Our team
Peter Jaskiewicz, Ph.D.
FELI Director
Peter Jaskiewicz is ranked as one of the 25 top family business academics globally. Born into a business family in Poland and growing up in Germany, Peter wanted to understand why succession failed in his family’s business. This led him to pursue his PhD at the European Business School (ebs), as well as studies at INSEAD and IESE Business School. Today, he is full professor at the Telfer School of Management where he holds the Patricia Saputo Distinguished Chair in Family Enterprise and leads the Family Enterprise Legacy Institute, which he founded.
Peter has been a visiting professor at the IMD, Zhejiang University, Sorbonne Business School, University de Nanterre, and King’s College. His academic work on family dynamics, family succession, shareholder agreements, preparation of the rising generation, and family business boards is considered among the most influential in the field and has also been shared in practitioner journals and in media such as the Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, the Globe & Mail, and The Conversation.
His 2021 book, “Enabling Next Generation Legacies,” co-authored with Sabine Rau, is a leading resource for global business families. In 2024, Peter received the International Award from the Family Firm Institute (FFI).
Katrina Barclay
Executive Manager
Katrina Barclay plays a pivotal role in developing and advancing FELI’s work, including supporting executive education and leading knowledge dissemination efforts. Her work translating family business research has appeared in outlets such as FFI Practitioner and The Conversation. Prior to FELI, Katrina spent a decade as founder and owner of an Ottawa-based business and was named an Ottawa FortyUnder40 in 2016. Earlier, she had a decade-long career in journalism and media. Katrina holds an MBA with a concentration in entrepreneurship and innovation as well as an MA and BA in communications. A fourth-generation entrepreneur, Katrina grew up around the excitement and complexities of business ownership.
Elizabeth Tetzlaff
Fellow
Elizabeth (Liz) Tetzlaff (PhD, Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa) is a postdoctoral fellow at Dalhousie University. Elizabeth is also a fellow at FELI and a visiting research scholar with IMD, Lausanne. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in English Literature from the University of King’s College and a Master of Arts degree in English Literature from Dalhousie University. Within the field of entrepreneurship, Elizabeth focuses on transgenerational entrepreneurship and family business. Specifically, her research explores the implications of mental health and well-being for both enterprising families and their businesses.
Ramzi Fathallah
Contributor
Ramzi Fathallah is an associate professor of entrepreneurship and family business at the Telfer School of Management. He holds an MSc in management from the LSE and a PhD in entrepreneurship from Ivey Business School. His research expertise lies at the intersections of entrepreneurship, family business and international business. Ramzi has developed teaching case studies on how business families sustain and grow their ventures across generations and taught multiple courses in family business, strategic management and international business at Western University and the American University of Beirut. Prior to pursuing an academic career, he worked as a management consultant. Ramzi is a fourth-generation member of a 100-year old family business.
AJ Corner
Contributor
A.J. Corner is an associate professor of organizational behaviour and human resources (OBHR) at the Telfer School of Management. He earned his PhD from Georgia State University and also holds an MBA (Open University) and a BA in Modern Languages (Durham University). His work experience includes public and private sector positions in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Japan and France. A.J’s research interests centre on workplace interpersonal relationships, particularly with regard to their underlying social exchange processes. His work has been published in leading academic journals, including Family Business Review, Academy of Management Journal, and International Business Review.
Jim Combs
Collaborator
James G. (Jim) Combs (PhD, Louisiana State University) holds the Della Phillips Martha Schenck Chair of American Private Enterprise at the University of Central Florida. His research focuses on family businesses, franchising, research synthesis and corporate governance. Jim’s work appears in leading journals, including Academy of Management Journal, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Management, and Entrepreneurship: Theory & Practice. He has served as associate editor for several top journals and has held leadership roles within the Academy of Management and the Southern Management Association, where he is a Fellow. Jim’s scholarly impact ranks among the top 2% of management scholars.
Sabine Rau
Collaborator
Sabine Rau is one of the most renowned experts in moderating succession processes and co-creating family protocols in Germany and abroad. She is a visiting professor at the European School of Management and Technology (ESMT) in Berlin and teaches at the Université de Luxembourg. Until 2017, Sabine was a full professor of entrepreneurship at King’s College London. Before starting her academic career as an INSEAD Research Fellow in 2001, Sabine founded her own business and worked in her family’s business. From 2003 to 2007, she was president of the International Family Enterprise Research Academy (IFERA). Sabine serves on several boards as an independent director.
Ritu Virk
Telfer PhD Candidate
Ritu Virk is a doctoral candidate under the supervision of Dr. Peter Jaskiewicz. Her research examines the heterogeneity of family members’ relationships, and family involvement in governance and management, and the resulting family business behaviours and outcomes. Her research that examined family member relationships with different family business stakeholders was published in Family Business Review. She also holds an MSc in management from the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University. Her master’s thesis explored the strategic multi-partner alliances in the airline industry. After completing her MSc and before joining the PhD program, Ritu worked as a market research analyst at Honda Canada.
Amlan Datta
Telfer PhD Candidate
Amlan is pursuing doctoral research in Family Business & Entrepreneurship. His research primarily focuses on issues related to management, compensation structure, and organizational outcomes in family business.
Amlan is a trained economist and has earned his PhD in Economics from the Fogelman College of Business and Economics, University of Memphis, Tennessee, USA. He also holds an MA degree in Applied Economics from the University of Cincinnati.
Kathy Cunningham
Administrative Coordinator
Kathy Cunningham is a skilled research coordinator and senior administrator with extensive experience promoting research activities and initiatives for higher education. She provides support to FELI on a wide range of projects.
