Professor Reena Atanasiadis, MBA

Director, MBA In Investment Management

ReenaAtanasiadis is a professor of Finance at Concordia University’s John MolsonSchool of Business (JMSB), where she brings over two decades of experience ininvestment management, financial education, and academic leadership. She earnedher MBA with Distinction from JMSB and has long been recognized for herexpertise in behavioural finance, portfolio management, and financialinstitutions management.

From2019 to 2024, Reena served as Dean of the Williams School of Business atBishop’s University, where she led strategic academic initiatives andstrengthened the school’s reputation for excellence in undergraduate businesseducation. Prior to that, she directed JMSB’s MBA in Investment Management. thefirst MBA globally to fully integrate the Chartered Financial Analyst®Candidate Body of Knowledge™, as well as the Kenneth Woods Portfolio ManagementProgram, where she oversaw a student-managed investment fund. She also foundedand directed the Van Berkom JMSB Small Cap Case Competition, a platform thatcontinues to develop and showcase top undergraduate finance talent.

Apast recipient of the Dean’s Award for Teaching Excellence at the graduatelevel, Reena returned to JMSB in 2024, where she now teaches finance andmentors students across multiple programs. She has also served in universitygovernance roles, including as a member of the Concordia University Senate, andhas been a consultant to universities, professional organizations, and firms inCanada and abroad on topics such as AACSB accreditation, experiential learning,and executive education.

Beforeentering academia, Reena held multi-provincial licenses as a discretionaryinvestment counsellor and portfolio manager. She also established and led thewealth management division of Canada’s largest independent accounting firm.

Education

MBA (Concordia University)
Senior University Administrators Course | Centre for Higher Education Research and Development (CHERD) | University of Manitoba

Areas of expertise

• Behavioural Finance
• Corporate Finance
• Financial Institutions Management
• Portfolio Management
  

FINA 416 Behavioural Finance

FINA 481 Financial Institutions Management

EMBA 630 Financial Decision Making Under Uncertainty

Lost in Translation: How Data Storytelling Helps Make Sense of Data

In the era of Big Data Analytics (BDA), investments surge, yet the clarity on returns from these projects and their resultant strategic value remains ambiguous. While a pivotal goal of BDA is to strengthen the decision-making process, insights derived from data often fail to lead to action. Thus, there is a need to include data-driven storytelling to bridge the gap between insights and actions. Despite the importance of data storytelling, there is a lack of understanding of how to use data storytelling in various contexts. Using typology theory, we identify four types of data storytelling and theorize the values of the data storytelling outcomes. A field study was conducted in three companies to validate the different types of data storytelling. This article underscores the profound importance of data storytelling in transforming data into impactful insights.