Eugene Y. Chan, PhD

Thought Leader in Branding & Sustainability
“Managing Brand Crises” Author
Marketing Professor
Cowboy at Heart

Eugene Chan is the creator of the Great Canadian Brand Index (GCBI) and an Associate Professor of Marketing at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Ted Rogers School of Management. A specialist in branding and consumer behaviour, Dr. Chan’s research focuses on how psychological, cultural, and ideological factors shape how people perceive and evaluate brands. He is particularly known for his work on brand crises, and is the author of Managing Brand Crises: A Guide to Navigating the Storm, a practical and research-based book used by communication professionals, students, and brand leaders navigating moments of reputational risk. In this regard, he is the Founder & Principal Strategist of Brand Dummy, a consultancy firm focused on helping build resilient brands that customers trust

With academic training in both marketing and psychology (PhD, University of Toronto; MA, University of Chicago; AB, University of Michigan), Dr. Chan brings an interdisciplinary perspective to brand perception research. The GCBI grew out of his interest in moving beyond market share or awareness to understand how Canadians judge brands based on values like honesty, sustainability, and respect. Drawing from the fields of behavioural science and political psychology, the GCBI offers a more nuanced and transparent look at what makes a brand genuinely trustworthy in the eyes of the public.

Dr. Chan has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles in leading marketing and behavioural science journals, and has received numerous awards for both research and teaching. He also serves as the founding director of the Institute for Sustainable Practices in Research and Enterprise (INSPIRE), a research centre at TMU focused on responsible management and innovation. Through the GCBI, he aims to provide an accessible and nationally relevant tool for understanding the shifting moral expectations Canadians place on the brands they encounter every day.

Website: eugeneychan.ca
X: @eugeneychan
LinkedIn: eugeneychan
E-mail: e34chan@torontomu.ca

Buy “Managing Brand Crises: A Guide to Navigating the Storm” (Business Expert Press, 2025)

Buy “Consumer Behavior in Practice: Strategic Insights for the Modern Marketer” (Palgrave MacMillan, 2024)