Authors
Kirsti Lindberg-Repo holds a Ph.D. in marketing from Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki, Finland. She has been actively contributing to branding research for the past 15 years and has extensive experience in co-operation with academia and practitioners. Also, she has published articles with Professor Christian Grönroos, as well as with Professor Don E. Schultz in marketing journals, such as the Journal of Brand Management, Industrial Marketing Management, and the Legends of Marketing Series (Christian Grönroos).
Adjunct Professor Kirsti Lindberg-Repo is a passionate brand enthusiast and recognized expert in the academic field. She believes in strong brands with a story. Her expertise primarily covers the fields of Brand Management, Service Marketing and Integrated Marketing Communications. Dr. Lindberg-Repo became interested in brands and branding when studying at Cornell University in the 90’s and wrote her dissertation on the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream brand. During her research, she has developed a vast network of research partnerships with branding experts, corporate leaders and business intellectuals all around the world, particularly in the Nordic countries, the USA, and Asia. Presently she works as an adjunct professor at Aalto University, Helsinki and the University of Vaasa. In fall 2013, she was invited as the visiting professor to Singapore Management University (SMU). In addition, she has founded a research company, Brand Audit Group, based in Helsinki.
Dr. Lindberg-Repo was also the project director charged with leading the BIG 1 & 2 (Branding, Innovation and Globalization) projects at CERS, Hanken School of Economics years 2008–2011. In the BIG projects she acted as a research director and was challenged with concurrently managing international teams in USA, New Delhi, and Singapore. Her engagement with international students and researchers has also helped her develop a deeper understanding of academic working styles and cultural ethos on a global scale.
Dr. Lindberg-Repo has been actively involved in MBA and executive managerial-level education both in Finland and abroad and she has published two books on branding. Going forward, Dr. Lindberg-Repo aims to help companies to become remarkable brands, which will generate growth and build up memorable stories. Hopefully this book will be a part of that story.
Apramey Dube is a doctoral candidate at the Department of Marketing at the Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki, Finland. His current research is centered primarily on investigating customer experiences of smartphone apps. In addition, Apramey works as a branding and customer experiences expert with the Finnish brand research firm, Brand Audit Group.
Apramey holds his MBA in international business from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) in New Delhi, India. During his MBA studies, Apramey was chosen to visit Hanken as an exchange student. He was invited to participate in international research project in association with Hanken, IIFT and Emory University, in the USA. As an outcome of this research project, Apramey co-authored his first book Titans of Branding with Dr. Kirsti Lindberg-Repo in 2009.
Apramey’s research is inspired by the Centre for Relationship Marketing and Service Management (CERS) at Hanken. Deeply influenced by service marketing and management research, Apramey argues
strongly in favor of customer-centric experiences and urges companies to focus on these facets for a stronger competitive advantage in their respective industries.