About Dr Mahtab (Matti) Morovat BEM
With over 24 years of combined industry and academic experience, I am Programme Leader for the Direct Entry Stage 3 Business and Management and BA (Hons) Business and Marketing Management (Stage 3). In this role, I oversee the academic delivery and student experience for approximately 300 students each year, with a strong focus on quality assurance, progression, and employability. I also lead the Direct Entry Stage 3 Business and Management Transnational Education (TNE) provision across the University’s partner institutions, helping to ensure a consistent and inclusive student experience for learners studying both in the UK and overseas.
In addition, I act as Global Partner Lead for SBCS in Trinidad and also represent the Faculty as a member of the Faculty Academic Board.
I hold a PhD in Management from Durham University and am a Certified Management and Business Educator (CMBE). I am a member of several professional bodies including the British Academy of Management (BAM) and the European Academy of Management (EURAM), and I have presented on a number of occasions at academic conferences such as BAM, EURAM, the BAM MKTP Teaching Practice Conference, and the Three Rivers Conference, the Voluntary Sector and Volunteering Research Conference, and Sunderland University Sustainability Week.
My teaching contributions have been recognised through a number of honours, including being shortlisted as a finalist in the Green Gown Awards 2025 for sustainability action. I have also been recognised for my commitment to teaching and student support, including being named Student Employee of the Year at Durham University in 2018, and progressing to the national awards at the National Student Employment Association Conference. Since joining the University, my teaching has been recognised each year through regular nominations in the student-nominated teaching awards.
Alongside my academic role, I draw on extensive industry experience gained through leadership, managerial, and consultancy roles across the private and voluntary sectors in the UK and the Middle East. My ongoing consultancy work continues to inform my teaching, ensuring that students benefit from current, practice-based insights and an applied understanding of contemporary business challenges.
In 2021, I was awarded a British Empire Medal for my services to my community and my voluntary service. This recognition reflects my deep commitment to making a positive difference in people's lives and my passion for serving the community.
I had the esteemed honour of being invited to witness the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III at Westminster Abbey.
Teaching and supervision
I have designed, developed, and delivered a broad portfolio of undergraduate and postgraduate modules. I am the module leader for two modules, each core across all undergraduate business courses:
- MGT202 Delivering Projects for Organisational Success
- MGT301 Strategic Leadership and Collaboration.
A central theme of my teaching philosophy is the integration of experiential learning, sustainability, and digital innovation within the curriculum. I place particular emphasis on employability, ethical awareness, and the development of transferable skills alongside disciplinary knowledge.
Many of my modules incorporate live consultancy-style projects that mirror professional practice, enabling students to work with external organisations to address real organisational challenges. This approach enhances students’ ability to apply theory in practice, manage ambiguity, and develop professional judgement.
A central theme of my teaching practice is the integration of digital innovation, sustainability, and experiential learning within the curriculum. I place particular emphasis on career readiness, soft skills development, and real-world application, often through consultancy-style projects that mirror professional practice. An example of my teaching approach is explored as a chapter in the book “Skills Development for Responsible Management: A Guide to Innovative Pedagogical Practices for Sustainable Futures” (Routledge), which examines the redesign of the Delivering Projects for Organisational Success module here at the University.
Beyond the university, I have delivered executive and professional education, including authoring and teaching a masterclass on leading volunteers for charity staff funded by the UK Prosperity Fund, and contributing to the UK Government’s Help to Grow Management programme, demonstrating my ability to adapt instructional methods for diverse audiences beyond the university environment.
I am co-supervisor for four PhD and DBA students.
Teaching experience:
- Delivering Projects for Organisational Success
- Strategic Leadership and Collaboration
- Applied Professional Practice
- Business Ethics, Sustainability and Responsibility
- Contemporary Developments in Business Management
- Introduction to Business Management
- International Human Resource Management
- MBA Project
- Professional Management and Leadership Development
- Marketing and Markets in a Digital World
- Professional Practice Project
- Value Creation in Organisations - Managing Operations and Marketing
- Organisational Behaviour
- People, Management and Organisations
- Consulting
- Research Methods and Dissertation.
Areas of expertise
- Voluntary Sector
- Identity
- Leadership
- Experiential Learning
- Sustainability and Community Engagement
Further information
Funding and consultancy
In addition to my research activities, I have engaged in a range of consultancy and externally funded projects that complement my academic work. Recent initiatives include:
- Arranging a paid consultancy to commission a student-led project as part of their assignment to conduct an external organisational review
- Economic Inactivity Trailblazer mapping research for Sunderland City Council, working with The Institute for Economic and Social Inclusion
- Intrapreneurial process improvement consultancy with Apexon, funded by the UK Prosperity Fund 2025–2026
- Intrapreneurial process improvement consultancy with ELCAP Charity funded by the UK Prosperity Fund 2025–2026
- Leading Volunteers Masterclass funded by the UK Prosperity Fund 2025–2026
- UK Government’s Help to Grow Management: Organisational Design workshop.
Other external engagement
Beyond my core research and teaching responsibilities, I have contributed to external engagement initiatives that promote collaboration and knowledge exchange. Notably, I played a key role in initiating and organising our Third Sector Conference in 2024, which brought together over 55 charity leaders and provided a platform for establishing partnerships with external organisations.
I also co-organised the University's Global Education Forum and participated as a panellist alongside sector leaders, exploring themes of sustainability and social impact.
I appeared on Spark FM's Business Bites in 2024 to discuss connecting the community to teaching and soft skills development. Then again, in 2025, to discuss experiential learning and career readiness.
Awards and recognition
- Finalist, UK Green Gown Awards 2025: Green Gown Next Generation Learning and Skills - Rewilding Education: Empowering future conservation leaders 2025
- University of Sunderland Student Nominated Teaching Award Nominee 2025
- University of Sunderland Student Nominated Teaching Award Nominee 2024
- University of Sunderland Student Nominated Teaching Award Nominee 2023
- Invitation to His Majesty King Charles III Coronation 2023
- British Empire Medal (BEM) 2021
- Durham University Student Employee of the Year Awards 2018, in Step Up to Leadership Winner 2018.