Dr Deborah Swallow is a Lecturer in Leadership and Management at Glasgow Caledonian University London (GCUL), where she has been teaching since 2019. As School Head for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), Deborah champions inclusive practices across the campus, working to foster an equitable learning and working environment. She teaches on postgraduate programmes in leadership, business, and management, with a focus on international business development and strategic management, bringing an intercultural lens to the classroom.
Deborah is an internationally recognised authority on cultural diversity and intercultural communication, with over 30 years’ experience working across corporate, academic, and diplomatic sectors. A former managing director and board-level advisor in government-led business initiatives, she has worked in more than 40 countries, advising multinational organisations and Ministries of Foreign Affairs on how to thrive in culturally complex environments.
Prior to taking on the EDI lead role, Deborah served as Programme Leader for both the Doctor in Business Administration (DBA) and the MBA Research Project. With a long-standing professional interest in intercultural communication, Deborah specialises in knowledge transfer across global contexts and integrating EDI principles into business education and practice. She has delivered executive training to multinational corporations, diplomats, and business owners on inclusive communication and culturally adaptive behaviours.
Her research interests include global leadership, sustainable diversity practices, and intercultural management.