A photograph of Professor Irina Surdu-Nardella, of Warwick Business School, who has been named on the Poets and Quants' 40 Under 40 list

Recognition: Irina Surdu-Nardella is Professor of International Business & Strategy at Warwick Business School

Warwick Business School’s Irina Surdu-Nardella has been named in Poets&Quants’ World’s Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professors Of 2025, recognising her as one of the world’s most influential young business school academics.

Reflecting on the honour, Professor Surdu-Nardella said: "I feel incredibly grateful to be doing what I love—teaching, researching, and mentoring—at an institution I deeply admire. This recognition is not just about individual success, but a reflection of the vibrant academic and student community I’m fortunate to be part of.”

Irina Surdu-Nardella has been part of the WBS community for over 15 years, first joining as a student in 2010 to complete her MSc in Marketing and Strategy, followed by a PhD in Strategy and International Business (2012-2016). Since becoming a member of faculty in 2020, she has made a significant mark on the field of international business. Her research, which explores the behavioural dynamics of how firms expand and contract internationally, has been published in top-tier journals including the Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of World Business, and California Management Review.

Her work has provided fresh insights into how organisations deal with failure, particularly in the context of re-entering international markets after withdrawal, and has highlighted the long-lasting influence of negative experiences on corporate decision-making.

As Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Multinational Business Review, she successfully led the journal to a prestigious 3* rating by the Chartered Association of Business Schools in 2024. In addition, she serves on the editorial boards of several leading journals, including the Journal of International Business Studies, Global Strategy Journal, and International Business Review.

A recipient of the WBS Teaching Excellence Award for eight consecutive years, Professor Surdu-Nardella is deeply respected for her dynamic and engaging approach to teaching. She teaches across all WBS MBA programmes, including the Global Online MBA, Executive MBA, Full-time MBA, and Accelerator MBA.

The 36-year-old’s classroom is a vibrant space where academic theory meets real-world application, and she actively integrates her research into discussions with students.

She is also committed to mentoring the next generation of scholars, acting as co-chair of the Junior Faculty Consortium at the Academy of Management and convening the Doctoral Consortium for the Academy of International Business UK & Ireland chapter.

Impact beyond academia

Professor Surdu-Nardella’s research has not only influenced the academic community, but also policy and practice. Through her work with the Enterprise Research Centre and The Productivity Institute, she has contributed to a post-Brexit investment strategy and produced insights to support both business leaders and policymakers.

Her expertise has also attracted international media attention, including a widely quoted piece in CNBC that reached an estimated 170 million people. A strong advocate for gender equality in academia, she works closely with Women in the Academy of International Business (WAIB) and Palgrave Macmillan to support and encourage female scholars.

Professor Surdu-Nardella joins a distinguished group of WBS faculty to be recognised by Poets & Quants, including Pinar Ozcan, who was named in the ‘40 Under 40’ list in 2017, and Chengwei Liu in 2018.

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