Ivey is excited to welcome several new faculty members to campus this year! To get to know our new colleagues, we asked them some questions to learn about their interests inside and outside the classroom.
Get to know: Esther Leibel
Esther Leibel is an assistant professor of strategy and member of the undergraduate Cross-Enterprise Leadership team at the Ian O. Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership. She holds a BSc in Business Administration from the University of Pisa, a diploma in economics from the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, and an MSc in communications and PhD in management from New York University.
Before joining Ivey, Leibel was an assistant professor of strategy and innovation at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business. She says she is excited to be teaching Power and Politics in the MBA and EMBA programs and looks forward to connecting with Ivey students.
Q & A with Esther Leibel
Where did you grow up and what was it like there?
I was born and raised in Italy and lived in four different places growing up. My hometown is Genoa – a vibrant Mediterranean seaport in northwestern Italy. As a child, I enjoyed going to the beach and learning how to cook Italian food from my maternal grandmother. When I was 11, my family moved to Lucca, a small, idyllic medieval town in Tuscany. We swapped city life for country living, so I felt a bit bored! I went to college in Pisa at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies – a highly selective public research university. My college years were wonderful, but I craved big city life! I moved to Rome right after college to pursue a career in management consulting at Deloitte and Arthur D. Little before moving to the United States. My father grew up in Israel, so I also spent time there as a child. Growing up with mixed heritage has fostered my cultural sensitivity and curiosity. I truly feel like a citizen of the world!
Who have been your strongest influences in life?
I have always had a special relationship with my father. He’s a retired physician but has a million different interests and never stops learning new things. He has encouraged and supported my academic journey throughout my life. My mother, who recently passed away, also strongly influenced my upbringing. She raised me and my sister with love and dedication and shared her passion for the arts by taking us to museums, historic buildings, and archeological sites as children. My master’s advisor and his wife were like a second family for me during my master’s and PhD years in New York City. Finally, my PhD advisor is like an older sister to me. Not only do I admire her work, but we can talk about everything. She always has great perspective and gives the best advice!
What led you to your career?
My job in management consulting was interesting and dynamic and a very good fit for me. I enjoyed finding creative, yet rigorous ways to solve my clients’ issues. However, when I went back to school for my master’s program, I realized I wanted to pursue my own research interests. I appreciate the intellectual freedom of academia and love sharing ideas with colleagues near and far.
What is the most important thing business executives can learn from your research/area of expertise?
My research agenda spans different levels of analysis and contributes to the fields of strategy and entrepreneurship, respectively. At the organizational and field level, I ask how purpose-driven organizations develop strategies and business models to accomplish their mission. At the individual level, I examine how social entrepreneurs interact with and gain support from investors and other resource holders, acquiring financial, social, and human capital.
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
I love spending time with my family. I have an 11-year-old daughter and a five-year-old son. As a family, we like to travel, ski, eat home-made meals, and meet with friends. I enjoy going to concerts and trying new restaurants with my husband – we’re both big foodies! I maintain an active lifestyle by regularly practising pilates, yoga, and barre. I also enjoy listening to podcasts and watching historic dramas.
What might someone be surprised to know about you?
When I was a senior in high school, I got into an argument with a new teacher and decided to change schools. My classmates and teachers thought I was crazy, but my parents supported me. For six months, I woke up super early to take the train to another town. Luckily, my courage and efforts paid off! When I applied to college, I was accepted to my dream school with a full-board scholarship. This experience taught me the importance of being brave and resilient.
What is the most played song on your playlist as of now?
Lately, I have been very nostalgic about ’90s music. One of my favourite songs from that decade is Alanis Morrisette’s Hand in My Pocket.
What book would you recommend to others? On the personal side? On the business side?
On the personal side, I recommend Elsa Morante’s Arturo’s Island. It’s a coming-of-age novel that takes place just before the Second World War on the beautiful island of Procida, in the Bay of Naples. Morante’s books are not easy reads, but her prose is beautiful, and her characters and stories are captivating.
On the business side, I hope all business school graduates read Ranjay Gulati’s Deep Purpose. It builds a convincing case for becoming deep purpose leaders and provides an actionable agenda for doing that.
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