A first-generation university graduate herself, Dr. Andrea Lluch believes in the value of self-awareness and forming a global perspective. Now a distinguished business historian and professor, she dedicates her career to supporting students to recognize their potential, learn from the past, and believe in themselves in the face of continual change to drive impact in Latin America and worldwide. She currently holds several role: Researcher at National Council of Scientific and Technical Research of Argentina (CONICET), Professor at National University of La Pampa in Argentina, and Associate Professor at University of Los Andes – Colombia. Our Aspire Leaders Program participants were lucky to have Lluch discuss leadership in action during a Masterclass in 2024.
Backstory and Road to Business History
Lluch’s passion for history from a young age led her to studies and a career within the field of business history. Today, she splits her time between research and teaching positions in Argentina and Colombia.
“I love history as a subject,” she said. “I was [always] passionate about the why questions, and I think history is one of the best disciplines to really engage in this sort of conversation.”
During her graduate studies, she focused on economic history; through her research, she noticed that individuals, not just major events, have a deep impact on shaping the world. Driven by her passion for connecting business history and overlooked communities, she earned her PhD from Universidad Nacional del Centro de Buenos Aires and became a Harvard-Newcomen Fellow.
She learned about the Aspire Leaders Program as she completed postdoctoral work at Harvard Business School through a Fulbright Scholarship. Here, she collaborated on research about entrepreneurship and emerging markets with Aspire Institute co-founder, Tarun Khanna.
Student Connection & The Global Perspective
Lluch believes education and a global perspective leads to social change. She tries to bring this through her business history classes in Latin America. Leading a masterclass through the Aspire Leaders Program allowed her to witness these connections across borders in a truly global community.
“Many countries that the people who attend these classes, but also in my courses, are [from] are facing many problems,” she noted. “Sometimes you feel you are unique. It’s a great opportunity to engage with people from different countries that you can reflect together – not only changing the past, but also the future.”
In her classrooms, she connects current issues with business history.
“You have to connect [these] real problems or contemporary issues with more historical or social science discussions,” she explained. “For me, teaching is a great opportunity not only to connect my research with teaching, but also to learn new things.”
This perspective is especially crucial for students from regions often overlooked. She values the diversity in her classrooms and has traveled all around Latin America to teach; however, hearing from a global audience in the Aspire Leaders Program masterclass allowed for a rich experience bringing many voices into the conversation.
“This network creating around the world is absolutely critical to rethink our paradigms or how we think about facing a current challenge ahead,” she said.
You can reflect together – not only changing the past, but also the future.
Empowering Through Understanding
Education goes beyond traditional academics for Lluch.
“Education is the key to really promote change, social change,” she emphasized. “It’s much needed in many parts of the world.”
She recognizes that language barriers lead to lack of confidence or knowledge of certain research and work only being known by those in your communities or among those who speak the same language.
“Many people are doing great things, but only people in their countries or communities know about them,” she mentioned.
Through initiatives like the Creating Emerging Markets project with Tarun Khanna, she worked to elevate voices from around the world. She has identified stories of individuals who have not been given the attention they deserve, highlighting the amazing work they have done to contribute to business, entrepreneurship, innovation, and globalization.
Creating Lasting Impact
Lluch’s Aspire Leaders Program masterclass drew hundreds of participants, creating an opportunity for cross-cultural learning for both herself and the young leaders present.
“Teaching for 600 students are the largest classes I ever did [and] the most international as well,” she said. “[It] can be very touching – the opportunity to interact, even if for a short time, with different people around the world.”
Lluch believes self-awareness, embracing change, and collective action leads to greater impact.
“We are not alone and always have some connections to others,” she explained.
She sees how the supportive global community of mentors, educators, and inspiring peers in the Aspire Leaders Program inspires many to discover new dreams and make them a reality.
