معرفی
Suzanne Gagnon serves as Professor of Leadership and Organization at the University of Manitoba's Asper School of Business, holding the Canada Life Chair in Leadership Education. She currently acts as Dean of the Asper School of Business (March–August 2025) following Dean Silvestre's administrative leave, while previously serving as Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Research Programs and Associate Dean of Professional Graduate Programs and Executive Education (2021-2024). As inaugural Director of the James W. Burns Leadership Institute, she leads the President’s Student Leadership Program and advances leadership initiatives across disciplines.
Her research centers on identity, inclusion, and leadership development with specific focus on gender equity, strategic change in public/private sectors, and innovation management. She examines how intersectional identities shape leadership experiences and organizational transformation, particularly through critical analyses of power structures in entrepreneurship ecosystems and healthcare leadership during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. Her work bridges theoretical frameworks with practical applications through initiatives like DiversityLeads.
Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong trend toward crisis-responsive leadership (particularly pandemic-related organizational adaptation), intersectional equity in entrepreneurial ecosystems, and critical reexamination of leadership representation. Her scholarship consistently connects macro-level systemic issues with micro-level organizational practices, emphasizing relational competencies and inclusive frameworks across healthcare, business, and public sectors.
Gagnon contributes significantly as Senior Scholar and National Advisory Board member for the Women’s Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, advancing opportunities for women, Indigenous, and diverse entrepreneurs nationally. She has secured major funding including Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grants for DiversityLeads, developing evidence-based strategies for organizational equity.
She directs the James W. Burns Leadership Institute, designing cross-disciplinary programming that cultivates leadership capacity through experiential learning. Her work integrates academic research with real-world organizational consulting, having previously advised KPMG Management Consulting and served in the Prime Minister’s Office under Brian Mulroney.
