Julian Birkinshaw has been appointed as the next dean of the Ivey Business School. His five-year term will be effective from August 1, 2024.
“We are pleased to welcome Julian, an internationally renowned scholar in business research and education,” said Western University President Alan Shepard. “His expertise in innovation, digital transformation, and the agility of large multinational companies will be invaluable as Ivy and Western continue to engage with society to impact the world. ”
Birkinshaw joins Western from London Business School in the United Kingdom, where he has held a variety of positions over the past 25 years, most recently as associate dean.
Known as an academic thinker with real-world practice, Birkinshaw received his MBA in 1991 and Ph.D. in 1995, and as a proud alumnus of the school, he embraces Ivey's case-based teaching approach. .
“What excites me most about Ivey is the experience I have had in terms of learning about the business world. The pedagogy of helping people understand the business world, but also the world of practice. A commitment to high-quality research that has an impact. These are values I have held and promoted throughout my career, and they are at the heart of what the Ivy has always done.”
A Fellow of the British Academy, the Strategic Management Institute, and the (US) Academy of Management, Birkinshaw holds honorary degrees from the Copenhagen Business School and the Stockholm School of Economics. He has written 15 of his books. Fast/Forward: Fit your company for the future and Becoming a better bossOver 90 articles, including those featured in harvard business review and Twall streeteat journal. He is a recognized expert on large-scale change and digital disruption in the private sector and is regularly quoted in international media including CNN, BBC and television. economist and Sloan Management Review.
born for business
Julian Birkinshaw (London Business School photo)
Born in Hexham, Northumberland, England, Birkinshaw was exposed to business opportunities at an early age. He recalls studying the progress of his father's financial portfolio. “I watched the daily price movements and speculated about why some stocks were rising and others were falling,” he said. “I've been interested in the business world since I was little.”
His interest remained after he earned a bachelor's degree in geology and worked briefly in IT consulting.
When he decided to pursue his business studies, he was keen to study in North America, the “home of MBAs”. Although he applied to schools in the United States, he happily accepted the advice of his family friends in Canada.of I decided to go to HBA'91 because this is also where he met his wife Laura (McLellan). Her father, Alistair McClellan (HBA'68), also attended Western University.
“Getting my MBA at Ivey was very formative. I loved it,” Birkinshaw said. So he remained at Western to earn a doctorate in business administration. For his doctoral work, he was selected as a finalist for the Richard N. Farmer International Business Award in 1995 and received the Barry M. Richman Award in 1996.
It also shows that Birkinshaw's starting point was “a believer in innovation and agility,” important aspects for companies and business schools to remain responsive in times of rapid change and disruption. He believes that it should be incorporated.
“There is an opportunity to evolve the world of business education, and Ivey, as a school that has always valued leadership, is in the perfect position to provide it. Using the case method, students put themselves in the shoes of decision-makers. , you are asked to take on the complexities of leadership.”
His passion for innovation and continuous improvement has also translated into leadership roles, where he led the creation of the London Business School's Early Career Management MSc in 2010 and the Analytical Management MSc in 2019 . He also led the school's digital development from 2017. In 2020, we created a series of courses with digital content to help students land jobs in technology companies, which we later offered as part of a blended learning experience. This proved invaluable during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Birkinshaw, who regularly ranks on the thinkers50 list of global management thinkers, takes on the role as Ivey continues to develop new strategic plans to address important issues facing business and society. Brings important experience and insight.
“Geopolitically, business schools are in a highly competitive and mature market, and currently, in order for graduates to be successful in their roles, they must understand many issues such as climate change, sustainability, EDI, and artificial intelligence. “We need to do that,” he said.
“One of the things I missed out on attending an independent business school is not having access to all the other relevant fields. If I wanted to teach about climate change, they didn't have environmental science. I wanted to teach about artificial intelligence. “We don't have any computer scientists, either. We're excited that Ivey will be part of a full-fledged university with experts in these fields.”
On a recent campus visit, he was heartened to see construction work underway on the new Ronald D. Schmeichel Building for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
“I am very happy to see Western University providing entrepreneurial opportunities for students from a variety of disciplines, because creating value, growing and developing in a country like Canada is essential. Because ultimately people need to become entrepreneurs.”
Birkinshaw is looking forward to stepping into the role and learning more to help write Ivy's next chapter in Westerns and the world.
“I want to help strengthen the Ivy's position as Canada's number one business school and raise its profile globally. The Ivy has really helped shape my worldview. So the opportunity to help build the school's next stage of development is very exciting,” he said.
President Shepherd expressed his gratitude to current Ivey Dean Sharon Hodgson, who will retire on June 30th. An acting dean will be appointed to support the Ivey until Mr Birkinshaw arrives on August 1.
“Under Sharon's leadership, the Ivy not only successfully navigated the challenges of the pandemic, but also improved student outcomes, expanded our world-class programs, and ivy next Strategic planning and 100th anniversaryth anniversary. We appreciate her dedication to Ivy and Western and wish her all the best as she prepares for her retirement. ”
President Shepherd also thanked Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Florentjen Strzelczyk and the members of the Ivy Dekanal Selection Committee for their dedication and contributions throughout the international search process.
