Sally Riad

Sally Riad serves as Associate Professor at the School of Management, Victoria University of Wellington, where she has established herself as a leading scholar in organizational studies with particular expertise in mergers and acquisitions, leadership, culture, and communication. Her research consistently bridges theoretical rigor with practical relevance, informed by her background in both science and arts as well as prior experience as a management practitioner.

Dr. Riad's research interests form a cohesive exploration of difference and its role in shaping organizations. Her work spans mergers and acquisitions, organizational culture, leadership studies, discourse analysis, identity formation, diversity, and international management. She employs innovative methodologies including ethnographic research, visual and media analysis, and creative forms of organization to examine how language, framing, tropes, and paradox shape organizational dynamics. Her scholarship demonstrates particular strength in analyzing metonymy and metaphor as linguistic resources that construct organizational reality.

Her recent publications reveal an evolving research trajectory that increasingly engages with critical perspectives on power, difference, and representation. The 15 most recent articles show consistent publication in top-tier journals including Organization Studies, Leadership Quarterly, and Journal of Management Studies, with growing attention to contemporary issues like pandemic responses in organizations, intersectionality, and coloniality. Her work demonstrates methodological sophistication through the creative application of philosophical frameworks from thinkers like Derrida, Foucault, and Latour to organizational phenomena.

• 2004 US international award for doctoral research on merger integration
• 2005 UK international award for doctoral research on merger integration
• Marsden grant for research into organizational mergers and acquisitions
• Multiple best paper awards in journals and conferences

Dr. Riad has supervised numerous Master's and PhD students while leading two learning and teaching projects focused on student mental wellbeing. She has held significant service roles including Chair of the Research Committee for the School of Management and leadership of both Master's and PhD programs. Her current research includes a major grant project 'Scrutinizing the dynamics of corporate political activity in New Zealand' running from 2025-2027, demonstrating her continued research vitality and institutional support.