Charlotte Karam

Charlotte Karam is a tenured Full Professor at the Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, holding the Ian Telfer Professorship in Inclusive HR Systems. She previously served as department chair, associate dean, and founding director of the Center of Inclusive Business and Leadership (CIBL) at the American University of Beirut (AUB), where she remains an adjunct professor and senior fellow of the Asfari Institute. Her research bridges inclusive HR systems, business ethics, and feminist praxis, with a focus on gender equity in workplaces across the Middle East and North Africa.

Education: B.A. (Hon.) from the American University of Beirut, M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Windsor.

Research interests include multistakeholder mobilization for scholar-activism, gendered career ecosystems, and combating workplace gender-based violence. She has secured over $11M in grants from entities like the US State Department’s Middle East Partnership Initiative, UN Women, and the EU. Notable projects include the KIP/Lived Experience Indices and the SAWI Project, which mobilize leaders to build inclusive HR systems. Her work on anti-sexual harassment policies was recognized by the US State Department and the Financial Times.

Awards include AACSB Innovations that Inspire (2022), Apolitical’s 100 Most Influential in Gender Policy (2021), and selection as a 2024 Problem Solver for the Planet. She co-founded Khaddit Beirut, responding to the 2020 Beirut explosion, and serves as area editor for Feminism(s) and Business Ethics at the Journal of Business Ethics.

Her research emphasizes actionable knowledge for marginalized communities, with recent focus on refugee crises and employer responsibilities in intimate partner violence contexts. Grants include leadership roles in multi-million dollar initiatives addressing gender equity in MENA workplaces and global refugee integration strategies.