Alex Nicholls

Alex Nicholls is a Fellow at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and a Professor of Social Entrepreneurship. He is also a Tutorial Fellow and Member of the Governing Body at Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford. Nicholls is the first tenured professor in social entrepreneurship at the University of Oxford and co-founded the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship in 2004. His research focuses on social entrepreneurship, impact investing, impact measurement, social innovation, and systems change. He is the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, which he founded in 2010. Nicholls has published extensively on these topics, including books on fair trade and social innovation, and has contributed to numerous peer-reviewed journals. His work has been cited over 15,500 times, and his books are among the most cited in their fields.

Alex Nicholls is a Professor of Social Entrepreneurship at the University of Oxford, specializing in the study of social entrepreneurship and its role in driving sustainable social change. His research explores the dynamics of social innovation, the institutionalization of social investment, and the legitimacy of social enterprises. Nicholls investigates how social entrepreneurship intersects with market mechanisms, such as fair trade and social finance, to create ethical consumption and impact-driven business models. His work also examines the challenges and opportunities in aligning private capital with social outcomes, particularly through mechanisms like social impact bonds and crowdfunding. By analyzing the interplay between institutional logics and power asymmetries, Nicholls contributes to understanding how social enterprises can thrive within regulatory and market frameworks.