Mai Thai among the top 50 women leaders of Montréal
Ranking by the Women We Admire organization
June 3, 2025
Mai Thai, an Associate Professor in the Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, has once again been rewarded by Women We Admire. After making it to the Top 50 in Education in 2024, she has been named one of the 50 Women Leaders of Montréal this year.
Women We Admire’s mission is to acknowledge the achievements of women leaders around the world, in all professional fields, in order to inspire the next generation. Mai Thai has been selected for her outstanding career and achievements, her influence at the local and international levels, and her undeniable commitment to teaching and research.
About Mai Thai
A member of HEC Montréal’s Research Council since 2015, Mai Thai holds an MBA from the University of Hawaii and a PhD in Management from the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland). Her fields of expertise include social entrepreneurship, new venture creation, international business, emerging markets, strategic management and transition economies.
She has published papers in several prestigious journals, including the following: Journal of Business Venturing, International Journal of Management Education, Industrial Marketing Management, Review of Managerial Science. She has been part of several editorial and review boards and has also served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
In addition to Women We Admire’s 2 awards, Mai Thai recently received the King Charles III Coronation Medal for “her redefinition of entrepreneurship as a tool for social transformation, her innovative research and inspirational teaching, and her shaping of sustainable solutions to social challenges with exceptional global impact.”* She was also granted HEC Montréal’s Pedagogical Innovation Award in 2013 and 2022, as well as the Past Presidents’ Award in 2020 from the Canadian Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
The Social Business Creation competition – which she founded in 2016 with IDEOS, HEC Montréal’s Social Impact Hub and for which she has been the director since its launch – hosts over 150 social entrepreneurship projects annually and over 500 participants from all over the world.
*Source: Medal Ceremony, Atwater Library and Computer Centre, January 15, 2025
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