Amanda has joined as the course leader for the BA Hons Events Management and the FdA Visitor Attraction and Resort Management programmes in the Department of Business and Law, School of Justice, Security and Sustainability, Staffordshire University, United Kingdom. She is working towards A PhD and is currently researching poverty alleviation through art and cultural tourism specifically in Cambodia, South East Asia.

Before joining Staffordshire University she served as a lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire teaching on a variety of, research, subject specific (tourism, hospitality and events industry based), enterprise and management modules to a range of students undertaking their foundation, undergraduate and post graduate qualifications.

Amanda has also lectured in the field of tourism, hospitality and events management in several international destinations including Cambodia and Poland and has also been a visiting scholar and block taught in China at Chongxing University and Xiamen University

Amanda has an extensive commercial background and has experience of the operational side of the industry. Amanda first graduated with an art degree and was an artist for several years, progressing from this she became a client manager helping to build and maintain relationships, and then as an event organiser – planning, organising and delivering numerous art events both nationally and internationally. Amanda firmly believes that we need to preserve the best of our culture and nature for generations to come.

Separate to lecturing, Amanda is a joint CEO and major shareholder of a building environmental controls company that specialises in reducing carbon footprints via environmentally friendly energy management systems in commercial buildings.

Email amanda.payne@staffs.ac.uk and tweets https://twitter.com/AmandaPayne333