IMD is pleased to announce the appointment of award-winning Yale School of Management political economy expert David Bach as Professor of Strategy and Political Economy and IMD’s next Dean of Innovation and Programs, effective from 1 July 2020.
As Yale School of Management’s (SOM) Deputy Dean for Executive Programs and member of the senior leadership team, David has played a defining role in globalizing the school and diversifying its program portfolio over the past eight years. He is currently responsible for Yale’s top ranked Executive MBA and its non-degree executive education portfolio, including a set of innovative online programs.
David has a strong track record in helping managers and senior executives develop a strategic lens for the nexus of business and politics through his programs and publications. By enhancing their political acumen, David strengthens global business leaders’ ability to navigate resurgent economic nationalism, meet diverse stakeholder expectations in contentious political environments, and position the enterprise as an enabler of progress on wide-ranging societal challenges, from climate change to poverty alleviation to achieving gender equity. His course “The End of Globalization?” designed in the aftermath of the Brexit vote and the rise of populist leaders across Western democracies, received the 2018 Ideas Worth Teaching Award from the Aspen Institute.
In management education circles, David is known for his global perspective. He is one of the main architects of the Global Network for Advanced Management, an alliance of 31 top global business schools from five continents, of which IMD has been a member since 2012. Moreover, he played a leading role in the creation of Yale Center Beijing and has overseen its operations since its founding in 2014.
At IMD, he will continue the successful work of current IMD Dean of Innovation and Programs Professor Albrecht Enders in designing and delivering a world-leading executive education portfolio that develops leaders who can transform organizations and contribute to society.
“We are delighted to welcome an academic and innovator of David’s caliber to IMD’s world-class faculty,” said IMD President Jean-François Manzoni. “His proven track record in creating impactful programs and expertise in the relationships between companies and their ecosystems will propel our award-winning offering forward as we challenge what is and inspire what could be for the leaders of today and tomorrow.”
David says that what drew him to IMD was the school’s outstanding faculty, its innovative, global character, and the relentless focus on real impact. “Global business leaders today are confronting unprecedented challenges and yet the need for business to step up and lead on a broad range of issues will only increase. Joining a group of fantastic colleagues and working with them to design innovative learning journeys that position leaders for success and impact is an incredibly exciting opportunity,” he said.
David will initially join IMD on 1 April 2020 as a part-time Visiting Professor. From 1 July, he will work alongside Albrecht to ensure a smooth transition before taking on the full role of Dean of Innovation and Programs on 1 January 2021.
Albrecht Enders will step down from the IMD Management Team at the end of the year to succeed Professor Phil Rosenzweig and join Professor Michael Watkins as co-director of the Transition to Business Leadership program.
