Dr Rory Ridley-Duff worked for 12 years as a director of the workers co-operative Computercraft Ltd, and has built his academic career through a PhD study of School Trends Ltd during its conversion to a social enterprise. His primary research interest is the process by which democratic relations develop in both informal and formal organisations and affect governing processes.

He has now authored 35 scholarly papers, four books and two novels. In addition to this book, he has published 'The Case for FairShares' to articulate findings from a decade of action research at Sheffield Business School, that explores social enterprise as a route to solidarity between social entrepreneurs, producers, consumers and small investors (see [...] His research has been published in Human Relations, Corporate Governance: An International Review, the Industrial Relations Journal, International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research, the Social Enterprise Journal and Journal of Cooperative Studies with best paper awards from Emerald Publishing and the Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

He remains connected to practice through directorships with Social Enterprise Europe and the FairShares Association. His aca­demic leadership roles include Chair of the PRME Group at Sheffield Business School and Acting Chair of the International Cooperative Business Education Consortium (ICBEC).