Rajneesh Narula

Rajneesh Narula (born 29 April 1963), is a Dutch economist and academic. He is the John H. Dunning Chair of International Business Regulation at the Henley Business School, University of Reading, UK, where he also serves as the Director of the Dunning Centre for International Business and the Dunning Africa Centre.

Early life and education Narula completed his early education in Nigeria, most notably at Barewa College where he was a classmate of Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai, and Katsina College of Arts, Science and Technology. He earned his BEng (Hons) in Electrical Engineering from Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, Nigeria, in 1983, and later attended Rutgers University in New Jersey, USA, where he obtained his MBA (1988) and his PhD (1993).

Academic career Prior to his career in academia, Narula worked as an engineer at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology and later as a planning analyst at IBM Asia/Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong. He transitioned into full-time academia, holding faculty positions at Rutgers University, the University of Maastricht, the BI Norwegian School of Management, the University of Oslo, and the Copenhagen Business School before joining the University of Reading. , and an editor for the Journal of International Business Studies (2016–2023). Prior to this, he was the editor-in-chief of both the Multinational Business Review from 2014 to 2016 and the European Journal of Development Research from 2009 to 2013. He has held honorary academic appointments at several international institutions, including United Nations University-MERIT, Oxford University, and the BI Norwegian School of Business. As a policy commentator, he contributes analysis on Nigeria’s macroeconomic frameworks to national and international media, including written pieces for Nigeria's financial daily, BusinessDay.

South Africa and the B20 Narula maintains an active public and academic engagement profile within South Africa and the wider continent, focusing on regional integration and sustainable industrial development. Under his leadership as director, the Dunning Africa Centre at Henley Business School Africa established its monthly flagship webinar series, titled "What Really Matters for African Business." Through this digital forum, Narula regularly hosts global experts, policy makers, and corporate leaders to discuss critical economic levers, including foreign direct investment (FDI) strategies, market fragmentation, and the implementation challenges of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). His advisory work on emerging-market dynamics extends to the B20 forum —the official business dialogue community of the G20—where his research on global value chain resilience and structural development helps inform policy recommendations aimed at building collaborative public-private partnerships and fostering cross-border trade. He continues to advise the Central Bank of Nigeria and other national government organisations on an ad-hoc basis.

Norway and the European Union Narula's research on industrial competitiveness and cross-border innovation systems heavily informs regional economic policy within Europe, particularly concerning the European Union and the Nordic region. He has served as a frequent advisor and expert consultant to the European Commission, contributing analysis to institutional frameworks governing European SME development, R&D collaborations, and the economic impacts of cross-border value chain disruptions. His published work comprises over 200 articles, chapters, and 13 books. His research focus targets the intersection of corporate strategy and national competitiveness, specifically mapping the paradigms of FDI-assisted development alongside long-term collaborators John H. Dunning and Sanjaya Lall.

Public engagement and media commentary Narula is a regular commentator on global economic policy, international trade, and the activities of multinational enterprises for major news outlets. He has frequently provided expert analysis and broadcast interviews on platforms such as BBC World News, BBC One’s The Briefing, Sky News, CGTN, and TRT World News, addressing topics including international tariff disputes, global value chain disruptions, and the economic implications of the US-China trade war.

His commentary and opinion pieces on regional economic development and industrial policy have been featured in international press and radio outlets, including Nigeria’s BusinessDay, South Africa’s Moneyweb, BBC Radio 1, and Radio Berkshire.

Beyond broadcast media, Narula participates extensively in public-facing academic outreach, global webinars, and digital symposia. His total citation count exceeds 25,000, with an h-index of 69.

He is the author or editor of 15 books, including Globalization and Technology (Polity Press), Multinationals and Industrial Competitiveness (with John Dunning, Edward Elgar), Understanding FDI-assisted Economic Development (with Sanjaya Lall, Routledge), and Multinationals on the Periphery (with Gabriel Benito, Palgrave).