Dr Rania Labaki

Dr Rania Labaki, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Finance and Family Business, Director of EDHEC Family Business Research Centre, and Family Business Fellow at Cornell University and The Family Firm Institute (FFI). She is also member of the board of the International Family Enterprise Research Academy (IFERA), member of the advisory committee of Women in Family Business, affiliate family business advisor at Lansberg Gersick & Associates and head of the academic committee of FBN France. Among her past appointments, she served for 8 years as academic expert for The Family Business Network International (FBN-i) Next Generation Committee, providing strategic guidance and support on research, education, entrepreneurship and conference programs for FBN-i and its national associations. A global speaker, advisor, and scholar, she held presentations and lectures in more than 50 countries and interviewed more than 300 family business members across continents. Her insights have been featured in more than 200 academic, professional and press publications, including the leading academic journals in family businesses and the international media outlets (CampdenFB, Financial Times, Forbes, Les Echos, El Pais, Tharawat, The Conversation…). Rania is also editor of Entrepreneurship Research Journal and member of the editorial boards of the main academic journals dedicated to family businesses as well as of the professional French magazine Droit et Patrimoine and the international online resource for family businesses and entrepreneurs FamilyBusiness.org.

She is recipient of numerous awards recognizing her contributions to the family business field such as the prestigious Barbara Hollander Award in 2020. Along with a Master’s in Business Administration from the Holy Spirit University (Lebanon) and a Ph.D. in Management Sciences from the University of Bordeaux (France), she holds the Advanced Certificates in Family Business and Family Wealth Advising from FFI (U.S.A) and the Certificate of Women Leadership Development from the University of Oxford (UK). Her current interests revolve around the interplay between family dynamics and decision-making, governance design and development of responsible owners.