After more than ten years as strategic advisor, the last five as CEO of zeal, I have now chosen to embark on a new journey as a learner and PhD student. In this learning project, we seek to gain a deeper understanding of the structures and mechanisms, that influence and motivate leaders who leverage their companies to influence positive change in their ecosystems.
We will be interviewing Indigenous* business leaders in Canada (*First Nations, Métis, Inuit), who have received an award for their leadership from their business community and leaders of B Corp certified companies in the Nordic countries.
The purpose of the interviews is to explore how these leaders:
- Prioritize and make strategic decisions
- Define purpose and success
- Manage potential conflicts, challenges, and benefits of leading a company that does not do business as usual
Purpose
Insights from the project will inform theories on how benefit companies can collaborate to strengthen and support each other, including through the development of regenerative business models and strategic partnerships.
Planning
The interviews will take place from February 1st to June 30th, 2026. Each interview will be 1 hour and conducted online via Teams. The interviews will be recorded for transcription, after which all data will be anonymized.
Find out more and sign up by sending an email here.
Why participate?
Leaders who contribute to interviews will subsequently be invited to a webinar where the research will be presented for feedback. Additionally, a podcast is planned where leaders will be invited to participate in a dialogue with other benefit leaders.
Background
The 3-year project is an Industrial PhD under the Danish Innovation Fund conducted in collaboration with Aalborg University’s Business School and funded by zeal aps and Realdania.
