doctoral work on corporate social responsibility and corporate financial performance. Doctoral programme completed; final certificate expected in January 2027.
ABOUT SMITH
Independent thinking.
Practical expertise.
A founder-led academic and business advisory practice combining direct senior involvement with flexible specialist support.
THE PRACTICE
Built around the work,
not a personality.
SMITH brings together two complementary activities: academic services and business performance advisory.
Academic work strengthens the practice's grounding in research and teaching. Applied commercial experience gives the teaching—and the advisory work—a practical frame of reference.
Founder-led. Specialist-supported. SMITH is directed by Barry Smith, who provides a clear point of contact and oversees the scope and coordination of each engagement. This combines personal accountability with the flexibility to involve other suitably qualified professionals where a project benefits from additional expertise.
For academic assignments, relevant associate lecturers may be engaged across complementary subject areas and, where available, for Spanish-language delivery. Business advisory and automation projects may involve independent specialists in software, data, systems or operational implementation. The people involved, their responsibilities and availability are agreed as part of the client brief; no permanent in-house team is implied.
FOUNDER & PRINCIPAL
Dr Barry Smith
A professional profile is provided to establish relevant expertise, while the services and client relationships remain at the centre of the brand.
University lecturer, researcher and former business owner with experience spanning education, finance, marketing and small-business operations.
Teaching activity has included business, marketing and management subjects for international higher education providers, alongside more recent modules at Les Roches in financial accounting, financial literacy, strategic hotel management and digital tools.
Earlier professional experience includes financial data analysis at Refinitiv (formerly Thomson Reuters) and establishing and operating Taste of Belgium.
EDUCATION & RESEARCH
Academic foundations
Applied Cognitive Psychology
Leiden University, Netherlands.
BSc (Hons) Psychology
Brunel University London.
Research and teaching experience also encompasses marketing, organisational behaviour, data handling and analytical decision-making.
NEXT STEPS
Start with
a conversation.
For universities, training providers and businesses exploring a potential engagement.
Contact the practice