Dr. Saskia de Klerk (SFHEA) is the Discipline Lead for the Marketing, International Business, and Tourism disciplines at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. She also holds an adjunct position as Associate Professor at North-West University, South Africa, and as an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the University of New South Wales (Canberra). She is a topic editor, board member of Management Decision, and reviewer of several international reputed journals. She has successfully supervised 15 Ph.D. students from across the globe. She teaches entrepreneurship, managing across cultures, international business, and innovation. Her research interests include mapping, developing, and advancing entrepreneurial and networking skills and regional entrepreneurial ecosystems as value chains. Her work supports the development of an entrepreneurial mindset and articulates pathways to transition into entrepreneurship and sustainable practices in regional ecosystems through circular economy and bricolage strategies. Saskia is a member of the IORA (Indian Ocean Rim Association) and the ACPIR (Australian Centre for Pacific Island Research). Research projects include:

• Food and agribusiness innovation. Some projects include ACIAR CS2020/191, titled Adopting a Gender-inclusive Participatory Approach to Reducing Horticultural Food Loss in the Pacific (Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research), Sunshine Coast Council, and FAN (Food and Agribusiness Network).
• Sustainable practices, agritourism, circular economy, regional development, and innovation with partners at TREES (Tourism Research in Economics, Environs, and Society) at North-West University in South Africa; the IORA (Indian Ocean Rim Association) and ACPIR (Australian Centre for Pacific Island Research).
• Mapping the role and performance of accelerators in the entrepreneurial and regional ecosystems, focusing on innovation, sustainable practices, and bricolage strategies. Multi-university projects, funded by the Australian Government, Department of Industry, Innovation and Science (DIIS).
• Women networking, capacity building, and leadership development projects, with the Real Rural Women Leadership project (Care Balonne industry partnered and Regional Development funded) and Women entrepreneurship networking research, funded by the National Research Fund (SA) and Women in Finance organisation.