Prof Rob Wilson

A professor of applied sport finance, Rob Wilson has been involved in the higher education sector since 1998 and is currently the director of executive education at University Campus of Football Business (UCFB), working directly with its sub-brand, VSI Executive Education,which trains CEOs, sporting directors and other senior leaders in the sports industry.

Prior to joining UCFB, Rob spent almost 25 years at Sheffield Hallam University, starting his academic career as a lecturer in 2002 before undertaking various teaching and leadership roles. In May 2019 he was appointed to the role of head of department at Sheffield Business School, which is part of the university’s College of Business, Technology and Engineering, and is Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)-accredited.

Rob is also the director of Play it Forward Consulting Ltd, a boutique consultancy specialising in advising professional sport clients on the finance and economics of football, cricket and rugby union, as well as investment value, and governance and regulatory compliance. Recent clients include Dentsu, Propel Sports, the English Football League and Football Association.

Rob’s main research interests are in the finance and economics of sport. His MPhil (2004) was based on the economics of sport events and PhD (2017) on factors affecting financial performance in professional sport.

A regular commentator and panellist for national and international media, Rob also contributes to policy debate in the UK Parliament, most recently as an expert witness for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Rob has been selected to join the advisory board with venture capital and private equity organisations such as InSport Education and the Beautiful Game Group LLC, and is a director of the Sheffield Wednesday FC Community Programme.

‍