University of Toronto professor elected as a fellow of The British Academy
July 17, 2026 — Professor Emerita Anita McGahan of the University of Toronto has been elected a Fellow of The British Academy, one of ninety-two newly chosen international scholars recognized for outstanding contributions to the humanities and social sciences. The election places her among a community of more than 1,800 Fellows and marks an appointment within the Academy’s section for Management and Business Studies, announced in London, UK.
McGahan is a University Professor and George E. Connell Chair in Organizations and Society, Emerita, at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. Her appointments extend across the university, including cross-appointments with the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, supporting an interdisciplinary approach to organizational research.
Her scholarly agenda focuses on social justice, fairness, humanistic governance, global health, and institutional innovation. In recent work, McGahan investigates entrepreneurship in the public interest, offering new theoretical perspectives designed to clarify the capabilities, roles, and needs of stakeholders within complex institutional settings.
With more than five published books and over 200 articles, case studies, and related academic materials, her research explores how competitive advantage evolves and how innovation unfolds not only inside firms but also across industries. She has also engaged in research networks and strategy-focused institutes, including serving on the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Opening Governance from 2014 to 2019 and acting as a Senior Institute Associate at Harvard’s Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness from 2022 to 2023.
McGahan’s career includes leadership in graduate education and research administration at Rotman, where she served as Director of the PhD Program and Associate Dean of Research. Her recognition in management education and academic service reflects a sustained influence on how business knowledge is taught and advanced, particularly through initiatives aimed at curriculum reform and broader engagement with management scholarship.
Her earlier honors include the Academy of Management BPS Division’s Irwin Distinguished Educator Award (2010) and the Academy’s Career Distinguished Educator Award (2012). She later received the Career Distinguished Service Award in 2021, acknowledging leadership across the Academy and other organizations.
Additional distinctions include the Inaugural Educational Impact Award (2018) and, with Michael E. Porter, the Dan and Mary Lou Schendel Best Paper Prize from the Strategic Management Society. In 2023, she was recognized with the William D. Guth Distinguished Service Award in Strategic Management from the Academy of Management and the Sumantra Ghoshal Award for Rigour and Relevance in the Study of Management at London Business School.
The British Academy, the UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences, supports researchers and projects across the UK and overseas. It also convenes scholars, government, business, and civil society to shape policy and public debate, aiming to benefit everyone through rigorous scholarship and widely shared insight.
