Kusum L. Ailawadi

Kusum Ailawadi’s primary expertise is in managing the partnership and power balance between manufacturers and their distribution channel members, and in improving their brand equity and performance. She has published extensively on these topics. Her research has won or been a finalist for multiple awards from the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Retailing, and Marketing Science for best contributions to marketing theory and practice, for best collaboration between academics and practitioners, for overall best paper, and for long-term impact. She is coauthor of Getting Multi-Channel Distribution Right, a book that distills lessons from academic research and practice for managing brands in physical and digital distribution channels. She currently teaches an MBA elective on this topic and consults and serves as an expert in litigation related to issues such as distribution, brand equity, and promotions. She has served as president of the INFORMS Society for Marketing Science, as an academic trustee for the Marketing Science Institute and AiMark, and as an associate editor for most of the major academic journals in marketing.