The London Enterprise Office

Bio

You could say science, statistics and enterprise are in my blood. As a Scot, from a family of engineers and fashion entrepreneurs, it was certainly statistically likely.  My family travelled a lot so I finished my A levels part-time. At Manchester Polytechnic I studied biology and environmental science and learnt practical statistical analysis and computer programming.

I went to Imperial College (London) to do a PhD in timber technology Professor Sir David Cox, the eminent statistician, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_R._Cox , helped me to understand the proportional hazards mode. It is a way of assessing the relative importance of specific factors, and I applied this to timber decay. Then I became interested in statistical modelling and looked at plant science carbon balance issues.

I left university to set up a charity (and so never finished the PhD), a motorbike project for youths at risk of offending. I was always interested in motorbikes (including racing http://www.womensmxhistory.com/Profiles/international/AllisonWylde.htm). I was fascinated by the start-up and management experience. After seven years I set up my own business in sports leisure, running UK-wide training events.

In 2002 I returned to academia, teaching statistics for business at London Metropolitan University. I started part time, then secured a full-time post; I faced tough competition, as I’m still in the process of completing a PhD, but I hope I’m an example of not having to follow conventional routes to be successful.

Last year the London Development Agency funded me to work with a small security firm. Security is an unusual sector, made up of enterprises ranging from huge multinational firms such as BAE Systems to one-person operations. I found that there are no empirical studies even though the industry is pervasive: 75% of UK finance directors have no idea what security their firms buy.

I have secured HEIF4 funds to establish a Security Industry Observatory at London Metropolitan Business School; international collaborators from Italy, Israel, Turkey and Spain are helping to develop an EU Framework 7 Programme bid. There are important large-scale projects ahead, including the London 2012 Olympics, the Milano Expo 2015 and King’s Cross Central 2020.

Experience

Allison has more than ten years business experience working in
motorsports.  Allison set up and was appointed director of Newham
Docklands Motorcycle Project the UK's only Moto-x track and training project for socially excluded young people and youths at risk of offending - and more than 5,000 received coaching.  She then set up and managed her own business; she promoted the 2001-2003 British Moto-x Championship for girls and women and delivered moto-x schools across the UK for Yamaha Motors (UK) and KTM Sportmotorcycles (UK). Allison secured funds, sponsorship and product support of more than 2.42 million GBP.

In 2007 Allison is now Senior Lecturer in Business Analysis (Assistant Professor) with the Business School at London Metropolitan University where she teaches project management and business analysis for MBA and MA post-graduate students.

Allison's applied academic experience is in business analysis, strategy and forecasting. She holds a BSc Honours in biology and environmental science an M.A. in teaching and learning in higher education and a Postgraduate diploma in timber technology and is completing her Ph.D. in geography at Birkbeck College, University of London. She has previously held Science and Engineering Research
Council research studentships at University College London (Biology) and Imperial College London.

Funding and Awards

2008-11 HEIF4 Funding to work with the security sector as part of regeneration projects and mega events.

2007-8 London Development Agency Secondment into Knowledge: helping a small to medium sized security firm tender for a 2012 London Olympic contract

2006-8 Higher Education Academy Mathematics Statistics and Operational Research: developing content for learning objects for students studying statistics

1998 Telethon Fellowship: developed methods of working with disaffected young
people, City University, Centre Of Voluntary Sector Work

Links to some recent publications and conference presentations

Wylde A., (2008) Mapping Private Security - The Companies and The Industry, Working paper. Social Science Research Network (SSRN)

Wylde A., (2008) Lock in or locked out? The effects of public sector contracts for a small to medium sized security firm; paper presented at the Economic Geography Research Group Symposium, University of Manchester,May 14th and 15th 2008.

Wylde A., (2007) Development of content for a new Reusable Learning Object, to help students' improve their writing in quantitative analysis modules

Baccus L.R., Wylde A., (2007) Sustainability issues in supporting students understanding of mathematics statistics and operational research Conference presentation in Turkey 2006

Wylde A. (2006) Improved Goals, Action Plans, Planning Ahead And Reflection: students' self-assessment of coaching

Devlin A., (1998)Bringing hope to Britain's Derelict Docklands

Qualifications

BSc Hons MA DIC (Imperial)

PhD under completion with Birkbeck College, University of London.

Honours & Awards

Theses
Trends in student learning: a two dimensional analysis of written work
in an entry-level quantitative-analysis module, MA Thesis (2005), Supervised by Mr D. A. Warren.
Qualitative and quantitative studies on the effect of Striga
Hermonthica upon the grain yield of Millet (Pennisetum Typhoides)
3chapters completed - unpublished, Supervised by Professor GR Stewart.
Qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the occurrence of soft rot
decay in creosoted wooden poles, timber technology, Thesis (1987),
Supervised by Emeritus Professor JF Levy and Dr DJ Dickenson, with
contributions from Professor Sir David Cox. 

Membership of Professional Associations

Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society 

Member of The Royal College of Science, the American Security Industry Association, ASIS and the Economic Geography Research Group
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=1095578
http://londonmet.academia.edu/AllisonWylde

Security Industry Observatory

Partners

Prof Margherita Russo and Federica Rossi - Officina Emilia/ Universita' di Modena and Reggio Emilia Italy, Prof. Dr. Ercan Oztemel Marmara University Turkey, Dr. Moshe Harel Dr Merav Mortenfeld, Technion Israel and Neofytos Gerosavva, Project Coordinator, Prime-tel Cyprus

UK Support Team

Business Analysis, Security Industry