Revd Tony Bradley is Director of The SEED Centre (for Social & Ethical Enterprise Development) within Liverpool Hope Business School. My background is as a sociologist. After pursuing an early academic career as a Research Associate for the Dept of Environment and Senior Lectuirer in Social Policy at Anglia-Ruskin University (1980-86) I changed career to become an Anglican Priest. During this time I was the author/ editor of 2 collections of rural sociology and UK Editor of Sociologia Ruralis. My main interest was in deprivation, poverty and labour market restructuring in village England.
During my time in full-time Anglican ministry I served as Curate and Vicar in three parishes in Essex, Coventry and Warwickshire. I was appointed Director of Lay Education and Ministry Leadership Team Adviser for Coventry Diocese in the mid-90s ans served in these and my parish ministries until 2006. During this time I was responsible for forming three social enterprises and developing a multi-media TV company in Birmingham. I had a serious spinal problem in 2004 which led to my retirement on health grounds in 2006.
After leaving parish ministry I made a surprising recovery which confounded the doctors. This left me free to set up my own Business & Media Consulting company. I was invited to join the staff of Hope Business School in 2009. Since then I have taught across a wide range of programmes, including delivering the Leadership component of the Service & Leadership Award and establishing The SEED Centre, which I now have resonsponsibility for as Director. I publish regularly on social enterprise, ethical business and integral economics, on which I am currently engaged in writing a major book.
My main research interests are: the social and political differentiation of social enterprises and ethical businesses; the spread of faith-based social enterprises; the foundations of the four-fold basis of integral economics; the ethical re-framing models of international students as they transit from home to host communities.
I live in the English Lake District with my wife, Carol, two daughters, Rebecca (22) and Amy (17) and two dogs (Bobby and Bonnie), where I preach regularly in my local church. I am, also, on the UK Executive of Trust & Integrity in the Global Economy; am a member of Initiatives of Change UK, a Fellow of the University of Gloucestershire and a Founder of The New Wilberforce Alliance. My relaxations are walking in The Lakes, scriptwriting (I am currently writing a major movie script) and cooking.