Bond University has appointed international family enterprise expert Dr Justin Craig as Professor of Entrepreneurship, luring him back to the Gold Coast institution after six years working for some of the world's most elite business schools in the United States.
Professor Craig is one of two new academics to join the University's highly-respected Bond Business School, with Dr Francesco Cangiano also coming on board as Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour.
Bond Business School Executive Dean, Professor Terry O'Neill, said the new appointments would further strengthen the University's teaching and research in two rapidly-evolving fields.
"Entrepreneurial thinking is essential in the contemporary workplace and to have an academic of Professor Craig's standing - who is considered among the world leaders in family enterprises - as part of our team is a major asset for Bond and for our students," he said.
"Likewise, as modern employers continue to strive to better understand and address the needs of their workforce, Assistant Professor Cangiano's research into employee motivation, work stress and proactive behaviour is providing valuable insights.
"I warmly welcome both Professor Craig and Assistant Professor Cangiano to the Bond Business School team."
Professor Craig returns to Bond University, where he completed his PhD in 2004, before taking on a position at Oregon State University.
He was enticed back to Bond University in 2008 to develop the Australian Centre for Family Business, which he headed for four years, before again returning to the United States for a role at Northeastern University, Boston, in 2012.
In 2015 he was appointed Clinical Professor and Director at the prestigious Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Chicago, widely lauded as one of the top business schools in the United States.
Professor Craig said he was excited to again return to Bond University.
"To be asked to take on the position at Kellogg was an honour," he said.
"But I have an uncanny knack for timing and I felt the timing was right to return to Australia. I made my contribution to Kellogg - I learned, I honed my craft and developed a global network, meeting and making strong relationships with some of the most prominent business families in the world.
"Bond was built on the spirit of entrepreneurship, it is an ethos engrained in its DNA, so there is no better place for me to return and further contribute to research and education in this field.
"The entrepreneurial mindset is something any leader, and in fact anyone in any organisation, needs to embrace, as change is continuous and having the skill set and mindset to put the theory and practice together is absolutely critical in today's workplace."
Professor Craig's renowned research focuses on the strategy, function, management and performance of multi-generational entrepreneurial family enterprises, and he has authored 49 peer-reviewed academic publications, numerous book chapters and co-edited several books on the topic.
His new colleague, Assistant Professor Cangiano, is an expert in organisational behaviour, who has shifted across the country from the University of Western Australia, where he worked as a tutor and lecturer for the past four years, to take on his new position at Bond University.
Assistant Professor Cangiano said the opportunity to be mentored by highly respected academics and teach at a tight-knit campus attracted him to Bond.
"The exceptionally low student to teacher ratio at Bond allows you to have a level of interaction with the students that is second to none, so I am looking forward to taking both my research and teaching expertise to the next level in my new role," said Assistant Professor Cangiano.