Susanna Kislenko
Adjunct Research Professor
As a social psychologist, Susanna studies leadership in the entrepreneurial context. More specifically, Susanna鈥檚 research focus is founder leadership past the founding (start-up) stage in both non-profit and for-profit contexts. Using qualitative research methods, Susanna鈥檚 work pulls back the curtain on the challenges and potentially darker organizational consequences of long-term founder leadership, including Founder鈥檚 Syndrome.
Having a long-term interest in how leadership impacts organizations and systems, Susanna holds an IBBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University, an MA in Political Science from McGill University and a PhD in Organizational Behaviour from IESE Business School.
Prior to entering academia, Susanna worked in the non-profit sector across Canada for 12 years, holding a number of leadership roles in social service organizations. Susanna鈥檚 research is driven and motivated by her practical experience and she is always looking for ways to translate research into practice. In 2025, Susanna created The Founder Leadership Research Lab, based between the School of Public Policy and Administration at 杏吧原创 University and Kellogg College at the University of Oxford.
For more on Susanna’s research, follow her .