About

Professor Adrian Kuah FCMI FCollP FHEA assumed the role of Professor of Strategy and Sustainability at James Cook University on January 1, 2024. He has led research, learning & teaching, and managed large-scale projects on environmental sustainability for a substantive period of nearly 30 years. Some of his early projects include implementing Phase 1 of the $9 billion Deep Tunnel Sewerage System in Singapore and examining the competitiveness of small open economies for the Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment in Northern Ireland. While in England, Professor Kuah held faculty roles at esteemed institutions such as Manchester, Bradford, Huddersfield, and Nottingham Trent universities. Renowned for his expertise on the circular economy, Professor Kuah has been appointed as a member of the National Committee for Circularity of Materials in Singapore and leads its Delegation on ISO/TC 323 Circular Economy ISO meetings over the last 5 years, showcasing his national leadership to sustainability beyond academia. 

Professor Kuah also made substantial contributions to academic literature, authoring nearly 100 papers. His scholarly endeavors have been recognized with research grants close to AUD 1 million from various institutions in the UK, Finland, France, Australia, and Singapore. In 2024, ScholarGPS recognizes Professor Kuah as top 2.5 % circular economy researchers in the world, while SciVal places him one of top six researchers in field of closed-loop supply chain, remanufacturing and reverse logistics based in Singapore. His research have been published in world-ranked journals, solidifying his reputation as a thought leader in the intersection of strategy and sustainability. 

Year    Article in                                                             Scopus Cites     FWCI      Citation Percentile  

2021   Journal of Business Research (IF:13.44; H:236)          65           3.46         World Top 2%        

2020   Journal of Cleaner Production (IF:11.90; H:268)        80           4.18          World Top 2%         

2020   Science of the Total Environment (IF:10.94; H:317)   65           2.74          World Top 3%                                       

In recognition of his outstanding contributions to business education, Professor Kuah was named Professor of the Week by the UK Financial Times. At James Cook University, he leads the design and teaching of LB5113 Corporate Strategy, while supervising several PhD, MBA, and BBus students in their research projects. Professor Kuah earned his Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Nanyang Technological University in 1995, a Master of Business Administration from Strathclyde Graduate Business School in 1998, and a Doctor of Philosophy from Alliance Manchester Business School in 2007. He is a Fellow and Ambassador of the Chartered Management Institute (FCMI), a Fellow of the College of Preceptor (FCollP), and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). 

Engagements & Outreach

  • Head of Delegation representing Singapore at the 5th Meeting for International Organization for Standardization TC 323 in Sao Paulo, Brazil between 2 and 6 October 2023 to collaborate and ratify the Standards ISO 59004, 59010 and 59020.
  • Invited by Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in the Phillippines to convene two key research papers selected among 23 papers and 20 posters for International Conference on Connecting the Dots on Circular Economy for Sustainable Development at Bellevue Hotel, Alabang, Manila. 
  • Head of Singapore Delegation at the 4th Meeting for International Organization for Standardization TC 323 in Kigali, Rwanda between 25 and 30 September 2022 to align standard development across ISO 59004, 59010 and 59020. Meeting was attended by 47 countries and 250 experts.
  • Panel speaker on “Building Sustainability Capabilities in Local Enterprises” by Schneider Electric and Singapore International Chamber of Commerce on 6 – 7 July 2022 at Marina Convention Centre.
  • Invited to 2nd International Organization for Standardization Meeting between 15 and 19 June 2020 contributing towards ISO/PWI 59004 and TR 59031.alongside world experts and other national standards bodies.
  • Panel speaker on “Smart Synergies: Business, Technology and Education”, together with Prof. Agostino Bruzzone of University of Genoa, Dr Nicola Bianchi, Scientific Attaché of the Italian Embassy and  Dr Giulio Gennaro, CEO of 1888 Gennaro Consulting on 1 Nov 2019 
  • Led the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce - James Cook University Singapore tertiary education competition on Circular Economy and Sustainability Competition in 2019. The half-year national competition concluded with a high note on 25 October 2019.
  • Head of Delegation for JCU Australia in showcasing Queensland’s Advanced Manufacturing and Circular Economy capabilities to representatives of the World Economic Forum visiting Queensland in Oct 2019 organised by the Office of Queensland Chief Entrepreneur.
  • Invited by National University of Singapore to partake in a lively 3-hour Panel Discussion “Opportunities and Gaps in the Circular Economy” livestream around the world on 29 August 2019. The conference was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation.
  • Keynote speaker on circular economy and sustainable economic development at the Symposium on Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Development at the Cairns Institute on July 2019. The Australian Win TV interviewed him at the 6pm News.
  • Delivered JCU Singapore Public Lecture 2017 titled “The Rise and Fall of Mega e-commerce Markets” attended by more than 250 participants. He also delivered a seminar on the same topic at the Asian Consumer Insights at the Nanyang Technological University.

Media Mentions 

  • WIN TV News, Australia
  • Cairns Post and Queensland Times, Australia
  • Straits Times, Singapore
  • Eco-Business.com, Singapore
  • Financial Times, United Kingdom
  • Xinhua News Agency, China
Teaching
  • LB5113: Corporate Strategy (Level 5; SIN)
Interests
Research
  • Circular Economy comprising inter alia, remanufacturing, recycling, servitization, sharing economy and product design for longevity
  • Sustainability Grand Challenges including, inter alia, climate change transition, sustainable livelihoods, sustainable infrastructure, and sustainability reporting
Experience
  • 2024 to present - Professor (Level E), James Cook University
  • 2016 to 2023 - Assoc Professor (Level D), James Cook University
  • 2011 to 2015 - Senior Lecturer (Level C), James Cook University
  • 2010 to 2011 - Principal Lecturer/ MBA Director, Nottingham Trent University UK
  • 2004 to 2010 - Senior Lecturer/ BBus Director, University of Bradford UK
  • 2002 to 2004 - University Lecturer, University of Huddersfield UK
  • 2000 to 2002 - ESRC Researcher/ MBA Lecturer, Manchester Business School UK
  • 1996 to 2000 - Mechanical Engineer/ Program Manager, Ministry of the Environment, Singapore
  • 1995 to 1996 - Industrial Engineer, AT&T Consumer Products, Singapore & Indonesia
  • 1994 - Process Engineer, Silicon Systems Singapore
Honours
Awards
  • 2021 - Vice Chancellor Awards of Excellence for Innovation and Change - 1st place
  • 2021 - Professional Engagement Award - JCU Singapore
  • 2021 - Professional Team Award - JCU Singapore
  • 2020 - Research Recognition Award - JCU College of Business Law and Governance
  • 2019 - JCU TropEco Excellence Award: Addressing Sustainable Development Goals
  • 2014 - Oxford Scholarship Online - Oxford University Press
  • 2013 - FT Professor of the Week - Financial Times (28 May 2013)
  • 2008 - Dean's List of Outstanding Faculty Award - University of Bradford
  • 2003 - Best Synopsis Prize - Manchester Federal School of Business and Management Conference 2003
  • 2002 - Best Synopsis Prize - Manchester Federal School of Business and Management Conference 2002
  • 1998 - Gold Medal for Best Dissertation - University of Strathclyde
Fellowships
  • 2019 - Professor (ADJ), L'Ecole de Commerce de Tahiti, PF
  • 2011 - Fellow, The Cairns Institute, James Cook University, AUS
  • 2010 - Fellow, College of Preceptors, UK
  • 2010 - Ambassador and Fellow, Chartered Management Institute, UK
  • 2004 - Fellow, Higher Education Academy, UK
  • 2017 to 2020 - University Fellow, Charles Darwin University, AUS
  • 2012 to 2017 - Fellow, Grenoble Ecole de Management, France
  • 2009 to 2012 - Fellow, Advanced Institute of Management Research, UK
Memberships
  • 2010 to 2012 - International Theme Committee, Committee Member, Academy of Management, US.
Publications

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles
Book Chapters
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ResearchOnline@JCU stores 51+ research outputs authored by Prof Adrian Kuah from 2002 onwards.

Supervision

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current
  • Achieving Triple Win with Skills-Based Volunteering (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
  • Digitalisation and Digitisation: The Impact on Memory-Making and the Role of Museums (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
  • Consumer evaluation and advertising effectiveness in digital influencer marketing and live streaming e-commence (PhD , Primary Advisor)
  • Brand Identity and Value Creation: Determining Brands Co-ownership in the Experience Age (PhD , Primary Advisor)
  • Recovery of wast plastics in China and Australia based on Circular Economy principles (PhD , Primary Advisor)
Completed
Collaboration

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.

  • 5+ collaborations
  • 4 collaborations
  • 3 collaborations
  • 2 collaborations
  • 1 collaboration
  • Indicates the Tropics (Torrid Zone)

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