Andrew Atherton is Professor of Enterprise and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Lancaster University. He is an expert in SME policy and China. Atherton joined Lancaster University in January 2013 from Lincoln University, where he was Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and led on major university initiatives on employer engagement and enterprise. He worked at Durham University from 1995 to 2002 — latterly as Head of Department and before that as Director of the Policy Research Unit within the Small Business Centre, Durham University Business School. He has advised national and regional government, as well as major bilateral and multilateral agencies, on policy development and implementation.