Suzanne Gagnon

Professor Suzanne Gagnon is Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Research Programs, a leadership role in which she advances research excellence, culture, exchange, and funding for and with Asper School faculty. She also leads the MSc (Master of Science) and PhD programs in Management in the Stu Clark Graduate School. Gagnon formerly served as Associate Dean of Professional Graduate Programs and Executive Education (2021-2024), a leadership role inclusive of the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Finance (MFin) and Master of Supply Chain Management and Logistics (MSCM). In addition to her associate deanship, Dr. Gagnon is the inaugural Director of the James W. Burns Leadership Institute, designing and supporting programming across disciplines including the flagship President’s Student Leadership Program. Dr. Gagnon is Associate Professor in Leadership and Organization and holds the Canada Life Chair in Leadership Education at the Asper School, and conducts seminal research that focuses on identity, inclusion and leadership development; leadership and innovation; and gender equity, representation and strategic change in private and public sector organizations. Her work is published in leading management and organization journals.

Dr. Gagnon has helped firms through innovative programs such as DiversityLeads funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, providing evidence-based strategies for organizations, and through strategic planning in healthcare and large public sector organizations. She is currently senior scholar and member of the National Advisory Board for the Women’s Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, a national consortium of universities and partners to advance opportunity and dismantle barriers for women, Indigenous and diverse entrepreneurs.

Dr. Gagnon joined the Asper School from McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management, where she was a faculty member for 14 years. Dr. Gagnon holds a PhD in Management from Lancaster University in the United Kingdom and a Master's degree in Industrial Relations from Oxford University. Earlier in her academic career, she taught at both Oxford and Oxford Brookes Universities in the United Kingdom. She also consulted in organizational change for KPMG Management Consulting and worked as a Legislative Advisor in the Prime Minister’s Office of the Rt Hon Brian Mulroney, and previously for members of his Cabinet.  

Gagnon, S. & Klag, M. (2024) “Leading from the outside-in: Applying systems thinking to explain CEO experiences during Covid 19.” Organizational Dynamics. Available online 3 May 2024

Udod, S., Baxter, P., Gagnon, S., Charski, V. & Raja, S. (2023) "Embracing relational competencies in applying the LEADS framework for health-care leaders in transformational change and the COVID-19 pandemic.” Leadership in Health Services, ahead-of-print. 

Gagnon, S., Augustin, T. & Kanhai, L. (2024) “Bringing intersectionality into critical leadership development and learning.” In Smolovic-Jones, O., Liu, H., Wilson, S. & Knights, D. (Eds).  Routledge Critical Companion to Leadership Studies. London: Routledge Publishing.

Gagnon, S., Cukier, W. & Elmi, M. (2023) “Leadership Representation: A Critical Path to Equity.” In Schedlitzki, D., Larsson, M., Carroll, B., Bligh, M. & Epitropaki, O. (Eds). Sage Handbook of Leadership. London: Sage, pp. 534-547.

Cukier, W., Gagnon, S. Dalziel, M., Grant, K., Ozkazanc-Pan, B. et al. (2022) “Women entrepreneurship: towards an inclusive innovation ecosystem.” Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship, 34(5), 475-482.

Gagnon, Suzanne & Augustin, Tomke & Cukier, Wendy. (2022). Interplay for change in equality, diversity and inclusion studies. Human Relations, 75(7), 1327-1353.

Cukier, Wendy & Gagnon, Suzanne & Latif, Ruby. (2020). Changing the narrative: Shaping legislation to advance diversity on boards in Canada. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal. Vol. 40 No. 7, pp. 770-800.

Grandy, Gina & Cukier, Wendy & Gagnon, Suzanne. (2020). (In)visibility in the margins: COVID-19, women entrepreneurs and the need for inclusive recovery. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 35(7-8), 667-675.

Ng, Eddy & Gagnon, Suzanne. (2020). Employment Gaps and Underemployment for Racialized Groups and Immigrants in Canada: Current Findings and Future Directions.

Latif, Ruby & Cukier, Wendy & Gagnon, Suzanne & Chraibi, Radia. (2018). The diversity of professional Canadian Muslim women: Faith, agency, and ‘performing’ identity. Journal of Management & Organization, 24(5), 612-633.

Gagnon, Suzanne & Mantere, Saku & Augustin, Tomke. (2018). Discursive Opportunities and Strategy-Making in Social Organizations: A Conceptual Framework. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2018, 18773.

Gagnon, Suzanne & Collinson, David. (2017). Resistance through Difference: The Co-Constitution of Dissent and Inclusion. Organization Studies, 38(9), 1253-1276.

Cukier, Wendy & Gagnon, Suzanne & Roach, Erin & Elmi, Mohamed & Yap, Margaret & Rodrigues, Sara. (2016). Trade-offs and disappearing acts: Shifting societal discourses of diversity in Canada over three decades. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 28(7), 1031-1064.

Jackson, Samantha & Cukier, Wendy & Connely, Krysten & Gagnon, Suzanne & Roach, Erin. (2015). Beyond pipelines and talent pools: A comparative analysis of women in senior leadership positions across and between sectors in Canada. In Karen Longman, Susan Madsen, Faith Wambura Ngunjiri, and Cynthia Cherrey (Eds.), Women as Global Leaders: Women and Leadership Around the World (pp.122-149). Information Age Publishing.

Gagnon, Suzanne & Roach, Erin & Connely, Krysten & Jackson, Samantha. Beyond belonging and identification: A theory of inclusive practices and why they work. Academy of Management Proceedings, 2014, 17426.

Gagnon, Suzanne & Collinson, David. (2014). Rethinking global leadership development programmes: The inter-related significance of power, context and identity. Organization Studies, 35(5), 645-670.

Gagnon, Suzanne, & Lirio, Pamela. (2014). Follow the experts: Intercultural competence as knowing-in-practice. In Information Resources Management Association (Ed.), Cross-Cultural Interaction: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications (pp. 889-908). IGI Global.