Mika Gabrielsson: "Hanken is not only one of the leading business schools in the Nordic countries, but also one of the most attractive universities in Europe"

Within his field, he founded both a master's and a PhD programme at the University of Eastern Finland. Gabrielsson has also served as a visiting professor at the University of Portsmouth.

"I have a long history of studying the internationalisation of companies and their marketing strategies. I am a frequent reviewer for many journals, such as Industrial Marketing Management. Prior to my work in academia, I held several senior positions in purchasing and marketing at global high-tech companies, and I still am their consultant," says Gabrielsson.

According to Mika Gabrielsson, Hanken has a very good starting point and is known for both the accreditations and the Swedish language. In addition to being one of the leading business schools in the Nordic region, Gabrielsson also believes that Hanken is very attractive internationally.

"If we wanted to, I think we could double the number of international students and thus bring in a vast number of paying students from countries outside of Europe. However, our second aim must be to raise the level of applicants to our programmes in Swedish," says Gabrielsson.

He believes that the most crucial thing is to increase the number of applicants, regardless of where they come from, because in this way we increase quality.

”We also need to invest in the pedagogical skills of our teachers. Supporting the pedagogical development of academic staff is my main goal as Dean. But first of all, I want to get to know the staff at Hanken and hear their views on the possibilities of developing academia so that we can start working together towards a strong future," Gabrielsson emphasises.

When asked why he chose to start working for Hanken, he says that he has always imagined that one day he will work at Hanken.

“It is a great honour to be here and I hope I can be as useful as possible. I look forward to developing teaching, but I also have a very strong interest in collaborating in publishing articles at the highest level”.

Hanken's other deans as of 1 August 2023:
Gyöngyi Kovács, research
Sören Kock, international relations and rector’s representative in Vaasa

Associate deans:
Kaj Storbacka, executive education and corporate relations
Nikodemus Solitander, sustainability

Text: Marlene Günsberg
Photo: Mika Gabrielsson, picture taken in Singapore.