Short Bio

I strive to generate value for society, whether as a professor, researcher, or consultant (for detailed information, see my curriculum vitae).

My research covers three main areas. In Sustainable Finance and Economics, I have developed a risk management score system based on sustainability criteria, a project that has branched out in different directions since then. On environmental economics, my most recent project in Nature Sustainability yields a clear policy proposal for eliminating import tariffs on selected inputs of renewable energy production in Europe. On Financial Management, my latest book, The General Model of Working Capital Management (Palgrave Macmillan), builds on my previous work with a large company that generated more than USD 1 billion in free cash flow for its shareholders. That work was published in the Journal of Corporate Finance. In Development Economics, my two large projects are on improving national education systems and a proposal for Brazil to help solve Europe’s refugee crisis.

My research, publications, and speaking engagements are informed by a robust teaching portfolio spanning several continents, disciplines, and audiences. They form the backdrop to my new textbook Economics of Global Business (2018, MIT Press). Moreover, the many courses in economics and finance I teach are tailor-made for each type of participant, whether undergraduates, MBA students, or top executives.

I am currently a Full Professor of Practice, Business & Finance at New York University Shanghai and a columnist at Folha de S. Paulo, the largest newspaper in Brazil. I am also an affiliate professor at Fundação Dom Cabral (ranked 12th in the world for executive education) and an external lecturer at the Copenhagen Business School. I hold other academic positions: Associate Editor of the Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, the Journal of Economic Surveys, and Brazilian Review of Finance, and Senior Scholar at the Center for Sustainable Business at NYU Stern.

Today, at NYU Shanghai, I am designing and delivering courses in macroeconomics and derivatives for the next generation of business and political leaders. In executive education, I have been consulting and designing projects for companies ranging from medium-sized Brazilian firms to large multinational corporations, as well as family-owned businesses (e.g., the development of new generations of shareholders).

The theme of improving decision-making for effectuating value creation in private and public settings has found expression throughout my teaching, research, and publishing. For example, my earlier papers (most of my work is available here) imbuing this theme have been published in the Journal of Corporate Finance, Harvard Business Review, Journal of Business Ethics, Economic Letters, International Journal of Production Economics, Economic Modelling, and European Journal of Health Economics, as well as many book chapters, newspaper, and magazine articles. I have written three books in Portuguese about financial management and political economy. An example written with Michel Fleuriet is the Dynamic Model of Financial Management, which presents a comprehensive financial management framework incorporating state-of-the-art thinking on working capital and trade credit administration.

My teaching portfolio includes courses on corporate finance, corporate governance, industrial economics, development economics, international economics, and sustainable finance. My courses are developed for undergraduates, MBAs, and CEOs in South America, Europe, and Asia.  I have co-created courses in executive education with numerous companies such as Kraft Foods, Johnson & Johnson, Santander, Skanska, L’Oreal, RCI Banque, Vale, Queiroz Galvão, Itaú Bank, and Petrobras, as well as varied government agencies. I have delivered more than 15,000 hours of teaching for undergraduates and over 4,000 hours for post-graduates and executive education. My consulting jobs involve diverse financial and economic issues but are typically related to company valuation, M&A, working capital management, personal finance, and trust funds.

Feel free to contact me. I am on Twitter @RodZeidan.