Meet the Team
Arden University’s Accounting and Finance degrees are taught by a team of lecturers who have a great deal of experience and expertise. Here to ensure that you gain the skills and knowledge you need to accelerate your career, the Accounting and Finance faculty is made up of enthusiastic, dedicated lecturers who have each helped to shape and design every course, alongside industry-leading professionals.
Whether you’re enrolling onto an undergraduate degree or you’re starting a Masters, Arden’s Accounting and Finance team will guide you through your qualification, helping you make a big impact in whichever career path you choose. No matter what course you’re on, we aim to deliver high-value programmes and modules which provide students with the skillset that employers look for, from the very start of your career and beyond.
You can meet the team behind your degree below.
Hugh Smith
Deputy Programme Team Leader
Hugh Smith joined Arden University in April 2020 as a Deputy Programme Team Leader for undergraduate Accounting and Business. He has extensive experience in the banking sector; a diverse range of roles from customer services to sales management. But business and finance is not where Hugh’s experience ends, as he’s also previously taught students in tourism, travel and hospitality in the UK, Spain and Switzerland. Hugh’s qualifications include Professional Banking Qualifications, a BA (Hons) in Tourism Management, a PgC in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, a Masters’ in Research (Business and Management) and qualifications in Project Management. He is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. 
Gareth Thomas
Lecturer
Until recently, Gareth Thomas was the Principal Lecturer in Finance and Economics at the Royal Agricultural College. Now, he lectures on several programmes for Arden University’s School of Business and Management.
Gareth has previously developed courses for higher education programmes in Vietnam and Kyrgyzstan on behalf of the European Union, and ran business development programmes in several countries, including Romania, Malaysia, Moldova and Vietnam. Outside of this exciting work schedule, Gareth’s personal interests include sports - mostly as a spectator - but he does still hobble onto the squash and tennis courts every now and then!
Jill Hamilton
Lecturer
The first eight years of Jill Hamilton’s working life were in accounting roles for the public sector, before she eventually made the move into accounting software roles. In 2006, she realised that her passion was in teaching others and helping students learn about the world of accounting. Once she was in this setting, Jill branched out into teaching many subjects that she found interesting, allowing her to add value to each programme she taught by bringing a wealth of professional experience with her. Outside of teaching, Jill likes to keep fit, is an avid bookworm and loves to socialise with family and friends.
Michael Olusoji
Lecturer
Michael Olusoji has an extensive background, working for over a decade as a writer and teacher in Accounting and Business Management. He’s the author of Bookkeeping Made Simple, The Verdict and Andrew the Delinquent, and is also a qualified Assessor and IQA - with many years of experience in teaching and assessing vocational qualifications at all levels.
Michael holds two Masters’ qualifications with Merit, is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management, a Fellow Institute of Financial Accountant and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. When he’s not busy teaching students at Arden, he’s working towards his Doctorate.
Ready to get started with your degree? Take a look at your options by finding out more about our courses here.