Dr Amy Benstead was recently announced as a highly commended award winner of the 2018 Emerald/EFMD Outstanding Doctoral Research Awards in recognition of her research entitled “Reshoring and Modern Slavery in the supply chain: case study evidence and action research in the Textiles and Fashion Industry”. On receiving this award, Amy said “I am delighted to receive an Outstanding Doctoral Research Award. It is a great way to end my PhD!”

The research was funded through an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) studentship and involved conducting a targeted modern slavery audit in Thailand. One of the papers from the thesis, published in the International Journal of Operations and Product Management (IJOPM) has won a 2019 Emerald Literati Award and investigates collaboration amongst brands and retailers in response to modern slavery legislation.

Amy started her academic career with a BSc (Hons) in Operations Management (Industry) at Lancaster University Management School, and subsequently spent seven years working in industry, most recently as a Senior Merchandise Manager based in Istanbul, Turkey at global sourcing company Li & Fung. She returned to LUMS to complete an MRes in Management Science in 2014, and recently graduated with a PhD in Management Science. Amy now works as a Lecturer in Fashion Management at The University of Manchester, specialising in areas including sustainability and global sourcing.

We would like to congratulate Amy on this fantastic achievement, which demonstrates the high standard of doctoral research completed within the Management School. We wish her all the best for her future career.

Journal articles from the thesis are available on the SpringerLink and Emerald Insight websites, and Amy's research also featured in a recent edition of Fifty Four Degrees.