Marcus is the Head of our School of Business and Management and the Course Leader for our MBA and MSc Management programmes. Marcus has developed and delivered modules and courses on Leadership, Strategy, People Management and HR specialisms including Cross Cultural Management and Employee Engagement.

Marcus holds two External Examiner roles with other business schools and is also an Enterprise Adviser on behalf of the CIPD, supporting school leadership teams with their careers offering.

Before joining Bloomsbury, Marcus worked for Guildhall School of Business and Law (GSBL – part of London Metropolitan University)  and, before that, he was a sessional lecturer at Oxford Brookes University.

Prior to academia, Marcus enjoyed a 25-year career in business, working in the UK and Switzerland. This included more than a decade running his own recruitment business with, at its peak, an annual turnover of £4.2 million.

Interests

Marcus is deeply passionate about teaching, consistently securing positive feedback for sessions and for the examples of international business practice that are based on his first-hand experience.

Fascinated by entrepreneurship, at GSBL, Marcus was the facilitator and an expert speaker on the Help to Grow Business (H2GB) programme. H2GB was designed by the Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS) for leadership development of MDs in SMEs.

Marcus is a Trustee of the Coach Ali Foundation, a charity aiming to widen access to sport to young people from all backgrounds and train basketball coaches and referees of the future.

Qualifications, Affiliations and Memberships

• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)
• Academic Associate of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (Assoc CIPD)
• Advanced HE Online Professional Development Course for External Examiners.
• Dip. M CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing)
• Member of the British Academy of Management (BAM) and presenter of research at BAM annual conferences in 2016 and 2021.

Research and Publications

• Astley, M. (2024). Cross-cultural challenges faced by international students: A case study of Indian postgraduate students at a London-based business school. Journal of International Students, 14(4), 971-988. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v14i4.6765.
• Astley, M. (2022) Inclusive approaches to developing assessment models” Investigations in university teaching and learning, vol. 13 summer 2022, ISSN 1740-5106.
• Astley, M. (2024). “Cross-cultural challenges faced by international students: A case study of Indian postgraduate students at a London-based business school”, Journal of International Students, 14(4), 971-988. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v14i4.6765.
• Astley, M. (2024) “Orchestrated Stakeholder Dialogue: its place in Dynamic Capability Theory and its Strategic Significance”, Paper to be presented at the Annual Conference of the Academy of Management, Chicago, July 2024.
• Astley, M. (2022). “Inclusive approaches to developing assessment models”, Investigations in university teaching and learning. Vol. 13 Summer 2022. ISSN 1740-5106.
• Astley, M., Bartlett, D., Burden, P., Holbeche, L., Rodgers,C., Varney, S. and Warwick, R. (2016).  “Organisational Agility: Implications for progressive leadership”, February 2016 Progressive Leadership White Paper Series (ISSN 2396-8591).
• Astley, M. and Bartlett, D. (2016). “Blockchain Technology: a potential enabler of dynamic capabilities?”, BAM Developmental Paper for the BAM September 2016 Annual Conference.
• Astley, M. (2015). “Orchestrated stakeholder dialogue: its place in dynamic capability theory and its practical value for business”, Thesis submitted for PhD: London Metropolitan University.