Stewart Thornhill

Stewart Thornhill is the Eugene Applebaum Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies. His teaching includes the full span of undergraduate and graduate programs at Ross, as well as executive education. He is also faculty director of the Zell Founders Fund.

Thornhill's background includes global experience, having held the Karel Steur chair in entrepreneurship at the Universidad de San Andreas, Buenos Aires and various professorial roles at Jacobs University in Bremen, Germany, the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris in France and the Ivey School of Business at both the Hong Kong and Canadian campuses. Research interests include strategic execution, leadership, competitive strategy, innovation and corporate entrepreneurship. His work has appeared in several top management journals and he has published more than 20 teaching cases. He serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Business Venturing and the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal.

Recent executive education engagements span a wide range of global industries including automotive, aerospace, health care, the public sector, and financial services. Professor Thornhill is faculty director of Quantum Shift – an annual program for CEO entrepreneurs of high-growth companies.

Professor Thornhill received his Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia and also holds a B.Sc. (Eng.) in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA with a concentration in Finance. Prior to pursuing a career in academia, he worked as a manufacturing engineer and a radio journalist. He is a helicopter pilot and avid motorcycle enthusiast.