معرفی
Susan Fournier serves as the Allen Questrom Professor and Dean at Boston University Questrom School of Business. Appointed Dean in 2019, she is Questrom's first academic dean in over 40 years and the institution's first woman dean. A faculty member since 2005, she previously held leadership roles including Senior Associate Dean of Faculty & Research and Faculty Director of MBA and Doctoral programs. As a first-generation college student, she brings unique perspective to advancing diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Her academic foundation includes a PhD in Marketing from the University of Florida (1994), an MS in Marketing from The Pennsylvania State University (1983), and a BSBA in Marketing from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (1980).
Fournier pioneered the brand relationships research sub-field, examining how consumers form emotional connections with brands through psychological, anthropological, and financial lenses. Her work explores brand risk dynamics, person-brands (e.g., Martha Stewart, Donald Trump), brand co-creation, and relationship phenomena including "flings," "abusive marriages," and "secret affairs." She emphasizes translating academic insights into practical business applications through her extensive industry consulting.
Her publication trajectory reveals deepening focus on socio-political brand risks, digital-era consumer-brand interactions, and financial implications of branding strategies. Recent work analyzes corporate responses to sociopolitical events, brand risk mitigation, and the valuation impact of brand architecture decisions across diverse market contexts.
Her scientific recognition includes:
- Long-Term Contribution Award in Consumer Research
- Maynard Award from Journal of Marketing
- Sheth Award from Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science
- Emerald Publishing Citation of Excellence Award
Fournier directed Questrom's Doctoral program while maintaining active industry engagement through her consulting practice with IBM, Coca-Cola, and Procter & Gamble. Her 12-year tenure on Harley-Davidson's Harley Owners Group Board and brand advisory role at Irving Oil Corporation inform her research-practice integration. She has designed award-winning MBA electives and contributed over 40 Harvard Business School case studies.
She founded and chairs the Institute for Brands & Brand Relationships, a non-profit collaborative advancing interdisciplinary research across academic and practitioner communities. This initiative fosters global dialogue on emerging brand phenomena through workshops, publications, and cross-sector partnerships.
