Dr Ozlem Ozdemir is a Senior Lecturer at the Royal Docks School of Business and Law, University of East London, and Director of the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) programme. In this leadership role, she is responsible for shaping the strategic direction of the DBA, supporting doctoral researchers, and strengthening the programme’s academic and professional impact. She is committed to developing a rigorous, practice-based doctoral environment that connects scholarly research with real-world organisational challenges. Dr Ozdemir’s academic expertise spans entrepreneurship, family business, women’s entrepreneurship, cross-cultural management, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation. She brings extensive international experience from higher education, research, executive education, and policy-oriented professional practice. Before joining the University of East London, she held academic leadership and teaching roles at several UK universities and worked for many years with the International Chamber of Commerce/World Chambers Federation. Her research has been published in leading journals and edited volumes, with a particular focus on family businesses, succession, gender, leadership, and emerging digital trends. She is also actively involved in doctoral supervision, research development, and interdisciplinary collaborations that advance both academic knowledge and societal impact.