Vera Ivanaj, Albanian by birth and French by naturalization, possesses a dual professional profile, encompassing both academic and artistic dimensions
Angela Kosta
Vera Ivanaj, Albanian by birth and French by naturalization, possesses a dual professional profile, encompassing both academic and artistic dimensions. She currently holds the position of Full Professor of Management Sciences at the University of Lorraine, where she serves as Head of the Department of Humanities and Managerial Sciences at ENSIC (National School of Chemical Industries) in Nancy, France. She earned her Master’s degree in Economic Sciences from the University of Tirana and her PhD in Management Sciences from the University of Nancy II. In 2019, she obtained the Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches (HDR) from the University of Saint-Étienne.
Before joining ENSIC, Professor Ivanaj was a faculty member at the Business Administration Institute of the University of Metz, where she led the MBA program. She conducts her research at the CEREFIGE laboratory (University of Lorraine), heading the “Organization and Human Resources” research team. In addition, she co-chairs the International Conference on “Multinational Enterprises and Sustainable Development” (MESD) and serves as Vice President of the MESD Academic Association.
Professor Ivanaj’s research spans multiple disciplines, including strategic management, sustainable development, innovation, entrepreneurship, and organizational aesthetics. Her work is internationally recognized and published in prestigious academic journals and books. Her research integrates trans-disciplinary approaches acquired through extensive teaching and research experience in the human, social, and managerial sciences. She has also been a visiting professor at esteemed institutions, such as the Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, USA), Concordia University (Montreal, Canada), and Roger Williams University (Bristol, USA). Throughout her career, she has collaborated closely with prominent scholars, including Professor John McIntyre and Professor Paul Shrivastava.
Her scholarly contributions appear in leading international journals such as the International Journal of Technology Management, Group & Organization Management, and the Multinational Business Review. Her writings also feature in book chapters and monographs published by reputable publishers like Edward Elgar Publishing, Palgrave Macmillan, and L’Editions Harmattan. Much of her research focuses on the strategies and policies of multinational enterprises, particularly in relation to sustainable development and climate change, areas in which she has played a key role since co-founding the MESD conference in 2006.
In June 2016, she received the award for the most original painting at the International Salon of Painting in Lorraine, competing among 250 French and international artists
In addition to her academic pursuits, Vera Ivanaj is an accomplished artist. Her career as a fine arts painter began in 2009 in the United States, with her abstract works being deeply influenced by masters like Picasso, Miró, Kandinsky, Dubuffet, and Delaunay. Her artistic practice engages with complex philosophical themes such as life, energy, and movement, reflecting on the unity and uniqueness of existence through dynamic equilibrium that combines thought, action, and emotion. Ivanaj’s work bridges cognition and aesthetics, addressing profound human concerns, including sustainable development. Her artistic process is both reflective and intuitive, utilizing lines, strokes, and symbols to convey a vision of a sustainable, vibrant, and interconnected world.
Her paintings, exhibited both in France and internationally, have entered private and public collections. In June 2016, she received the award for the most original painting at the International Salon of Painting in Lorraine, competing among 250 French and international artists. As a member of the Maison des Artistes in France, Ivanaj continues to write, paint, and exhibit her work. She also regularly delivers lectures and publishes on the intersection of art and science, and on the transformative role of artists in contemporary society. Her fusion of artistic and scientific approaches has led to the development of aesthetic methodologies that contribute to the management and innovation processes in both private and public organizations.
Read: Art as a Catalyst for Intellectual Growth in Children
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Angela Kosta is Executive Director of MIRIADE Magazine, Academic, journalist, writer, poet, essayist, literary critic, editor, translator, and promoter.
