Trinity Western University announces new MBA Director, Dr. Chen Liu

Trinity Western University is pleased to announce the appointment of Chen Liu, PhD, as Director of the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program.

Dr. Liu achieved her PhD in Finance from Smith School of Business at Queen’s University. Since joining Trinity Western’s School of Business in August 2014, Dr. Liu has served in several key institutional positions, including her most recent role as Associate MBA Director. Dr. Liu has also served on the Tenure and Promotion Committee and the International Student Task Force.

Currently, Dr. Liu serves within the Institutional Prioritization Process Task Force, the University Senate’s Graduate Academic Council, and the Canada Research Chair Steering Committee.

“Since joining the TWU faculty six years ago, Dr. Liu has made significant contributions within the School of Business, across the broader context of the University, and with external partners. She embodies a rare mix of academic and professional acumen along with a very relational personality. I am confident that, under her leadership, the MBA program will flourish,” said Bob Wood, PhD, Trinity Western University Provost.

Kevin Sawatsky, JD, Dean of the School of Business, remarked, “I am delighted that Dr. Liu will be giving leadership to an MBA program that now has over 500 students enrolled on five campuses, on two continents. Dr. Liu brings great experience as a scholar and business leader, in both Canada and China, to this role. I look forward to working with Dr. Liu to see our TWU MBA program continue to grow, as one of the premier MBA programs in Canada.”

As an educator, Dr. Liu is highly praised and respected. She was voted by TWU business students as Professor of the Year three years in a row in 2016, 2017 and 2018.

As MBA Director, Dr. Liu oversees and provides strategic direction for one of Trinity Western’s most prominent and forward-thinking programs.

“I am incredibly excited to continue to grow the MBA program and its offerings in innovative ways.” Dr. Liu remarked. “TWU’s MBA program distinguishes itself by stretching students’ thinking to examine real-world business issues from a value-based perspective.”

Dr. Liu is confident that Trinity Western’s programs prepare graduates well for today’s complex business environment.

“How we do business will change in a post-COVID world, and we are preparing our students to become innovative and forward-thinking leaders in the constantly changing business and non-profit environments,” she said.

She added, “I look forward to continuing to support the MBA faculty and staff, and to serve our MBA students, alumni, and business communities.”

Dr. Liu’s teaching areas include corporate finance at both undergraduate and MBA levels. In 2016, Dr. Liu co-founded TWU’s value-investing Student Managed Investment Fund, where she served as faculty director from 2016 to 2019.

Dr. Liu conducts empirical research in corporate finance and entrepreneurship. Her research areas span topics that include private equity, venture capital, mergers and acquisitions, investment banking, entrepreneurial finance, and most recently, Blockchain’s business application. Her work is frequently interdisciplinary and combines the area of finance with technology, business strategy, and international business. Her research appears in such journals as Small Business Economics, Financial Management, and IEEE Internet of Things Journal.

Dr. Liu has also published numerous book chapters and presented her research at over 20 national and international conferences. She serves on the editorial board of Small Business Economics and the Journal of British Blockchain Association.

TWU’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) program courses are delivered in Langley and Richmond, B.C., and in China, with three streams in International Business, Management of Growing Enterprise, and Non-Profit and Charitable Organization Management. It is considered one of the largest MBA programs in B.C.

The new Executive MBA (EMBA) program launches in January 2021. Trinity Western expects to welcome its first cohort of executive students in Fall 2021 into the state of the art MBA Centre, inside the newly constructed, soon-to-open $35 million Robert G. Kuhn building, the future home of TWU School of Business, TWU Global and TWU Student Life’s Global Engagement Office.


About Trinity Western University

Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is Canada’s premier Christian liberal arts university dedicated to equipping students to establish meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. It is a fully accredited research institution offering liberal arts and sciences, as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has five campuses and locations: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, Ottawa, and Bellingham, WA. TWU emphasizes academic excellence, research, and student engagement in a vital faith community committed to forming leaders to have a transformational impact on culture. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.

For media inquiries, please contact: media@twu.ca