Professor Nicolas Forsans

Biography

Nicolas joined the University of Essex in 2018 as Professor of Management. An economist and expert in corporate strategy and business models, Nicolas is co-director of the Centre for Latin American & Caribbean Studies (CLACS) at the University. His research interests revolve around Latin America's politics, economies and societies, States' responses to armed conflict and organised crime, and the conduct of business in the region. He has published in academic journals, for a variety of audiences in online and professional publications, as well as book chapters. Nicolas coordinates, leads or is actively involved in a number of collaborative research and knowledge exchange projects focusing on the commercialisation of open source innovation, the impact and legacy of the Covid-19 pandemic in Latin America, and the social and solidarity economy in Latin America. Nicolas coordinates DONUT LATAM, a network of researchers from academia and the civil society who, inspired by Doughnut Economics, have come together to develop a vision for Latin America that enables its people to prosper in a fairer, more inclusive, greener and regenerative - within planetary boundaries. Leadership experience Nicolas has 20+ years experience teaching international business, responsible management and business strategy at Undergraduate, Postgraduate and MBA levels, and a rich international experience gained while working in France, the UK, Canada, India, Poland and Colombia. An entrepreneurial senior academic Nicolas has a track record leading and managing teams, strategic projects and ventures at ambitious, university-based business schools. He has designed, developed and repositioned various Master, MBA and dual degree programmes at the Universities of Leeds, Exeter and more recently, the University of Essex where he led the growth and development of The Essex MBA for five years, now the School's flagship programme. Nicolas is also experienced in embedding innovation in programme design, delivery and assessment, securing world class academic and professional accreditations at programme and institutional levels, collaborating with business and the third sector to create experiential learning opportunities and ultimately securing enviable positions for those programmes in global leading league tables (Financial Times, The Economist, etc,.) Prior to joining Essex he held academic appointments at the University of Exeter (2013-1018) where he repositioned and led the growth of the One Planet MBA (later known as the Exeter MBA). Prior to that he worked as an FME Research Fellow, Lecturer then Associate Professor at the Centre for International Business, University of Leeds (CIBUL). Nicolas is a member of various Latin American societies and think tanks, in particular Canning House, the leading think tank on Latin America, the Business Association of Latin American Studies (BALAS), and the Society for Latin American Studies (SLAS).

Qualifications

• Diplome d'Etudes Approfondies (DEA) Pantheon-Sorbonne University, (1996)

Appointments

University of Essex

• Co-director, Centre for Latin American & Caribbean Studies (CLACS), School of Philosophy & Art History, University of Essex (4/7/2022 - present)

• Professor in Management, Essex Business School, University of Essex (3/9/2018 - present)

• MBA Director, The Essex MBA, Essex Business School, University of Essex (3/9/2018 - 31/8/2023)

• Deputy Dean (Colchester), EBS, University of Essex (1/12/2020 - 31/7/2022)

Other academic

• Associate Professor in International Strategic Management and MBA Director, Business School, University of Exeter (2/9/2013 - 2/9/2018)