Faculty Profile: Hubertus Johann Ruel

Hubertus Ruel came from the Netherlands to join the Olayan School of Business (OSB) as assistant professor in the management, marketing and entrepreneurship track in February 2009. He is happy to be working in the Middle East again.

“I worked in the Kuwait Maastricht Business School between September 2006 and March 2008 and got in contact with some Lebanese students there; the region has always interested me,” proclaimed Ruel, pointing out  that  European academics can generally benefit from gaining a broader exposure to “emerging” markets.

Ruel finished his schooling and higher education in the Netherlands, where he also gained most of his work experience. He received his bachelor’s degree in human resource management (HRM) from Twente University (1994), where he also completed his master’s in organizational psychology (1996) and his PhD (2001) in HRM and information systems.

 In addition to his academic obligations, Ruel was involved in public administration, making decisions concerned with urban planning as a member of his municipality council (1998-2006). He fulfilled these duties evenings and continued this civic work during his position as assistant professor at Utrecht University (2002-06).

Ruel, with a decade of teaching experience, is currently giving undergraduate courses in principles of management and HRM. He finds AUB students “polite and nice to interact with; some of them are really dedicated and hard-working.”

With numerous publications in reputable journals as well as five books co-authored with his wife, Ruel is an expert on the bridge between the fields of human resource management and information systems, the subject of his on-going research work. “I like the system here, especially where faculty research budget is concerned, and I find the administration very supportive,” continued Ruel.

Spending at least two hours daily at the gym is crucial to Ruel’s existence. Able to speak English and German as well as Dutch and a bit of French, Ruel is “addicted to The Economist” and enjoys reading Russian literature, among other things. He also likes all kinds of music, including classical.