About the Vice-Chancellor
Read the biography of Professor S Bruce Dowton
View allEric Knight is Professor of Strategic Management and Executive Dean of Macquarie Business School. He is an internationally recognized researcher in the field of strategy, bringing theories from analytic philosophy and sociology to better explain the social and communication processes within organisations. He was global chair for the Strategy Practice interest group of the Strategic Management Society and serves on the global leadership track for the Strategizing Activities and Practices interest group of the Academy of Management. His research has been published in top-tiered FT50 journals such as Strategic Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, and Organization Studies, and has attracted a variety of both government and industry funding.
Eric is a passionate advocate for industry and community partnership in research and teaching. He played a foundational role in establishing two state networks to support research engagement, the Defence Innovation Network, and the NSW Smart Sensors Network. At Macquarie Business School he has help establish new externally-funded public research networks such as the Digital Finance CRC and the e61 Research Institute. He also serves on the board of the Universities Admission Centre and the Board of Trustees of Sydney Grammar School.
Eric completed his BA and LLB (Hons) from the University of Sydney before completing Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) from the University of Oxford as an Australian Rhodes Scholar. He previously worked at Boston Consulting Group and co-founded his own company in the enterprise payments space before returning to academia. He was previously Professor of Strategic Management and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research – Enterprise & Engagement) at the University of Sydney. He was also at Stanford University as a Fulbright Senior Scholar, where he produced Voices of the Hennessy Presidency: collected interviews with Stanford University Leader, 2000-2016. His own online teaching in Design-led Strategy has attracted more than 60,000 students and focuses on teaching at the interdisciplinary intersection of business, engineering, and health.
The Executive Dean of the Macquarie Business School provides strategic and operational leadership of the business school and its academic and professional staff. This includes research activity and outputs, grant income and management as well as the activity of its research centres. The role also involves accountability and responsibility for student experience, curriculum integrity, teaching quality and accreditations. The Executive Dean is a member of the University Executive and contributes to the management of the wider University, and the achievement of its strategic intent.
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