Five minutes with the faculty: Ioannis Ioannou
From Stoic emperors to cat conversions, Hogwarts vibes and Carnival in Rio – this professor keeps it far from dull.
In 30 Seconds
A financial crisis steered him from theory to impact, launching a career in sustainability rooted in relevance, curiosity and a desire to challenge the status quo
To-do lists, philosophy and plant care fuel his focus – with Stoic wisdom reminding him to control responses, not external events
His research reveals capitalism’s myths and missed opportunities, urging a redesign toward systems that are sustainable, inclusive and just
What first sparked your interest in your field?
I graduated during the 2008-09 global financial crisis – my welcome-to-the-real-world moment. Starting my career at LBS, while everything seemed to be falling apart, I wanted my research to matter beyond the ivory tower. Sustainability let me combine serious academic work with the sneaking suspicion that I might actually be contributing something useful to the world, which turned out to be quite motivating.
What’s one thing students or colleagues might be surprised to learn about you?
I’ve had a complete pet personality transformation. Istanbul’s street cats converted me from dog person to cat person, and now I’m harbouring secret ambitions about raccoons and foxes. My current cat would probably be horrified by my betrayal.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? And the worst?
Best: The Stoics had it right – we can’t control external events, only our responses to them. This has saved me from countless hours of academic angst and the occasional full-scale meltdown over things completely outside my control.
Worst: Someone once warned me not to get too engaged with practice because it would hurt my research. Turns out being closer to companies and executives actually sharpened my questions and made my work more relevant. Who knew that talking to real managers could improve academic thinking?
Discover fresh perspectives and research insights from LBS
“I suspect the Medieval scholars didn’t survive on quite as much coffee and vending machine snacks”
What’s your go-to productivity trick or daily habit?
I run on to-do lists – daily, medium-term, and long-term – all living happily in OneNote with tidy little checkboxes. I update them every morning, partly to stay organised, partly for the sheer joy of ticking them off. It’s oddly satisfying – and probably the healthiest addiction I have.
What’s the most unusual or memorable place you’ve ever worked or studied?
Yale’s Sterling Library during my undergrad felt like time travel every single time. Walking through those Gothic halls to find a study spot was like entering Hogwarts. I kept expecting to see floating candles instead of fluorescent reading lamps. Nothing quite like pulling an all-nighter on an economics problem set while feeling like you’re part of some ancient scholarly tradition. Though I suspect the Medieval scholars didn’t survive on quite as much coffee and vending machine snacks.
What’s a skill or hobby you have that would surprise your students or colleagues?
I’ve become an unexpected plant enthusiast. My LBS office and home are turning into small jungles. It started innocently enough with one desk plant, but now I’m that person who names his succulents and gets genuinely excited about new leaves. My students probably think it’s very on-brand for a sustainability professor, but it’s really just mild plant addiction.
If you could have dinner with any significant figure, who would it be and why?
Marcus Aurelius. There’s something appealing about a Roman emperor who was essentially a Greek philosopher at heart. I’d love to pick his brain about leadership and Stoicism, though I suspect asking ‘How was your day?’ would result in a twenty-minute meditation on duty, mortality, and the cosmic order. Not exactly casual dinner chat.
“It started innocently enough with one desk plant, but now I’m that person who names his succulents”
What’s the most unexpected or unusual place your research has taken you?
An academic conference in Rio that happened during Carnival. The festival atmosphere throughout the city made it an unforgettable trip. There’s something magical about experiencing that level of collective joy. The palm oil plantation we visit for our Global Experience course runs a close second for pure educational impact – seeing sustainability challenges up close, rather than in theoretical frameworks.
What book, film, quote, or piece of art has had the biggest impact on you and why?
I’ve read tons of philosophy books over the years, and honestly, they’ve shaped me more than anything else. I know it sounds a bit pretentious, but all that stuff about living with purpose is actually pretty useful day-to-day. It’s like having a toolkit for when life gets complicated, which turns out to be fairly often.
What’s the most bizarre or unexpected fact you’ve come across in your research?
What strikes me as most bizarre is how we’ve convinced ourselves that our current economic system is permanent, even though we know it’s pushing beyond planetary boundaries and creating huge inequalities. Capitalism has been reinventing itself for a long time, but somehow we act like today’s version is the final draft. We should be actively working on sustainable, equitable, inclusive capitalism – instead of pretending we’re stuck with the current model forever.
Interview by Sophie Haydock
