Dr C. Essers (Caroline)

As an Associate Professor of Inclusive Entrepreneurship and Leadership at the Department of Business Administration, I research and teach entrepreneurship and leadership.

My expertise focuses primarily on the entrepreneurship of diverse entrepreneurs, including women, migrants, refugees, and LGBTQ+ individuals. I investigate how these entrepreneurs relate to their surrounding (opportunity) structures in their daily practices, and how they collaborate with private and public organizations within the broader ecosystem. I believe it's important to study how these entrepreneurs access capital and networks, and what strategies they employ to gain legitimacy.

A key theme is the forms of 'identity work' these minority entrepreneurs employ, with intersectionality being one of my key theoretical approaches. So, what opportunities and limitations do entrepreneurs experience at the intersection of gender, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, etc., and how do they (and others) address these?

I also conduct research on inclusive leadership and DEI in organizations.

I am highly motivated and driven to use my critical, scientific insights and new knowledge to support and advise policymakers, financiers, and entrepreneurs in their policies and practices.

My academic work has been published in publications including Organization Studies, Journal of Management, Human Relations, British Journal of Management, Gender Work and Organization, and Entrepreneurship and Regional Development. I am a co-editor of the International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior and Research.

I coordinate the Master's program in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Leadership in Organizations course, and Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Context, among others.

Regarding community work: I chair the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee at the Nijmegen School of Management.

Other activities: Scientific advisor to Code-V (https://www.code-v.nl/)