PD Dr. Sonja Sperber

Curiculum-Vitae

PD Dr. Sonja Sperber is an Assistant Professor and Ottillinger Habilitation Fellow at the Institute for Strategy, Technology and Organization. In 2024, she completed her postdoctoral habilitation (venia legendi) in Business Administration with a cumulative habilitation thesis entitled “Shaping the Future of Management and Entrepreneurship – The Role of Gender.”

PD Dr. Sperber studied European Business (Diploma) at Otto-Friedrich University of Bamberg (Germany) and the University of Alicante (Spain). She subsequently earned her doctorate (Dr. rer. pol.) at the Chair of Business Administration, with a special focus on Innovation Management, at Otto-Friedrich University of Bamberg. Her doctoral dissertation, entitled “The Influence of Top Managers on Innovation: An Analysis within the Fashion and Lifestyle Industry,” was awarded summa cum laude.

Following her doctorate, she was appointed Professor of Brand, Luxury and Fashion Management at the ISM International School of Management, where she also served as Campus Director for the BA programme in Global Brand and Fashion Management in Frankfurt and Munich (Germany). She gained further international experience as a Lecturer in International Business and Strategy (Research Track) at Newcastle University London (UK), where she was also responsible for the MSc programme in International Business Management as Programme Director.

PD Dr. Sperber has further experience in research and teaching at various institutions in Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy and France, as well as through numerous international teaching appointments, including at Munich Business School (MBS), Andrássy University Budapest (Hungary) and Lille Catholic University (France).

Her research focuses on strategic and organisational innovation management, with particular emphasis on the role and influence of top management and the significance of gender-related factors. Her research findings have been published in leading international academic journals, including the European Journal of Information Systems, Small Business Economics, the International Journal of Innovation Management, the European Management Journal, the European Management Review and Gender, Work & Organization.

PD Dr. Sperber has received numerous awards in recognition of her research, including the Best Paper Award in the Top Management Team (TMT) Track at the 2017 EURAM Conference and the Research Award of the ISM International School of Management.

In addition to serving as an editorial board member and reviewer for various academic journals, PD Dr. Sperber currently holds the position of Associate Editor of the European Management Review and Guest Editor of the European Management Journal.

Furthermore, she is a member of the Diana International Research Institute at Babson College (USA), a world-leading research institute dedicated to women's entrepreneurship. She is also a member of the ENGAGE.EU Think Tank on Gender Inequalities. ENGAGE.EU is an alliance of leading European universities specialising in business and social sciences, committed to addressing the major societal challenges of our time.