Home page
ع
Resources for Current Students, Faculty and Staff
Webmail Directory Catalog Banner Canvas Moodle
Primary Navigation Background
Quick Links / AUC Directory, Faculty Directory
Headshot of a woman smiling

Additional Links

Seham Ghalwash

  • Position: Instructor
  • Department: Heikal Department of Management
  • Email: [email protected]
Brief Biography

Seham Ghalwash, PhD, is an instructor at The American University in Cairo (AUC) at the Onsi Sawiris School of Business. She earned her PhD in entrepreneurship from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), complemented by a visiting research appointment at IE Business School, Madrid, and holds an MSc in international business and emerging markets (with distinction) from the University of Edinburgh Business School. Her research examines how entrepreneurs and stakeholders drive institutional and industry transitions in emerging economies, particularly in the domains of renewable energy, fintech, and sustainability transitions. She has published in peer-reviewed journals, including the International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal and the Social Entrepreneurship Journal.

Alongside academia, Ghalwash has advised international organizations, including UNDP, ESCWA, EVPA, Union of Mediterranean, and GIZ, where she has led ecosystem mapping, policy studies, and gender-lens investment projects across Egypt and the wider MENA region. She is a member of the UN Economic Commission for Africa’s Community of Practice on Women’s Entrepreneurship and the African Network of Social Entrepreneurship Scholars. Her work bridges research, practice, and policy, making her a recognized voice in advancing entrepreneurship, innovation, and sustainability in emerging markets.

Research Interest
  • Entrepreneurship and Institutional Change – how entrepreneurs and stakeholders co-produce institutional and industry transitions
  • Sustainability Transitions – with a focus on renewable energy and fintech sectors in emerging economies
  • Innovation Systems – especially in the context of developing countries and centralized governance systems
  • Social Entrepreneurship – exploring the intersection of entrepreneurship, sustainability, and societal impact.
Education
  • PhD in Entrepreneurship from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
  • MSc in International Business and Emerging Markets (with Distinction) from the University of Edinburgh Business School
  • Justo, R., Galdon, C., Pareja-Cano, B., & Ghalwash, S. (2024). Moda re-: A Quest to Re-Store Sustainability and Re-Imagine Fashion [Multimedia Case Study]. Harvard Business School. Available at: https://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/I0082E-HTM-ENG

  • Ismail, A., Ghalwash, S., Ballesteros-Sola, M. and Dahawy, A. (2024), "Paymob: transforming digital payments in Egypt and the region for a cashless society", Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies, Vol. 14 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/EEMCS-09-2023-0365

  • Audretsch, D. B., Ghalwash, S., & Peña-Legazkue, I. (2024). The resilient self-employment of women and senior people after sudden economic shocks. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-024-00982-6
  • Farhoud, M., Bignotti, A., Hamann, R., Kauami, N. C., Kiconco, M., Ghalwash, S., ... & Kgaphola, M. (2023). African perspectives on researching social entrepreneurship. Social Enterprise Journal. https://doi.org/10.1108/SEJ-04-2023-0053

  • Ghalwash, S., Ismail, A. (2022). “Scarabaeus Sacer: An Iconic Green Brand Advocating Sustainability in the Era of Digital Economy and Connectivity”, Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies, 12 (4), 1-34. https://doi.org/10.1108/EEMCS-10-2021-0334

  • Alaitz, Z., Ghalwash, S., Ismail, A., Peña, I. (2023). “Women's self-employment intentions after global shocks: insights from Egypt and Spain”. European J. of International Management (EJIM), 20(1), 124-142. https://doi.org/10.1504/EJIM.2023.130359

  • Ghalwash, S., & Ismail, A. (2022). “Resources Orchestration Process in the Limited-resource Environment: The Social Bricolage Perspective.” Social Entrepreneurship Journal, 1-28. DOI: 10.1080/19420676.2021.2020152

  • Ismail, A., Ghalwash, S. and El Sebaie, N. (2022), "Up-Fuse: International growth of an Egyptian eco-friendly social enterprise", Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies, 12(19, https://doi.org/10.1108/EEMCS-10-2020-0390

  • Ghalwash, S., Ismail, A. and El Sebaie, N. (2021), "Helm: a social enterprise expanding opportunities for people with disabilities in Egypt", Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies, 11(4), https://doi.org/10.1108/EEMCS-10-2020-0391

  • Khalil, S., Ismail, A., Ghalwash, S. (2021). “The Rise of Sustainable Consumerism: Evidence from the Egyptian Generation Z.” Sustainability, 13(24), 13804. DOI: 10.3390/su132413804

  • Ghalwash, S., Karadeniz, E.E., and Boutaleb, F. (2021). “Rural context favouring family business and urban context promoting non-family business in Egypt, Morocco and Turkey.” European J. International Management, 16(2), 207–221. DOI:  10.1504/EJIM.2021.10033924

  • Kalhor, E., & Ghalwash, S. (2020). “Innovation mediating and moderating internationalization in family and non-family businesses: Embeddedness in Egypt, Madagascar, Morocco, and Turkey.” Sinergie Italian Journal of Management, 38(2), 91-111. DOI: 10.7433/s112.2020.05

  • Ismail, A., Tolba, A., Ghalwash, S., Alkhatib, A., Karadeniz, E., E., Ouazzani, K., Boutaleb, F., Belkacem, L., & Schøtt, T. (2018). “Inclusion in entrepreneurship, especially of women, youth, and unemployed: status and an agenda for research in the Middle East and North Africa.” World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, 14(4), 528-547. DOI: 10.1504/WREMSD.2018.093608

  • Ghalwash, S., Tolba, A., & Ismail, A. (2017). “What Motivates Social Entrepreneurs to Start Social Ventures? An Exploratory Study in the Context of a Developing Economy.” Social Enterprise Journal, 13(3), 268-298. DO1: 10.1108/SEJ-05-2016-0014

Book Chapters

Reports Published Internationally