Centre staff

centre members large cafe

Reader in Economics

Dr Danilo Spinola

Dr. Danilo Spinola is the Director of the Centre for Accountancy, Finance, and Economics (CAFE) and serves as the Academic Lead for Ethics at BCU's AFE College, alongside his role as a Senior Lecturer in Economics at Birmingham City University (BCU). His work explores the connections between innovation, inequality, and sustainability. With a Ph.D. in the Economics of Innovation from the UNU-MERIT and a postdoctoral fellowship at the same institution, he has deepened his understanding of how innovation affects both the economy and the environment. Dr. Spinola aims to find solutions that balance technological progress with fairness and sustainability.

In his role at BCU, Dr. Spinola teaches courses such as Economics for Sustainable Development, Political Economy, Economic History, and Labour Economics. His research, which has been published in journals like Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Review of Political Economy, Metroeconomica, and Review of Keynesian Economics, focuses on economic development, especially in emerging economies. This involves combining data analysis with theoretical models within Keynesian and Evolutionary frameworks.

Dr. Spinola also consults for organizations like the ECLAC, the IDB, and the INET, bringing his academic insights to broader economic development challenges. As a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), he is committed to teaching and learning excellence. Stationed in the Curzon Building, room C213, he is available to supervise PhD students interested in his fields of study, aiming to contribute to the academic community with both humility and dedication.

Centre staff

Dr Wahabalbari Ahmed

Senior Lecturer and Programme Director

Dr Wahabalbari Ahmed is a distinguished academic with over eight years of experience as a Senior Lecturer and Program Director at Birmingham City University. Dr Wahabalbari has a strong background in Islamic Finance, Business Economics, and Research Methodology.
Dr Charles Ambilichu

Senior Lecturer

Charles is a Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) with more than a decade of industry experience. Prior to joining academia, Charles worked as consultant and auditor (external and internal) in accounting and audit firms, servicing clients across...
Dr Simeon Babatunde

Interim Deputy Head of College - Accountancy, Finance and Economics

Dr. Simeon A. Babatunde is a seasoned professional with over two decades of cumulative experience spanning various sectors, including Investment Banking, Asset Management, Consultancy, and other financial institutions. His extensive career has seen him in management roles, contributing both nationally and internationally. In...
Dr Yasar Bayraktar

Lecturer in Accountancy

Yasar Bayraktar is Lecturer of Accountancy and Governance at Birmingham City Business School, UK. Previously, he worked as a Asst. Prof. at Karadeniz Technical University. He served as a Deputy Head of Business Department and Head of Internship Commission. He holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the Karadeniz...
Professor Hong Bui

Director of Research, Innovation & Enterprise and Professor in Business Education

Professor Hong T. M. Bui has a broad social science background, including economics, education, communication, management, and various methodologies in both qualitative and quantitative.
Dr Igho Ekiugbo

Course Lead for Online MBA, Lecturer in Management – Logistics and Supply Chain Management

Dr. Igho Ekiugbo is the Course Leader for the Online MBA, and a lecturer of Management – Logistics and Supply Chain Management within the College of Graduate School of Management. Before joining BCU Dr. Igho Ekiugbo had earlier lectured at Salford Business School, University of Salford, Manchester, and the University Campus...
Dr Abdul Ghafoor

Lecturer (Finance)

Abdul Ghafoor is Lecturer of Finance at Birmingham City Business School, UK. Previously, he worked as Lecturer of Finance at Monash University. He is also a Non-resident Research Fellow at IPAG Business School Paris, France. He holds a PhD in Finance from the University of Malaya, Malaysia. His areas of research are corporate...
Dr Mohamed Hawela

Senior Lecturer (Course Leader)

Dr Mohamed Hawela is a well-rounded academic, who is passionate about providing a conducive learning environment for students. He holds a PhD in Business and Management. Dr Hawela has published many conference papers, book chapters, a book and journal articles. In addition, he reviews academic papers for several...
Professor David Higgins

Professor of Real Estate

Dr David Higgins is the Professor of Real Estate, Birmingham City University and past Visiting Professor, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics and Xiamen University, China. David has worked in both industry and academia in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and China. He is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered...
Mark Holmes

Senior Lecturer in Financial Accounting

Mark has recently joined BCU after working at other local universities. Prior to moving into education Mark had spent a number of years at Ernst & Young LLP, where he became a Chartered Accountant (ICAS) working with a range of blue-chip clients and a focus on corporate tax. He then moved into education where he taught in...