About The Open University

Dr. Haider Ali serves as a Senior Lecturer in Strategic Marketing at The Open University's Faculty of Business & Law, where he currently holds the position of Director of Microcredentials and Short Courses. His academic journey includes a BSc from LSE, an MPhil from Cranfield School of Management, and a PhD from Imperial College, with research focusing on start-up businesses. Since joining The Open University in 1999, he has developed extensive expertise in social marketing and sustainable business practices. His international experience spans multiple countries including India, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, where he has conducted consulting, training, and teaching work. On Coursera, he leads four significant courses focused on sustainable business strategies: "Critical thinking for sustainable business solutions," "From prototyping to validating business models," "Thinking about sustainable business systemically," and "Understanding the need for a sustainable business." His research since 2002 has concentrated on social marketing, including evaluation projects related to health services and cardiac patients. He has secured funding from organizations like the British Heart Foundation and has published in prestigious journals including the Journal of Marketing Management. As a guest lecturer at the London School of Economics and an Academic Reviewer for the Arab Open University, he continues to influence business education globally while maintaining his role in developing innovative online teaching methodologies.