IMD Professors Julia Binder and José Parra Moyano have been named on Poets&Quants’ 2026 Best 40 Under 40 Graduate Business Professors list.
The business education-focused publication has announced its Best 40 Under 40 professors for 2026, recognizing the best graduate business professors under the age of 40, who have been nominated by students, alumni, faculty, and staff. More than 1,500 nominations were submitted from around the world.
“Binder is shaping the future of responsible transformation, while Parra Moyano is redefining how leaders leverage AI- driven transformation. Their recognition is a testament to the impact they are having through their research and teaching in the classroom and beyond,” said Professor of Management, Dean of Faculty and Research Stefan Michel.
Julia Binder, Professor of Business Transformation and Director of the Center for Sustainable and Inclusive Business, is recognized for her work helping organizations to lead transformation.
Her teaching and research focus on how leaders can navigate disruption, reimagine their organizations, and create value in a rapidly changing world.
Binder is co-author of The Circular Business Revolution and co-editor of the IMD Playbook on Leading the Sustainable Business Transformation (Wiley, 2024), a collective effort of more than 30 IMD faculty that explores how companies can move from ambition to action.
She has developed a framework of five circular business model archetypes and a Circular Pulse Check to help companies assess their real progress. She argues that circularity is no longer just about responsibility; it’s a strategic business advantage that can make companies more resilient, more competitive, and less exposed.
Named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader in 2025, she was also featured on the Thinkers50 Radar list (2022) for her work at the intersection of sustainability, innovation, and leadership.
Professor of Digital Strategy José Parra Moyano examines how leaders and organizations can successfully navigate AI transformation to create real organizational value and lasting growth. He advises companies in the design and implementation of their digital strategies. His work 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.
His research has been published in top-tier publications, including MIT Sloan Management Review and Harvard Business Review. At IMD, he develops senior executives and leaders across programs on AI, strategy, and innovation. He is 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.
Parra Moyano has also been recognized on the Thinkers50 Radar list (2025), named on Forbes ’30 Under 30 list of outstanding young entrepreneurs and leaders in Switzerland in 2018, and appointed to the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community in 2014. He has also received teaching awards at the University of Zurich, Copenhagen Business School, and Mannheim Business School.
