Dr Helen Mullen is a Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at the Adam Smith Business School. Helen teaches entrepreneurship and innovation-related subjects, supervises Honours and MBA students, and is the Adam Smith Business School liaison for the College of Arts.

Helen graduated from the University of Glasgow with a PhD in Management, supported by a studentship from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Helen also has an a PgDip and MRes (Research Methodology in Business and Management) and a First-Class BA (Hons) in Marketing (with awards in marketing and international marketing), both from the University of Strathclyde. Her research and teaching relates to small business and entrepreneurship, especially how businesses develop and innovate, and the role of business models and capabilities in facilitating this. She has a particular interest in the creative and digital industries, and community and social enterprises.

Helen’s doctoral research identified the drivers, facilitators and barriers to business model change by examining how videogame development businesses change from a subcontractor business model to one where they create and commercialise their own intellectual property. This has implications for business survival and growth as well as business model research and policy/support initiatives. This research built on earlier work undertaken by Helen that tracked the evolution of the videogame industry in Scotland and the entrepreneurial genealogy of businesses therein.

During her doctoral studies, Helen was awarded a funded ESRC research internship with Creative England, a publicly funded organisation that provides support to Film, Television, Games and Digital & Creative Services in the English regions outside London. Helen was also selected to participate in the week-long doctoral school at QUT, Brisbane at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation.

Since completing her PhD, Helen has initiated and implemented two funded knowledge exchange projects supported by the ESRC/University of Glasgow Impact Accelerator Account (IAA) and external funding partners. Collaborating with the School of Computing Science, the projects focused on business model change and the data provision about Scotland’s videogame industry. (See Grants section)

Prior to returning to academia, Helen was a management consultant with a focus on innovation, technology transfer and company development, latterly specialising in the creative and digital industries. She was part of the management team within two early-stage companies and collaborated with several private, public and academic organisations in the UK and internationally on company and economic development issues.

Helen is a member of the School's Entrepreneurship, Development and Political Economy research cluster.

Areas of expertise:

• Business models and business model change
• Small business growth
• Creative and digital industries
• Social and community enterprises
• Industry clusters and ecosystems
• Learning and teaching

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Data provision in the Games Industry in Scotland

The University of Glasgow ESRC Impact Accelerator Account award with matched funding from external partner, Creative Scotland: “Data provision in the Games Industry in Scotland” A collaboration with the School of Computing Science, this project engaged with 30 organisations involved in data relevant to Scotland’s videogame industry including The Scottish Government, The British Council, NESTA, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland and the British Film Institute. 

• Data provision in the Games Industry in Scotland

Business model change for games development businesses

The University of Glasgow, ESRC Impact Accelerator Account award: “Business model change for games development businesses” A collaboration with the School of Computing Science to share research with the videogame industry incorporating industry workshops, project webpage, podcasts, press coverage including BBC Radio Scotland and a University of Glasgow promotional video. The project was also profiled in the Adam Smith Business School’s Annual Review 2018.

• Business model change for games development businesses

Helen is interested in supervising PhD projects related to entrepreneurship, innovation management and business models. She welcomes applications relating to small business growth/support, business models in creative/technology-based companies or community/social enterprises and entrepreneurship ecosystems.

• Course coordinator, Entrepreneurship 1A: Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation
• Course coordinator, Entrepreneurship 1B: New Venture Planning
• Lecturer, Business Start-up
• Course coordinator, Dissertation MSc FinTech
• Dissertation supervisor Honours and MBA
• Advisor of Studies, College of Social Sciences
• Adam Smith Business School Liaison for the College of Arts

Current roles

• Advisor of Studies, College of Social Sciences
• Adam Smith Business School Liaison for the College of Arts
• Volunteer mentor on the MCR mentoring project to support young people

Previous roles

• Volunteer, The Prince’s Scottish Youth Business Trust to support young entrepreneurs
• Board Member at Culture Finance North West
• Member of the AHRC Creative Territories Network
• Mentor for NESTA funding recipients (digital and creative)
• Team member, EQUIS accreditation (doctoral students’ submission)