March 2012 For immediate release

Retail expert joins Leeds Metropolitan Dr Cathy Barnes has joined Leeds Metropolitan University as Professor of Retail Innovation and Director of the Faraday Centre for Retail Excellence.

The Faraday Centre, which has moved to Leeds Metropolitan from its previous home at the University of Leeds, provides academic research and insight to inform leading industry players in the development of products, from processes to packaging. Joined by colleagues Andrew Revel, Commercial Manager, and Joanna Brice, Office Manager, the Centre will be officially launched at Leeds Metropolitan on Tuesday 29 May. Cathy said: I am delighted and excited to start my new role here at Leeds Metropolitan University. Faraday has been working with the retail supply

chain for over 14 years and I am eager to build on our reputation to become a major force in driving innovation and impact to UK plc and beyond. My vision is to create a new type of university institute where academics, funding bodies and industry work closely together to deliver new knowledge with real and immediate commercial impact.

Originally training as a mechanical draughtsperson, Cathy started her diverse career in engineering, working on nuclear submarines, before moving into academia. Cathy has a doctorate in assembly design and is an active researcher, looking into how to develop more appealing retail products and experiences.

Prior to joining Leeds Metropolitan University she spent twelve years at the University of Leeds researching the consumer experience and managing outreach departments, working closely with industry. During this time she led many research grants and has published widely in both academic journals and the trade press. She has worked with a number of global clients including Coca Cola, Cadbury and Astrazeneca.

Ends

For further details please contact Carrie Braithwaite in the Communications team at Leeds Met on 0113 812 3022 or email c.braithwaite@leedsmet.ac.uk

Notes for editors: Leeds Metropolitan University has over 25,608 students and around 3, 000 staff. The Vice Chancellor of Leeds Metropolitan University is Professor Susan Price and the Chair of the Board is Lord Woolmer of Leeds. Leeds Metropolitans four faculties are: Arts, Environment and Technology, Business & Law, Health and Social Sciences, and Carnegie. Leeds Metropolitans heritage can be traced back to the founding of the Mechanics Institute in Leeds in 1824. International students rated the University top in the UK for language support, accommodation quality and learning spaces in the 2010 Autumn Wave of the International Student Barometer and sixth in the world for the quality of its lectures. We have over 1,500 international students from 122 countries around the globe. The Universitys award-winning learning environments include

Broadcasting Place, which was voted the best tall building in the world in 2010 by the Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) and also winner of the 2010 Leeds Architecture Awards New Building category.