Dr. Chan brings a wealth of business and marketing wisdom to Tyndale.
“He earned his PhD in Marketing from the University of Toronto in 2014. Prior to that, he earned an MA in Social Psychology from the University of Chicago, and an AB in Honors Psychology from the University of Michigan,” shares Vice-President Academic and Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. W. Paul Franks. “He has been serving as the Associate Professor of Marketing at Toronto Metropolitan University since 2022, [having previously] held faculty positions at Purdue University, Monash University, and the University of Technology Sydney. Some of Dr. Chan’s significant scholarly work includes publishing over 90 journal articles and two books. Several of his research articles have been covered in news outlets such as the NY Post, the Detroit Free Press, The Sunday Times, along with CTV and CBC. I am excited to have Dr. Chan join our faculty and am eager to see how his background and experience will contribute to the growth of Tyndale’s BBA and BA Business programs.”
Dr. Chan’s cross-disciplinary background in marketing and psychology is closely tied to one of the chief objectives of business: understanding people. “Fundamentally, [marketing is about] developing products and services that provide value to customers,” Dr. Chan remarks. “This means that if you want to be a successful marketing practitioner (or scholar), you need to understand your customers. And what better way to understand customers than to understand how they think and behave?”
His research over the years has not only addressed broad questions that interest him, but it has also been governed by an underlying theme: “how people’s beliefs and values play a great deal in their product and brand choices.”
"I bring a strong business lens from my roles at previous universities, coupled with a faith-based lens that ensures that students who graduate from Tyndale’s business program are equipped with the skills to make a positive, meaningful impact..."
— Dr. Eugene Chan
One important idea he has sought to convey to those navigating today’s complex marketing landscape is the need to de-scandalize marketing. “People tend to think of marketing as an “evil” in society. When we think of marketing, we think of false advertising, selling cigarettes to kids (in the olden days), or perhaps the bread-fixing scandal that happened in Canada a few years back. But marketing is also critical to non-profits, including Christian ministries. So, I hope that my students across two continents and three countries over the years have learned valuable marketing skills that they can use to get people to smoke less, eat healthier, donate more, and just to build a better society,” he says.
Dr. Chan was drawn to Tyndale by the camaraderie of shared faith and warmth of a tight knit community. “I’ve been teaching classes with over 100+ students for over a decade. The opportunity to get to know my students, to truly know their journey, and be able to support them [excites me most].”
As the newly established Professor and Van Norman Chair of Business at Tyndale University, Dr. Chan most looks forward to “the opportunity to grow the program in ways that align societal needs and God’s mission for all of us.”
“I bring a strong business lens from my roles at previous universities, coupled with a faith-based lens that ensures that students who graduate from Tyndale’s business program are equipped with the skills to make a positive, meaningful impact, whether they are marketers, HR managers, accountants, or anything in between,” Dr. Chan underlines.
He has a strong vision for the business program at Tyndale. “People tend to consider business schools as the ‘money-making’ arm of universities, not really doing fundamental scholarship like the liberal arts and sciences that advance knowledge,” he notes. “There perhaps might be some truth to that. But I hope to grow and build Tyndale’s business program in a way that changes all of that, because I really believe understanding how the world works through a business lens is critical whether you’re a chemist, a pastor, or a pianist. Because at the end of the day, whether you’re a chemist, a pastor, or a pianist, you’re participating in systems of value, exchange, stewardship, and decision-making. Business is about understanding people, incentives, resources, and impact.”
Please join us in congratulating, celebrating, and praying for Dr. Chan during this transition.