Michael Gerlich

Michael has been working amongst political and economic elites for more than 30 years as a high-ranking government advisor on economic development and business leader in central Europe and post-Soviet societies.

He developed brand stretching concepts for global brands, led international consumer analysis in the food industry and created brand strategies for new products.

Michael has a wide university teaching experience at leading universities in the UK, Netherlands, Germany, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. He taught Business in a Global Context and Core Management Concepts at the London School of Economics and Political Science and Change Management in the MBA course of Maastricht School of Management.

In January 2021, Michael joined ARU. He combines academic theories and research with his extended international business experiences and his background as a political advisor on economic development. He researches cultural anthropology, political sciences and marketing.

Research interests

• Elite theory in different societies - impact on political systems and decision making
• Changes in consumer behaviour
• Novel marketing approaches - what is next?
• Change theories in transitioning economies

Areas of research supervision

Michael is a qualitative researcher, with experience of ethnographic and interview-based research methodologies. He is happy to consider proposals from PhD students with an interest in qualitative research methods to investigate any of the research interests above. Michael is currently supervising a DBA student and several MBA students.

Teaching

Michael teaches management modules for undergraduate and postgraduate students:

• Marketing Communications
• Financial and Professional Services Marketing
• Strategic Management
• Leadership and Change

Qualifications

• PhD in Business and Management, ARU, UK
• MBA - Master of Business Administration, University of Cambridge, UK
• MA in Business Management, University of Applied Sciences, Trier, Germany
• Certified Master Coach, Behavioural Coaching Institute, New York, USA

Memberships, editorial boards

• Member, Academy of International Business (AIB)
• Member, British Sociological Society (BSA)
• Member, International Political Science Association (IPSA)
• Member, International Coaching Council (ICC)