(M|A|H) International Certificate Program Meet the Faculty

Dennis T. Jaffe, Ph.D. is a member of Wise Counsel Research Associates. Dennis is now in the third phase of his 100-Year Family Enterprise research project, resulting so far in five working papers (all available on Amazon). Dennis is a weekly contributor to Forbes Leadership channel, reporting on family cross-generational family business and wealth. His global insights have led to teaching or consulting engagements at Hult University in Dubai, the Pacific Asia chapter of Family Business Network, and the Advisory Board of Chinese University of Hong Kong. He is part of the Polaris team working with the Family Business Network to create a roadmap for family and business sustainability. For 35 years, Dennis was professor of Organizational Systems and Psychology at Saybrook University in San Francisco, where he is now professor emeritus. He received his B.A. in Philosophy, M.A. in Management and Ph.D. in Sociology from Yale University. He has been an active member of the Family Firm Institute since its inception, presenting at annual conferences, serving on the board, designing and delivering educational courses in their GEN program and writing for the Family Business Review. In 2017 Dennis was recognized by the Family Firm Institute for his international work, and in 2004, received the prestigious Richard Beckhard Award for his contributions. 

Professor Wesley Sine is professor of management and organizations. His research focuses on the emergence of new economic sectors and entrepreneurship in the United States, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia. He explores issues related to institutional change, industry and technology evolution, technology entrepreneurship, and new venture structure and strategy. He has examined a diverse set of economic sectors, including the electric power industry and the emergence of the internet. Teaching interests include entrepreneurship, commercializing university technology, new venture growth, the management of technology and innovation, and organizational change. He has consulted and taught executives in Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East. Sine has published papers in the following journals: Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Management Science, Organization Science, Strategic Management Journal, and Research Policy. Sine is currently a senior Associate editor at Organization Science and is the book review editor at Administrative Science Quarterly. 

Rania Labaki is Director of the EDHEC Family Business Centre and Associate Professor of Management at EDHEC Business School, where she teaches and conducts research at the intersection of the fields of finance, entrepreneurship and family businesses. Rania is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Family Enterprise Research Academy (IFERA), a member of the Scientific Council of FBN France, and a member of the Advisory Board of Women in Family Business (WIFB). She is the editor-in- chief of Entrepreneurship Research Journal and a member of the editorial boards of the main academic journals dedicated to family businesses. She has published extensively in academic and professional books and journals on family businesses, including the expert sections of Droit & Patrimoine magazine and Les Echos solutions. Rania holds a PhD in Management Sciences from the University of Bordeaux and has received several international awards in recognition of her contribution in the field of family businesses including the prestigious Barbara Hollander Award in 2020. Her current interests focus on the role of family and emotional dynamics in financial, social and philanthropic, intra/entrepreneurial, and family business succession decisions. 

Mathias Ernst, Founder and CEO of Essentia Futura International, is for over a decade an entrepreneur and investor with more than 25 years of experience in senior positions in the financial industry with Tier 1 financial institutions in Investment Banking, Asset Management, and Wealth Management. Mathias Ernst is an active supporter of startups, early-stage and growth companies, as well as initiatives of the public sector for entrepreneurship and Managing Partner of the educational company MAH Management Academy Heidelberg.He is a frequent speaker at international conferences, panels, and round tables on family advisory, entrepreneurship, and impact investing topics. Mathias Ernst holds a degree in economics and is member and Fellow of the Family Firm Institute in Boston, MA, USA, and an international certified Family Business and Family Wealth Advisor. A specialist in impact investing (ESG / SDG), he was a member of international expert groups such as the United Nations Environment Program’s Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). Mathias Ernst is an active member and Paul Harris Fellow of the Rotary E-Club Wall Street, New York City, USA.