Elena Beleska Spasova

Elena Beleska-Spasova is the Pro-Dean for Education and Innovation at Henley Business School and Professor of International Business.

She joined Henley in 2009 with over ten years of corporate strategy consulting experience working with organisations across Europe and North America. Elena has held a number of T&L leadership positions over the years and led the instituting and growth of a number of work-based and executive programmes both nationally and internationally. In her leadership capacity Elena has also headed major change management and education innovation projects.

In her current role Elena works alongside the Dean to provide vision, direction and leadership of the Henley Business School.

Her research interests include strategic issues and challenges faced by organisations on an international scale, drivers of international competitiveness and performance, with particular focus on exports and SMEs.

Research focus

• Strategic issues and challenges faced by managers in SMEs and multinational corporations on an international scale
• International Business strategies of international firms
• Global value chain
• Dynamic and entrepreneurial capabilities as critical firm-specific advantages driving international expansion and competitiveness
• Governance modalities of cross border expansion and operations – ownership versus control issue.
• The effects of economic disintegration on the international competitiveness of firms from the exiting country – the case of BREXIT

Industry experience

• Management and Strategy consultant at Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Canada
• Corporate and operations strategy development and implementation
• Process and profit improvement
• Enterprise development
• Project management
• Economic analysis, market research and feasibility analysis.

Client portfolio

• Strategy development projects for large Canadian and USA international corporations
• International new venture strategies for SMEs
• Feasibility studies for government agencies in Canada, Cyprus, Macedonia, and World Bank projects in post-war Bosnia

Specialisms

• International Business and Strategy
• Performance
• Competetive Advantage
• RBV