Francesca Cornelli

Cornelli's term as Dean for Kellogg, where she also holds the position of Donald P. Jacobs Chair of Finance, commenced on August 1, 2019.

Cornelli co-authored this article with Andrea Buraschi to look into donations and fundraising campaigns. After findings and research, according to Cornelli and Buraschi they concluded that how the donations were going to be used, access to private events, and being in a ‘network of donors’ motivates individuals to donate.

She is an accomplished scholar and known for her research in corporate governance, private equity, privatization, bankruptcy, initial public offering (IPO) and innovation policy. Most notably, in 2016 she co-created the Academic Female Finance Committee (AFFECT) which was established by the American Finance Association (AFA) to help encourage and bring more women into the field of financial research. Prior to Kellogg School, Cornelli served as a Professor of Finance, Director of Private Equity and Deputy Dean of Degree Education at the London Business School. She was the first female to be a full professor at the London Business School.

Cornelli completed her education in Università Commerciale Bocconi in Milan, Italy where she received her Bachelors of Economics, summa cum laude, and graduated in 1987. Thereafter, she earned a master's degree and Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University.

Francesca Cornelli (born September 19, 1962) is an economist who currently serves as Dean for Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.