As GEM’s Executive Director since February 2019, Aileen’s main objective is to ensure that GEM is increasingly perceived as the world-class reference for data-driven entrepreneurship knowledge and expertise worldwide. Aileen is a highly experienced academic researcher/teacher and an author of books, case studies and journal/newspaper articles.
Before GEM, she spent three years as Associate Dean of Business School Lausanne, working on embedding entrepreneurship and sustainability in research, undergraduate, executive and doctoral programs. For 15 years, she was Director of a membership-driven research platform at IMD, a top-ranked business school based in Switzerland. There, she directed collaborative corporate sustainability research projects involving some 60 global companies and ran multi-stakeholder thought leadership events. Prior to IMD, Aileen spent 13 years in program management at WWF, heading program operations for Latin America and Africa and ultimately, globally.
She holds a PhD, MA, BA (1st Class Hons.) and Dipl.Ed from National University of Ireland (UCC) and an MSc from Imperial College London. Aileen is a certified Tavistock coach, design thinking facilitator and change management consultant. As a food industry strategic innovation expert, Aileen participated in the Google Food Lab, a global collaborative network for leading thinkers and doers to apply their knowledge and passion towards imagining and shaping the future of food.
Before GEM, she spent three years as Associate Dean of Business School Lausanne, working on embedding entrepreneurship and sustainability in research, undergraduate, executive and doctoral programs. For 15 years, she was Director of a membership-driven research platform at IMD, a top-ranked business school based in Switzerland. There, she directed collaborative corporate sustainability research projects involving some 60 global companies and ran multi-stakeholder thought leadership events. Prior to IMD, Aileen spent 13 years in program management at WWF, heading program operations for Latin America and Africa and ultimately, globally.
She holds a PhD, MA, BA (1st Class Hons.) and Dipl.Ed from National University of Ireland (UCC) and an MSc from Imperial College London. Aileen is a certified Tavistock coach, design thinking facilitator and change management consultant. As a food industry strategic innovation expert, Aileen participated in the Google Food Lab, a global collaborative network for leading thinkers and doers to apply their knowledge and passion towards imagining and shaping the future of food.