Julian Birkinshaw

Julian Birkinshaw became Dean of Ivey Business School on August 1, 2024. An Ivey graduate (MBA ’91, PhD ’95), Birkinshaw is an internationally renowned scholar in business research and education with expertise on innovation, digital transformation, and the agility of large multinational firms.

Prior to joining Ivey, Birkinshaw was at London Business School (LBS) for 25 years, most recently serving as Vice Dean from 2022 to 2024. While at LBS, he also served as Deputy Dean, Executive Education, Head of Learning Innovation, Director of the Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Deputy Dean of Programs. With a passion for innovation and continuous improvement, Birkinshaw was instrumental in launching new graduate programs, initiating online asynchronous programs, and significantly growing executive education.

A dedicated educator, Birkinshaw has taught many courses in the LBS MBA program, including Innovation and Technology Strategy, Managing the Digital Organization, Achieving Strategic Agility, and Developing Entrepreneurial Opportunities. He has also been actively involved in executive education, leading courses on Building Organizational Resilience, Innovating in the Digital World, and Managing the Company of the Future. As a proud graduate of Ivey, Birkinshaw embraces the School’s case-based teaching approach. He has written 40 cases. 

Recognized as one of Thinkers50’s thought leaders in management, Birkinshaw’s research focuses on innovation, organizational resilience, strategic agility, and the impact of digital technology on business. He believes strongly in the practical application of academic knowledge to business issues. Birkinshaw is a sought-after speaker and consultant to many large organizations such as Pepsico, RBC, Ericsson, Bayer, and Industry Canada.

A Fellow of the British Academy, Strategic Management Society, and the (American) Academy of Management, Birkinshaw holds honorary degrees from Copenhagen Business School and the Stockholm School of Economics. He has authored 15 books, including Fast/Forward: Make Your Company Fit for the Future and Becoming A Better Boss, and more than 90 articles, including those featured in Harvard Business Review and The Wall Street Journal. His forthcoming book Resurgent: How established companies can fight back and thrive in an age of digital transformation, will be released in 2025. An established expert on large-scale change and digital disruption in the private sector, he is regularly quoted in international media, including on CNN, the BBC, and in The Economist and Sloan Management Review.

Dean Birkinshaw holds a PhD and master’s degree in business administration from Ivey Business School as well as an honours bachelor’s degree in Geology from Durham University, England.