Prof. Shaker A. Zahra

Shaker A. Zahra is the Department Chair, Robert E. Buuck Chair of Entrepreneurship and Professor of Strategy in the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. He is also the Academic Director of the Gary S. Holmes Entrepreneurship Center. He has served also as the Academic Co-Director of Carlson Ventures Enterprises as well as the Founding Co-Director of the Center for Integrative Leadership at University of Minnesota. Previously, Shaker was Paul T. Babson Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship at Babson College and Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship at Georgia State University. He has been a visiting or guest professor at several universities in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Shaker has also held the 3TU Chair in International Entrepreneurship at the University of Twente in the Netherlands.

Prof. Zahra's research examines: (1) entrepreneurial knowledge and capability development in global industries; (2) international entrepreneurship & capability development; and (3) the role of corporate entrepreneurship in knowledge creation, absorption and conversion.

His research has appeared in leading journals and he has also published or (co) edited 12 books and conference proceedings.

Prof. Zahra is the winner of the 2014 Global Award for Entrepreneurship Research. He has received several grants, honors and awards – including 3 honorary Ph.D. degrees from Stockholm School of Economics, Jonkoping International Business School (both in Sweden) and Gent University (Belgium). He is a 21st Century Research Fellow of the National Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers, Fellow of the Southern Management Association, Fellow of the International Family Enterprise Association (IFERA), and the Raymond Institute for Family Business. His research has received several "Best Paper" awards from AMJ, Journal of Management, Journal of Management Studies, among others.