David J Finch

My professional background reflects a commitment to the convergence of theory and practice. I hold a PhD in management, and I am an active educator, scholar and practitioner. I am a Professor and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Community Prosperity at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta. In this role, I lead the City Experience Lab (CityXLab) exploring the intersection between a city’s learning, creative and active experiences; community prosperity; and its ability to attract, develop and retain human capital. I am also an Adjunct Professor at the Lang School of Business & Economics at the University of Guelph and a Visiting Fellow at the Henley Business School in the United Kingdom.

Prior to joining academia, I spent twenty years in industry and held progressively senior corporate and agency roles both domestically and internationally including being a founding partner at T1, one of Canada’s largest sports and sponsorship marketing agency. This professional background includes supporting brands such as Bell Canada, Rogers Communications, Esso, Harris Corporation, Hudson’s Bay, BC Ferries, The Calgary Stampede, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and Yellow Pages.

I have authored over 50 scholarly papers and published in journals such as the Journal of Business Ethics, the Academy of Management Learning & Education, Journal of Sport Management, European Sport Management Quarterly, Journal of Marketing Education, and the Corporate Reputation Review. Our most recent books, are Implications and Impacts of eSports on Business and Society: Emerging Research and Opportunities (Finch, O’Reilly, Abeza, Clark & Legg) and Understanding the Active Economy and Emerging Research on the Value of Sports, Recreation, and Wellness (Finch & Legg, editors).