Wren Montgomery

Wren Montgomery is an Associate Professor of Management and Sustainability, and J.J. Wettlaufer Faculty Fellow at the Ivey Business School at Western University, Canada. Montgomery’s research on firm environmental communications has been pivotal in defining greenwash and its tactics and informing strategies to stop it. Her research has been published in top academic journals, recognized with global awards and grants, and featured in prominent media outlets such as The Globe and Mail, The Guardian, CBC Marketplace and The Current, Bloomberg News, and The Washington Post. Montgomery co-founded the Greenwash Action Lab to make academic research and insights accessible to policymakers, NGOs, and managers leading anti-greenwashing efforts and is currently completing a book titled “Beating the Greenwashers” with Stanford University Press. 

Wren Montgomery’s research and teaching primarily delve into environmental and social organization, examining its transformative impact on societal norms, institutions, and corporate interactions. Her keen interest lies in exploring unconventional collaborations and coalitions that can address the pressing challenges of our times, especially at the crossroads of climate change, water issues, soil degradation, and social justice.

Blending insights from institutional theory, social movements, economics, and entrepreneurship, her research adds depth to theories of change. Notably, her extensive study on water accessibility in Detroit, Michigan, earned her accolades such as the Best Dissertation (ONE, 2016) and Best Paper Award (OMT, 2016) from the Academy of Management. Her publication, "Water Wars in Detroit: Custodianship and the Work of Institutional Renewal" (AMJ, 2020), was awarded both the IACMR-RRBM Award for Responsible Research in Management and the NBS-ONE Research Impact on Practice Award in the same year.

Committed to creating impactful research, Dr. Montgomery combines academic rigor with tangible contributions to the global community. As an adept management consultant and senior government policy analyst, she eagerly partners with organizations, entrepreneurs, and students passionate about instigating change.