Dr Peter Gittins is joined by Dr Colleta Gandidzanwa from the University of Pretoria to discuss their project on entrepreneurial learning at the margins. They examine how rural farmers, informal traders, and other underrepresented entrepreneurs develop entrepreneurial skills in contexts with limited institutional support. They also share early findings from their fieldwork, and discuss how their research could help shape more inclusive entrepreneurship policies and support programmes.

Visit the project webpage. This project is funded by the British Council through the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF), Application ID 2675. The project is led by the University of Leeds in collaboration with the University of Pretoria, with support from South Africa’s Agricultural Research Council.

This podcast episode was recorded remotely on 1 October 2026. If you would like to get in touch regarding this podcast, please contact research.lubs@leeds.ac.uk. A transcript of this episode is available.

About the speakers:

Dr Peter Gittins is a lecturer in entrepreneurship at Leeds University Business School. His research interests are centred around agricultural business management, specifically rural entrepreneurship and approaches to strategic management in farming businesses. He has a practical working background in farm management, helping to run his family-owned livestock farm in West Yorkshire.

Dr Colleta Gandidzanwa is a lecturer in the Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development department at the University of Pretoria. Her research focuses on capital input valuation methods, and the economics of research and development.

To mark Global Decent Work Day, Professor Jonathan Winterton and Professor Peter Boxall explore what makes a job “decent”, looking beyond legal minimum standards to consider job security, job quality, fair pay, career development, employee voice, and meaningful work. They discuss the role of learning, workplace relationships, and the impact of AI on the future of work, highlighting how organisations can create jobs that support both individual wellbeing and long-term career growth.

This podcast episode was recorded remotely on 1 October 2026. If you would like to get in touch regarding this podcast, please contact research.lubs@leeds.ac.uk. A transcript of this episode is available.

About the speakers:

Professor Jonathan Winterton is Professor of Work & Employment at Leeds University Business School and Vice Chair for Outreach and Partnership for the United Nations Academic Impact Hub for SDG8 Decent Work & Economic Growth. His research centres on human capital, including work along two axes: one concerned with the quality of work and the other with how human capital is developed, deployed, and retained.

Professor Peter Boxall is Chair in Human Resource Management at the University of Auckland, and International Visiting Professor at Leeds University Business School. His research interests include strategic human resource management work, and employee well-being.

For episode 6 of Work in Progress, Dr Sanjay Popat speaks with Dr Judy Ho about how the bonds we form with our primary caregivers in childhood can shape our relationships at work. In this fascinating conversation, they discuss what attachment really is and its different styles. They explore whether our leaders can become attachment figures, how attachment influences burnout, and whether narcissism can be understood through an attachment lens. Dr Judy also highlights what organisations and leaders can do to foster healthier attachment at work.

This episode was recorded on 19th August 2026. A transcript of the episode is available. If you would like to get in touch regarding the episode or podcast, email research.lubs@leeds.ac.uk. Visit the podcast webpage for further information.

About the speakers:

Dr Sanjay Popat is a chartered organisational psychologist and Postdoctoral Research Fellow specialising in occupational stress, well-being and mental health. His work focuses on how these phenomena occur over time and how time might influence whether we adapt to stressors or reach a breaking point.

Dr Judy Ho is a triple board-certified and licensed clinical and forensic neuropsychologist, a tenured professor at Pepperdine University, television and podcast host, and published author. Dr Judy conducts neuropsychological and psychodiagnostic evaluations, serves as an expert witness in legal cases, conducts clinical research, provides expert commentary to media, a sought-after public speaker, TEDx talker, and author of “Stop Self-Sabotage" and “The New Rules of Attachment”.