Filip Lestan
Filip Lestan is a PhD student at Nord Business School, focusing on strategy and innovation within the Department of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. His research focuses on the role of CEOs, corporate boards and firm-level capabilities in innovation contexts, with expertise in panel data estimation and meta-analysis.
In 2023, Filip received an innovation fellowship from the Government office of the Slovak republic, co-developing a blueprint for Living Labs to increase Slovakia's economic competitiveness. As Member of the Expert Working Group (EWG) of the Research and Innovation Authority of the Government office of the Slovak Republic, Filip contributed to the Research and Innovation Strategy for Smart Specialization of the Government office of the Slovak Republic 2021-2027 (SK RIS3 2021+). The same year, Filip was recognized by the Strategic Management Society (SMS) for his contributions as an Outstanding Reviewer at 43rd annual conference in Toronto for the Knowledge and Innovation Interest Group.
In 2024, Filip was visiting scholar at London Business School (England) and University of Pretoria (South Africa). The same year, Filip was recognized by the Strategic Management Society (SMS) for his contributions as the Best Reviewer at 44th annual conference in Istanbul for the Knowledge and Innovation Interest Group. Filip participated in business mision to Brazil accompanying the Prime Minister of the Slovak republic.
In 2025, Filip was visiting scholar at UNICAMP Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Brazil).
Research questions that Filip studies are strongly informed by theory, but fundamentally aim to put forward practical implications. Filip studies mechanisms around:
- Why do firms innovate ?
- How do firms innovate ?
- When and what impact does (or not) innovation have on a firm performance ?
Filip holds a Master's in International Business in the Oil and Gas Sector (summa cum laude) from MGIMO and another in Global Management (magna cum laude) from Nord Business School. Before joining academia, he was a professional ice hockey player for the Slovak National Team and a Finance Analyst at the OECD in Paris.