Effie Kesidou is Professor and Chair in Economics of Innovation & Sustainability at Leeds University Business School, University of Leeds, concurrently serving as Head of the Graduate School in the Faculty of Business. She holds additional appointments as Senior Research Associate at Warwick Business School's Enterprise Research Centre and CORD Fellow at Arizona State University's Center for Organization Research & Design. Her academic credentials comprise: PhD in Economics from Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands MSc in Development Economics from University of East Anglia, UK BSc in Economics from University of Macedonia, Greece Professor Kesidou's research employs rigorous economic methodologies to investigate sustainability transitions through innovation. She examines institutional frameworks, market demands, and organizational capabilities driving eco-innovation, with particular focus on how international standards like ISO14001 affect corporate financial and ESG performance. Her work integrates economic geography perspectives to analyze how city-regional ecosystems foster green innovation and productivity growth, bridging theoretical economics with practical sustainability challenges across diverse industrial contexts. Analysis of her 2023-2025 publications reveals intensifying research on digitalization's dual role in climate mitigation and innovation. She systematically investigates how digital technologies enable sustainability strategies in SMEs, examines trade-offs between digital transformation and net-zero goals, and explores sector-specific applications in textiles, electric vehicles, and circular economy systems. Her empirical approach consistently leverages firm-level data across global contexts, demonstrating methodological rigor in connecting micro-level business practices with macro-level sustainability transitions. Her scholarly recognition includes: Best Paper Award in SMEs, Growth, and Performance (Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, UK, 2022) Best Paper Award in Innovation (British Academy of Management, UK, 2013) Professor Kesidou actively supervises eight PhD candidates while mentoring completed dissertations on innovation strategy and economic development. Her research program secures substantial funding from NERC (£113,153), ESRC (£43,461), and EU H2020 (£420,685), demonstrating sustained competitiveness in major grant competitions. Current projects address circular fashion systems, productivity in twin transitions, and JUST2CE circular economy implementation across European regions. She contributes to Leeds University's Applied Institute for Research in Economics and Centre for Technology Innovation and Engagement, fostering cross-disciplinary collaborations on sustainable economic development and innovation policy.
