Profile
Aisy Irwan is a doctoral researcher at Loughborough University London, with an academic and professional background in business, technology, and innovation. She holds a First-Class Honours degree in Business Technology Management from Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB), where she received the UTB Chancellor’s Award and a First-Class Academic Excellence Award in 2021. Aisy is a Member of the Academy of Management and a Member of the British Academy Management.
Her research interests lie in digital entrepreneurship, innovation, firm performance, and the scalability of resource-constrained firms. Methodologically, she is experienced in both qualitative and quantitative research, with a strong preference for quantitative approaches.
Aisy’s work has been recognised at major academic conferences, with her papers accepted to the Academy of Management (AOM) Annual Meeting 2025 and the British Academy of Management (BAM) Conference 2025. She also represented Loughborough University London School in the University’s 3MT (Three Minute Thesis) competition during the 2025 Summer Showcase.
Background
Prior to her doctoral studies, Aisy worked as a Business Analyst at Brunei’s leading telecommunications company, contributing to digital transformation and corporate strategy initiatives. She has also served as a Teaching Assistant at UTB and as a Research Assistant at Nuevo Ventures Group (UK) and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).
PhD research
Aisy’s research, titled “Digital Technologies and Entrepreneurial Scaling in Resource-Constrained Firms: A Multilevel Study of Adoption, Orientation, and Organisational Coherence,” explores how digital technologies drive performance and growth in firms with limited resources by fostering internal capabilities and entrepreneurial behaviours.
Taking a multilevel approach, the study examines both individual and organisational dynamics, particularly the role of non-managerial employees in driving digital innovation within micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). It also identifies the conditions that support scalable growth in entrepreneurial startups.
By integrating insights from digital entrepreneurship, organisational capability development, and inclusive innovation, the research provides a nuanced understanding of how firms in emerging or resource-constrained settings can leverage digital tools not just for operational efficiency, but for long-term strategic advancement. The findings offer valuable contributions to both theory and practice at the intersection of digital technology, entrepreneurship, and organisational growth.
Aisy’s research is funded by the Ministry of Education, Brunei Darussalam, under the Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB) Scholar Scheme