Gaia Marchisio

Gaia Marchisio is a Senior Lecturer in the Discipline of Management and Faculty Director of the Global Family Enterprise Program at Columbia Business School. She holds a BBA from Bocconi University and a PhD in General Management from Università Degli Studi di Pavia. Her work focuses on leadership, organizational behavior, and strategic management within family enterprises. Previously, she served as Executive Director of the Cox Family Enterprise Center and Aronoff Professor of Family Business at Kennesaw State University, and has collaborated globally with institutions like the World Bank’s IFC and the Family Business Network Asia.

Her research explores work-family integration in family businesses, burnout mitigation, succession planning, and multi-generational ownership development. She co-authored the book Own It!: How to Develop a Family Enterprise Owner’s Mindset at Every Age, emphasizing mindset cultivation across life stages. Marchisio founded the Family Enterprise Clinic (2014), offering consulting services for family firms on governance and transition challenges. She speaks English, Italian, and Spanish, and her teaching includes courses on family business management, conflict dynamics, and global consulting strategies.

Her academic contributions span over 25 years, addressing themes like corporate venturing in family firms, strategic planning as a training tool, and the strategic role of going public. She has advised diverse organizations including McKinsey, Egon Zehnder, and Grant Thornton, while maintaining faculty roles in Canada’s FEA designation program.