José Parra Moyano is Professor of Digital Strategy. He focuses on the management and economics of data and privacy and how firms can create sustainable value in the digital economy. An award-winning teacher, he also founded his own successful startup, was appointed to the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community of young people driving change, and was named on the Forbes ‘30 under 30’ list of outstanding young entrepreneurs in Switzerland.
Parra Moyano’s research explores the impact of digital innovation on economic performance, particularly on the role that data and AI can play in solving organizational and societal problems.
We all use mental maps to navigate reality, make decisions, and generate value. Since reality is rapidly changing – partly because of the possibilities offered by new digital technologies – we need to update and refine those maps so that they are useful. This is exactly what we do in the classroom.
He says the captivating aspect of digital technology is its ability to foster novel interactions between companies and individuals, and thereby facilitate previously unattainable relationships and transactions.
Parra Moyano says his mission is to help business leaders find the “sweet spot” where they can use digital technology to enhance the value of their own firms and also to shape the future of society in a positive way.
His work has been published in leading journals such as MIT Sloan Management Review, the Journal of Management Information Systems, and Business & Information Systems Engineering, and he applies the insights of his research to the corporate world by advising firms on the development of their strategies on data and digital technology.
Parra Moyano also teaches in a variety of programs on the topic of AI, strategy, and innovation. He is also a research fellow at the Centre for Blockchain Technologies at University College London and was previously a fellow at the Center of Excellence of The Digital Economist.
In 2016, he co-founded a startup that developed data-driven algorithms for HR departments, selling his share of the company two years later after successfully growing its operations. He currently sits on the Board of Experts of data and blockchain company Enzyme Advising Group.
Before joining IMD in 2023, he was Assistant Professor at Copenhagen Business School’s Department of Digitalization, where he taught courses on data strategy, data science, applied empirical methods, information economics, data economics, digital organization, and fintech. He also served as a guest professor at Mannheim Business School, the University of Bern, and Rochester-Bern Business School.
He studied at the University of Zurich, where he was awarded his PhD summa cum laude.
