Mohammad Bakhtiar Rana

Mohammad Bakhtiar Rana is an Associate Professor of International Business and Strategy at Aalborg University Business School (Denmark), a Visiting Scholar at the University of Cambridge (UK), and Director of the Sustainability Research Lab. His research focuses on sustainable international strategic management, circular economy transitions in global value chains, and institutional influences on multinational enterprises (MNEs) in emerging markets. He leads multi-stakeholder projects such as the CREATE: Circular Economy in Bangladesh’s Apparel Industry (12M DKK, 2022–2027) and collaborates with global firms like Novo Nordisk and H&M.

Education:

• PhD in International Management and Strategy (2014)
• MSc in International Marketing (2005)
• MSc in International Business (2005)

Research Interests:

• Global value chains, institutional theory, and sustainability-driven business models
• Circular economy adoption in apparel industries
• Technology adoption (AI) and value creation

Grants & Projects:

• Principal Investigator for CREATE (12M DKK, Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
• Climate Change and Global Value Chains in Bangladesh (11.7M DKK)
• Artificial Intelligence, Value Creation, & Adaptation (AAUBS-funded)

Awards:

• Ivey Publishing Bestseller Award (2024)
• Best Paper Award at EIBA Conference 2023
• Wiley-Blackwell Most Cited Paper (2021–2022)

Labs & Teams: Leads the Sustainability Research Lab at AAUBS and collaborates with institutions like Chatham House and BRAC University.