International Advisory Board

Dr. Ilan Alon (Ph.D., Kent State University, USA) is Professor of Strategy and International Marketing at the University of Agder. Prior to that he also had research positions in Harvard University, Georgetown University (USA) and University of International Business and Economics (China). Alon is a researcher in the field of international business with a focus on internationalization, modes of entry, political risk, cultural intelligence and emerging markets. Ilan Alon's publications have appeared in the Harvard Business Review, Management International Review, International Business Review, Journal of International Marketing, International Marketing Review and others.  His books were published by Palgrave, Routledge, McGraw-Hill among other imprints. In addition to being a professor, Alon is the Head of International Affairs for the School of Business and Law at the University of Agder, and leader of the Emerging Markets research group.  He is also Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Emerging Markets and the European Journal of International Management. Ilan Alon has worked with government bodies, non-profit organizations, multinational companies and international associations on various projects ranging from capacity development at the macro level to international business development at the firm or project level. Clients include USAID, illy, Darden, Disney, and others. Ilan Alon has been a frequent speaker on various international networks including National Public Radio (USA), Voice of America (USA), RTV (Russia), Dagens Næringsliv (Norway).

Dr. Diederich Bakker studied Business Administration, majoring in International Management, and holds a PhD in Marketing. His professional background lies in marketing communications and market research. Dr. Bakker has worked in the USA, Australia, Germany, France and the Netherlands. His personal research interests focus on international business, SMEs, market entry strategies, private label branding and Asian branding strategies. Dr. Bakker teaches marketing at the International Business School, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen, where he has worked since 2002. He is an elected leadership member of the European Association for International Education (EAIE) and sits on the Board of Directors of NIBS, the Network of International Business Schools. In 2016, he was appointed Professor of International Business at Hanze UAS.

Dr. rer. pol. Harald J. Bolsinger is Professor of Business Ethics and Economics at the University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt (FHWS). Würzburg-based business ethicist Harald Bolsinger has gained considerable practical experience in corporate customer service and distribution in the cooperative banking sector as well as a business promoter for the City of Nuremberg. He is actively involved in numerous initiatives to promote ethics and Christian values in business life. He has taught at various universities and is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at FHWS.

Dr. Lourdes Casanova is currently a Senior Lecturer, and the Director of the Emerging Markets Institute at Johnson School of Management, Cornell University. She was formerly at INSEAD, specializing in international business with a focus on emerging markets multinationals. She was awarded in 2014 and 2015 as one of the 50 most influential Iberoamerican intellectuals by Esglobal. She is a Faculty Fellow at the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future. She has been a Fulbright Scholar with a Master's degree from the University of Southern California and a PhD from the University of Barcelona. She has had visiting professorships at Haas School of Business, University of California at Berkeley: Judge Business School, University of Cambridge and the Latin American Centre, University of Oxford; University of Zurich, and Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. She was a consultant at the Inter-American Development Bank. Dr. Casanova has taught, and directed executive programs at INSEAD for senior managers including Telefónica, BBVA and Cemex and Brazilian Confederation of Industries. She is a member of the Latin America Global Agenda Council and the Competitiveness in Latin America taskforce of the World Economic Forum, the B20 Task Force on ICT and Innovation in G20 summit, Los Cabos (2012). She is responsible at INSEAD of Goldman Sachs 10,000 women initiative. Dr. Casanova is a board member of Boyce Tompson Institute, start-up Documenta, a founding Board Member of the Societé des Amis du Chateau de Fontainebleau and a member of the Advisory Council of the Tompkins Public Library. She is also a founding board member Emerging Multinationals Research Network and co-founder of the Ithaca Hub of Global Shapers.

Prof. Hugh Dang, Senior Adviser of Ottawa United Learning Academy and co- managing editor of Transnational Corporations Review. Hugh graduated from the School of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University in Canada and the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in China. Hugh worked as a policy specialist in both the Chinese local and central governments for over ten years. During his visiting studies in the United States, Hugh was involved with China-related policy issues. His working papers and publications in English include Promise, Problems and Prospects: Agri-Biotech Governance in China, India and Japan. China Agricultural Economic Review, Issue 2, 2017.  “China’s Agri-Biotech Policies, Regulations and Institutions (AgBioForum, 2015); “India’s Agri-Biotech Policies, Regulations and Institutions (working paper, 2013); “Chinese Experience: Policy Reforms for Agribusiness Development” (FAO-IAAE Workshop, Beijing 2009); “Assessing the Effect of NAFTA on Canada/US Agricultural Trade” (IDEAS, 2003); and “Development: China’s Access to WTO” (Carleton, 2001). Hugh also jointly edited and/or translated a number of publications, including “Special Issue on FDI China” (CIJ, 2011); ”Special Issue on Elinor Ostrom” (TNCR/OULA, 2010); “The Intellectual Crisis in American Public Administration” (trans. from Vincent Ostrom, Beijing Poly-Tech University Press, 1998); and Critical Biography of Karl Marx in His Youth”(Hunan Publishing House, 1990). Hugh’s current interests are related to Asia-Pacific policy studies and international agri-biotech policy; globalization and development as well as transnational corporations and investment issues.

Dr. Erol is Professor of Finance at the Department of International Trade and Finance, Yasar University in Izmir, Turkey. He had earlier served at Cukurova University, Yarmouk University, the Middle East Technical University (METU), and Izmir University of Economics. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Ege University, and MBA and PhD degrees from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo. Professor Erol has been a senior financial consultant for a number of projects undertaken by various public institutions and companies such as Erdemir Iron and Steel Factories AS, Ankara Insurance AS, Ankara Pension Insurance AS, Interfarma AS, OSYM, and METU. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Yaşar Holding, one of the largest industrial conglomerates in Turkey.  His research has focused on investment decision process of firms, commercial banks' operation process and financial modelling for medium and small size companies. He is currently doing research on structuring and restructuring of financial control systems of corporations in different industries. He has been teaching at undergraduate as well as graduate levels in such topics as international financial management, international trade and project finance, corporate finance, commercial bank management, principals of financial accounting, management of financial control systems, and financial statement analysis.

Dr. Alfredo Jiménez holds a master's degree in applied research in business administration and a doctorate in business management. He is currently an associate professor at KEDGE Business School. His areas of research revolve around the process and success factors in the internationalization strategy of companies. Dr. Jiménez also works on the management of virtual and multicultural teams. He has published articles in international journals such as Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of World Business and International Business Review . In addition, he has been visiting professor at several institutions in Norway, Denmark, Germany, Australia, Singapore, Italy, Ecuador and Mexico.

Dr. Jari Luomakoski is a senior lecturer at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences specializing in international business and service marketing.  He is teaching both in English and Finnish degree programs, both on Bachelor and Master-level programs. He is also actively supervising both Master’s and Bachelor’s thesis. Before taking the teaching position at Haaga-Helia, he was a degree program director at the same school and in charge of BBA adult program. He has been a visiting scholar at Purdue University, a Fulbright scholar-in residence at North Central State College in Ohio and a regular visiting professor in universities in Estonia and Russia. His research interest is in the success and failure of businesses and especially factors in the business model or internationalizing of the firm that may lead to the failure of the company.
Dr. Luomakoski did his Master’s degree in Helsinki School of Economics, majoring in marketing and his D.Sc. (Econ.) in University of Jyväskylä, School of Business, majoring in Entrepreneurship.
Prior to his teaching career Dr. Luomakoski held executive positions in e-business ventures both in B2B and B2C fields, was an entrepreneur in international trading, import-export businesses and construction business.

Dr. Turgut Özkan is Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences at Beykent University in Istanbul. He is also heading the Department of Business Administration at Beykent. He obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Uludag University and PhD from Istanbul University. He worked at Haliç University before moving to Beykent. He has also had various administrative positions at universities in the capacity of head of department, deputy director and director of institute of social sciences as well as memberships of various national and international institutions, committees, and editorial boards. He earned his associate professorship in 2008 and professorship in 2013 in the fields of finance and financial economics. Before becoming a full-time academic, he had worked in industry for a long time as an auditor, internal audit manager, and chairman of the audit committee at private banks and insurance companies, and also financial and administrative affairs group manager and assistant general manager in a leasing company. He has widely published and been regularly consulted by the media on finance, business and related areas.

Dr. Saginova is Professor of Entrepreneurship and Logistics at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics. She is author of over 100 research papers and books on marketing, entrepreneurship and education management. She is also a certified tutor of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, member of the European Marketing Academy (EMAC) and the Russian Marketing Guild. Professor Saginova teaches courses in Cross-cultural Marketing, Entrepreneurship and International Business in Russia, USA, Germany, Finland and other countries. She has participated in several international research projects, among which “Hidden champions in CEE and Turkey”.

Dr. Erdogan Taskin is currently Professor of Marketing and Chair of the International Trade Department at the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences at Beykent University in Istanbul. He holds BA, MBA and PhD degrees in Business Administration from Istanbul University. Prior to his academic life, he worked for ten years as a sales training manager at various multinational companies. Dr. Taskin is author of twelve textbooks, including “Sales Management” and “Customer Relationship Training”. His articles on marketing essentials were published in prestigious journals.

Dr. Wlamir Xavier is Assistant Professor of Management at Eastern New Mexico University. His research focuses on the business group phenomenon in emerging countries and non-marketing strategies. He has been a visiting scholar at the University of Paris Dauphine, the Wharton School and the Copenhagen Business School. Wlamir's academic work has been recognized on several occasions including the "Emerald Publishing Award for Best Paper on Emerging Markets" in the European International Business Academy Conference – EIBA/2012 and “Best Thematic Paper Award" in the AIB-SE/2012. His research has been published in outlets such as the Journal of Business Research, International Journal of Emerging Markets, Corporate Governance, and EIBAzine.