Professor Orser is a Full Professor and the Deloitte Professor in the Management of Growth Enterprises. Her research, teaching and advocacy focus on entrepreneurship, enterprise growth and women’s economic empowerment. She is a member of UNWomen WE Empower Advisory Group Canada, Women’s Enterprise Policy Group (30-country academic consortia), Canadian delegate to the T20, board member of Women’s Economic Imperative, and advisor to the Government of Canada.
In 2018, Dr. Orser received honourable mention by Startup Canada as Entrepreneur of the Year Award for ‘outstanding impact in Canadian entrepreneurship’. In 2017, she was recognized among Canada 150 Women for ‘professional contributions and as a ground-breaking role model and feminist leader.’ In 2010, she received the Women's Executive Network 100 Most Power Women in Canada (Champion Category) award, and The International Alliance of Women World of Difference 100 Award.
She is the former Chair of the Taskforce for Women's Enterprise Growth (2009 to 2011), a Canadian non-partisan consortium of prominent women business owners, service agencies, academics and industry associations. Prior to joining Telfer School of Management in 2005, she was an Associate Professor at Carleton and Ryerson University, and Program Manager of the Conference Board of Canada Centre of Excellence for Women's Advancement.
Dr. Barbara Orser conducts research about entrepreneurial feminism, small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) growth, and public policy. She is the co-author of bestseller Feminine Capital. Unlocking the Power of Women Entrepreneurs (Stanford University Press, 2015), co-author of two books on small business finance, and has led numerous large-scale studies about women’s enterprise growth.
Her work has been published in over 100 academic and trade journals, including Small Business Economics, Journal of Business Venturing, Entrepreneurship, Theory & Practice, Journal of Small Business Management, Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences and Gender in Management: An International Journal. The quality of her research has been recognized through awards from academic organizations, such Emerald Publishing, Canadian Journal of the Administrative Sciences, Administrative Science Association of Canada and Canadian Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and International Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
Barbara Orser teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Entrepreneurship.
From-To | Source | Title | * | ** | Role | Amount |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018-2020 | SSHRC Partnership Grant | Financial literacy and Canadian business owners | R | C | Co-I | $ 24,900 |
2018-2019 | Brookfield Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship | Inclusive Innovation (I2) Action Strategy in collaboration with Ryerson Diversity Institute | C | G | PI | $ 224,900 |
2018-2019 | SSHRC Insight Grant | Overconfidence in financial decisions among self-employed Canadian | R | C | Co-I | $ 34,000 |
2018-2019 | SSHRC Partnership Grant | Federal SME Procurement, in collaboration with Public Services and Procurement Canada | R | C | PI | $ 24,900 |
2017-2020 | Status of Women Canada | Empowering Women Leaders in Health: Health Care, Health Sciences & Indigenous Health | S | O | Co-I | $ 400,000 |
2017-2018 | SSHRC Partnership Grant | Partnership Engage Grant, Financial literacy and Canadian Business Owners in collaboration with The Business Development Bank of Canada | R | C | Co-I | $ 24,900 |
2016-2017 | CREWW (Centre for Research and Education on Women and Work) | The Impact of Female-focused SME Interventions in Advanced Technology Sectors (Renewed) | R | O | PI | $ 5,000 |
2016-2017 | US Embassy & Consulates | Perspectives about Women’s Enterprise | E | G | PI | $ 18,000 |
2014-2018 | SSHRC Insight Grant | Financing and the Growth of SMEs | R | C | Co-I | $ 82,070 |
2014 | CREWW (Centre for Research and Education on Women and Work) | The Impact of Female-focused SME Interventions in Advanced Technology Sectors | R | O | PI | $ 5,000 |
2011-2014 | SSHRC | The Performance of Immigrant-Owned SMEs (PI: Allan Riding, uOttawa) | R | G | Co-I | $ 46,975 |
2011-2013 | Telfer School of Management Research Fund (SMRF) | Women's Enterprise Growth, Innovation and Small Business Policy | R | I | PI | $ 2,500 |
2011-2012 | Telfer School of Management Research Fund (SMRF Leverage) | Network for Women's Enterprise Growth | R | I | PI | $ 1,982 |
2008-2015 | SSHRC | The Internationalization of SMEs - Entrepreneurship Strategic Knowledge Cluster (PI: Rob McNaughton, University of Waterloo) | R | C | Co-I | $ 1,950,000 |
2008-2012 | SSHRC - Research in MBF | Wanted: Mentors (PI: J. Leck, uOttawa) | R | C | Co-I | $ 124,150 |
2007-2012 | SSHRC | Disconnections: Gender and Trust in Mentoring Relationships (PI: J. Leck, uOttawa) | R | C | Co-I | $ 120,000 |
*Purpose = C: Contract (R and D), E: Equipment Grant, R: Research Grant, S: Support Award, P: Pedagogical Grant, O: Other, U: Unknown
**Type= C: Granting Councils, G: Government, F: Foundations, I: UO Internal Funding, O: Other, U: Unknown
Role: PI = Principal Investigator, Co-I = Co-Investigator, Co-PI = Co-Principal Investigator