We are deeply saddened by the passing of Professor Giana M. Eckhardt (1971–2026), Professor of Marketing at King’s Business School, King’s College London.

​

Giana was an extraordinary scholar, colleague, teacher, mentor, and friend to many of us in the CCT community. She was Co-Editor of the Journal of Consumer Research, a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, and held visiting professorships at the University of Melbourne, Copenhagen Business School, and CEIBS. Across her remarkable career, she became one of the leading voices in consumer behavior, consumer culture, consumer ethics and sustainability, branding, and the sharing economy.

​

Her scholarship shaped the field in lasting ways. She published widely in leading journals, including Harvard Business Review, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, California Management Review, and Journal of Consumer Research. She was co-author of In Praise of Inconvenience and The Myth of the Ethical Consumer, and co-editor of the Handbook of the Sharing Economy. Her work received major awards from the Sheth Foundation and the Marketing Science Institute and reached audiences far beyond academia through outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The Atlantic, Financial Times, the BBC, NPR, and many others.

Giana also gave so much to the consumer research community.

 

Giana served as President of the Consumer Culture Theory Consortium and contributed generously to the editorial boards of leading journals. She taught and inspired generations of students, including MBA students in brand management.

​

For many of us, however, Giana will be remembered not only for her exceptional intellectual contributions but also for her generosity, warmth, clarity, and kindness.