Executive Dean and Faculty Executive Group

Professor Julia Bennell became Executive Dean of Leeds University Business School in January 2020. She brings considerable experience of business, research and teaching and drives the School’s reputation for excellence locally, nationally and internationally.

Professor Bennell graduated in 1994 with a first class honours in mathematics and management science and received her PhD in management science in 1998 from the University of Swansea. She was promoted to Professor of Management Science at the University of Southampton Business School in 2010. At Southampton, she was the director of CORMSIS (Centre of Operational Research, Management Science and Information Systems), one of the top three OR/MS research groups in the UK from 2011 2014, Head of the Department of Decision Analytics and Risk Research from 2012 -2015 and Deputy Head of School from 2015 - 2018. In addition to her university roles including undertaking research and delivering teaching, she is a qualified executive coach and mentor.