The Center for Emerging Markets (CEM) at Northeastern University's D'Amore-McKim School of Business is a leading research hub on how local and foreign firms can leverage emerging markets for the global good.
Founded in 2007 by Ravi Ramamurti, University Distinguished Professor of International Business & Strategy, CEM operates in three distinct areas, including a robust research agenda; significant work to influence business practitioners; and educational activities designed to prepare the next generation of business leaders.
Center for Emerging Markets History
CEM Founding
University Distinguished Professor of International Business & Strategy, Ravi Ramamurti, founds the Center for Emerging Markets at the D'Amore-McKim School of Business.
First conference on Emerging Market Multinationals
CEM organizes its first academic conference, focused on emerging market multinationals. In the following years, CEM goes on to host dozens of academic and research-oriented conferences and workshops.
First practitioner-oriented symposia
CEM hosts its first practitioner-oriented symposium, “Capitalization on Emerging Market Opportunities.” From 2009 to 2019, these annual symposia aimed principally at business executives and policymakers in the New England region offered attendees the opportunity to engage with timely topics related to emerging markets.
CEM launches grant program to support faculty conducting research on emerging markets
CEM begins supporting Faculty Fellows in their research on emerging markets with mini-grants. From 2009 to 2012 these grants were paid out of a research grant awarded to the center by the US Department of Education (BIE Program). Subsequently, these grants have been funded by gifts by Northeastern University faculty (as part of the University's EMPOWER campaign), alumni, and an anonymous donor.
First Nardone Seminar
CEM hosts its first Nardone Research Seminar, part of a new series that aims to bring academics, practitioners, and thought leaders to Northeastern University to provide insights on emerging markets with the Boston community. The lecture, focusing on managing multinational enterprises in diverse environments, is given by Lars Matysiak, Assistant Professor at Justus Liebig University in Germany.
First India Lecture
CEM welcomed Professor Devesh Kapur, Madan Lal Sobti Professor of Political Science; Director, Center for Advanced Study of India, University of Pennsylvania, to deliver the first India Lecture, “The Other One Percent: Indians in America.”
First China Insights Series Seminar
Michael Enright, Pierre Choueiri Family Professor of Global Business at Northeastern University, disentangled the complex web of Party, State, and corporate actors that drive the Chinese system, and that companies have to understand if they are to succeed in China or in competition with Chinese entities in global business, for CEM's first China Insights Series seminar.
First China Lecture
Yasheng Huang, Epoch Foundation Professor of International Management and Faculty Director of Action Learning at the MIT Sloan School of Management, gives the first China Lecture at CEM to explore what may lie ahead of US-China relations in a post-pandemic world.
Endowment of the Nardone Family Seminar Series
David R. Nardone, DMSB'79/MBA'82, a longtime ally of Northeastern University and CEM, creates a permanent series endowment to continue the Nardone Family Seminar series in perpetuity. Since the start of the series in 2015, CEM hosted over 150 speakers, thanks to Nardone's support.
Launch of the Vivek and Vandana Sharma India Initiative
Thanks to a generous gift from Vivek and Vandana Sharma, CEM launches the Vivek and Vandana Sharma India Initiative, a groundbreaking package of programs that expands and deepens the school's engagement with economic and business issues in India. This initiative supports CEM's India Lecture series, enables scholars, students, and practitioners from India to complete visiting terms at CEM, encourages D'Amore-McKim and CEM faculty to conduct use-inspired research in India, and seeks to create a community of business leaders in the U.S. and India with a special interest in American-Indian economic ties.
First Issue of Insights @ CEM
Spearheaded by CEM Faculty Fellows Valentina Marano, David Wesley, and George S. Yip, CEM publishes the first issue of Insights @ Center for Emerging Markets, a bi-annual publication translating cutting-edge academic research on emerging markets into actionable ideas and advice for global leaders, managers, and policymakers.
Launch of the Srinivasan Family Awards for Student Projects in Emerging Markets
CEM begins a new student grant initiative that provides awards to undergraduate and graduate students and clubs enrolled in full-time programs at Northeastern University to create a startup, take part in a service-learning project, present or publish research, organize a conference, or pursue another innovative project that addresses pressing problems in one or more emerging markets around the world in a novel and/or innovative way. This program is supported by a generous gift by Venkat and Pratima Srinivasan.
First India Summit
To mark the 75th anniversary of India's independence, the Center for Emerging Markets, in collaboration with the Consul General of India in New York, organized a day-long summit on the India-U.S. Partnership for Innovation, as part of the Vivek and Vandana Sharma India Initiative. Speakers included ministers, senior policymakers, and CEOs/Founders of Indian and US companies. They explored innovation in India in sectors ranging from water, renewable energy, and communications, to electronics, digital businesses, healthcare, and space exploration.
CEM recognizes first cohort of Student Associates
To celebrate undergraduate students at Northeastern University who are dedicated to strengthening and expanding emerging-market-related programming and research across campus, CEM recognized six students as the first cohort of Student Associates. These six students were joined by five other peers in Spring 2024.
Ed and Colleen DiSanto endow gift at CEM to support student engagement and innovation
CEM receives a generous endowed gift from Edmund “Ed” Disanto (CPS ‘75), a member of CEM's Advisory Board and former Executive Vice President at American Tower Corporation, and his wife, Colleen DiSanto, to support students who attended Boston high schools, funding activities such as student participation in case research and publication, travel and housing for international experiences in emerging markets.