22 Nov 2021
Trinity Business School has appointed Catherine Welch as its first ever Chair of Strategic Management.
An Australian national, Professor Welch is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Sydney Business School and a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Aalto University.
She brings with her a proven and lengthy track record of developing programmes that provide students with the analytical tools and critical thinking needed to make decisions in a globally connected world.
Professor Welch’s appointment as Trinity’s first chair of Strategic Management marks yet another significant milestone for the business school, both in terms of the school’s broader strategy, but also in its commitment to gender diversity – Welch is the first female Full-Professor at the school.
The news of Welch’s appointment comes only a number of weeks after Trinity Business School secured the Athena SWAN Bronze Award in recognition of its commitment to improving gender equality and representation among staff and students. Trinity Business School is one of only three business schools in Ireland to hold the prestigious award. Globally recognised for its gender-balance and diversity among the student body, Trinity’s core faculty was 43% female and 52% international in 2020.
The school also leads in the representation of female students across MBA and Executive MBA programmes, with the EMBA programme ranked first in Europe and second globally for gender balance of students in the Executive MBA Economist 2020 Rankings.
Reflecting on her appointment as Trinity Business School’s first Chair of Strategic Management, Professor Catherine Welch said:“I’m honoured to be joining Trinity Business School. As an academic who researches the international strategies of firms, I can’t imagine a better place from which to study them than this world-leading business school situated in the heart of globally-oriented Dublin.This complex world poses countless challenges to studying it, and I am well known for my advocacy of methodological pluralism and innovation in international business and management research. This means I am also passionate about doctoral education, research quality, ongoing methodological training, and rethinking assumptions about knowledge production.”
Professor Andrew Burke, Chair of Business Studies & Dean of Trinity Business School, said:“It’s a great honour to welcome Professor Catherine Welch in what is a double-first for Trinity. As our first ever Chair of Strategic Management, her expertise will be invaluable to the business school. International business strategy is hugely relevant to the countless export-orientated businesses in Ireland who employ our students and engage with our thought leaders in executive education programmes.We are pleased to announce that Catherine is the first female Full-Professor in the near-100-year history of the Business School – but she certainly won’t be the last! Trinity Business School’s high growth over the last few years has led to much greater diversity in its staff profile and this occurred purely by hiring on merit without any positive discrimination. Trinity will continue to build on its diverse gender base and is one of just three business schools in Ireland who are recognised for international excellence in diversity by Athena SWAN. Just over half of our students are female, and female faculty numbers have grown to 43% so that the School is now is ranked by the Economist as 1st in Europe and 2nd in the world for gender diversity on our MBA programmes. We will continue to push further to encourage more diversity and inclusion in the world of business – and in pursuit of that Trinity will lead by example.”
Sandra Rafter, PR and Communications Officer | [email protected]
