Most of us read and extensively cite these top IB scholars. Their groundbreaking and seminal papers inspire us, and yet, many of us rarely get to know the “person” behind the scholarly accomplishments. These esteemed colleagues generously share with us how many different facets of their lives have influenced their work in these videos. These recordings are not about particular papers or specific empirical methods. Each has unique perspectives yet exhibit a shared ethos that centers on finding and solving substantive puzzles in IB.

These semi-structured interviews are in three parts. First, the guests talk about their journey on how they got into the profession, what else they could or would have pursued, their passions, interests, etc. Second, the scholars talk about promising IB topics, what is under-explored, not-well-understood, and over-emphasized topics. Third, the scholars share the best advice they received, their advice to young scholars on what to do and what not to do for a successful career. There is much value in learning from their experiences and hindsight.  Each session is practically a ‘masterclass’ with these top minds in our field. I hope these dynamic segments will keep on inspiring new generations of scholars.

New conversations will be published every Thursday. Podcast versions of each episode are available on our Podbean page, as well as through your favorite audio streaming services.

Ilgaz Arikan

Bio: Ilgaz Arikan’s (Ph.D. the Ohio State University) interdisciplinary research in international business, strategy, and entrepreneurship draws from economics, political science, sociology, history, and international relations. His work on how history, exchange and political hazards impact firms’ governance choices, and how firms’ resources and capabilities impact relative performance have appeared in journals such as the Academy of Management Review, Management Information Systems Quarterly, Academy of Management Journal, Journal of International Business Studies, Strategic Management Journal, and chapters in academic and professional journals and books. He is an expert in the management and internationalization of authentic firms.

Affiliation: Kent State University

Karl Sauvant

Karl P. Sauvant is Resident Senior Fellow at the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI), a joint center of Columbia Law School and the Earth Institute at Columbia University; Lecturer-in-Law at Columbia Law School (where he teaches a seminar on FDI and public policy); Fellow, Academy of International Business; and Honorary Fellow, European International Business Academy. He is a national of Germany, married to Silvana F. da Silva, a national of Brazil.

Dr. Sauvant launched, in 2015, a proposal for an international support program to facilitate sustainable investment; structured discussions on a multilateral Investment Facilitation Framework for Development began in the WTO in 2018, and were upgraded to negotiations in 2020. He has advocated, since 2004, the establishment of an Advisory Center on International Investment Law, a proposal that was put on the agenda of the United Nations Commission on Trade Law (UNCITRAL) in October 2019. Since 1998, he has championed the establishment of a facility that helps developing countries negotiate large-scale contracts with international investors; the proposal was put on the G7 agenda in 2014, under the name of “CONNEX”, and was implemented by Germany in 2017, when it established the CONNEX Support Unit in Berlin. In January 2006, Sauvant established the Columbia Program on International Investment (today the CCSI), serving as its Executive Director until February 2012. As Chief of the Research Section of the United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations, he created the World Investment Report and was its lead author until 2004, at UNCTAD; he also founded the journal Transnational Corporations, serving as its editor until 2005.

Dr. Sauvant received a Ph.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. He joined the United Nations in 1973 and, as of 1975, has focused his work on matters related to FDI. He rose to Director of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD’s) Investment Division. He has published extensively on issues related to economic development and various aspects of foreign direct investment.

Frontline IB is on a brief hiatus while new episodes are being recorded.

Updates will resume in September 2023.