Susanna Kislenko
Adjunct Research Professor
As a social psychologist, Susanna studies leadership in the entrepreneurial context. More specifically, Susanna’s research focus is founder leadership past the founding (start-up) stage in both non-profit and for-profit contexts. Using qualitative research methods, Susanna’s work pulls back the curtain on the challenges and potentially darker organizational consequences of long-term founder leadership, including Founder’s Syndrome.
Having a long-term interest in how leadership impacts organizations and systems, Susanna holds an IBBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University, an MA in Political Science from McGill University and a PhD in Organizational Behaviour from IESE Business School.
Prior to entering academia, Susanna worked in the non-profit sector across Canada for 12 years, holding a number of leadership roles in social service organizations. Susanna’s research is driven and motivated by her practical experience and she is always looking for ways to translate research into practice. In 2025, Susanna created The Founder Leadership Research Lab, based between the School of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University and Kellogg College at the University of Oxford.
For more on Susanna’s research, follow her Instagram.