Jan-Benedict Steenkamp

Jan-Benedict Steenkamp is the Knox Massey Distinguished Professor of Marketing at the Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He specializes in global marketing strategies, branding, and leadership, with a focus on emerging markets and retail disruption. His research bridges academic rigor and industry application, evidenced by over 150 scholarly publications and 65,000+ citations.

Education: PhD, MSc, BSc (all summa cum laude) from Wageningen University, Netherlands, and an honorary doctorate from Aarhus University. He has taught at institutions worldwide, including the U.S. Military Academy and universities across Asia, Europe, and Africa.

Research interests include global brand strategy, private label dynamics, consumer behavior during economic shifts, and disruptive leadership. His work explores how brands navigate globalization, with seminal studies on hard discounters (Aldi, Lidl) and the BG 20 project analyzing sustainable brand growth.

Notable publications include Global Brand Strategy (winner of the Len Berry Award) and Warrior, Queen, Scientist, Activist, examining historical female leadership. He advises Fortune 500 firms through AiMark, a global strategic center he co-founded, and contributes to legal disputes involving branding and trade.

Key awards: Top 5 most-cited marketing scholar globally, Len Berry Award, and recognition for transformative leadership research. His work appears in Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, and major international media.