Deans Conference

Julian Birkinshaw is a world leading scholar and dynamic academic leader. Appointed Dean of Ivey Business School at Western University in August 2024, he brings an impressive 25 year legacy at London Business School where he held roles including Vice Dean, Deputy Dean Programs and Deputy Dean Executive Education. A graduate of Ivey (MBA ’91, PhD ’95), he also holds a BSc in Geology from Durham University.

An internationally renowned authority on innovation, digital transformation, and strategic agility of large firms, Birkinshaw has authored 16 books—including Resurgent, Fast/Forward and Becoming a Better Boss—and 130 articles in top journals. He has won best paper awards in leading academic journals (e.g., Management Innovation in Academy of Management Review in 2008) and practice-oriented journals (e.g. How Incumbents Survive and Thrive in Harvard Business Review in 2022. His is a Fellow of the British Academy, Strategic Management Society, American Academy of Management, and Academy of International Business, and holds honorary doctorates from Copenhagen and Stockholm universities.

Andrew (Andy) Hoffman is the Holcim (US) Professor of Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan; a position that holds joint appointments in the Stephen M. Ross School of Business and the School for Environment and Sustainability. 

Hoffman's academic work uses organizational behavior theories to understand the cultural and institutional aspects of environmental issues for organizations. The disciplinary focus of this research is devoted to theoretical questions surrounding institutional and cultural change; the empirical focus is directed towards the topic of sustainability, the natural environment, and climate change. He has published over one-hundred articles/book chapters and nineteen books, which have been translated into six languages. Hoffman’s latest book, “Business school and the noble purpose of the market: Correcting the systemic failures of shareholder capitalism” was published in April 2025. His work has been covered in numerous media outlets, including the New York Times, Scientific American, Time, the Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, The Atlantic and National Public Radio. 

Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., is President and Chief Executive Officer of SHRM. He was recently named one of the “300 Most Influential Executives in Corporate America” by Savoy Magazine and recognized on the “Virginia 500 Power List” by Virginia Business. Mr. Taylor’s career spans more than 20 years as a lawyer and an executive, serving at IAC, Paramount Pictures, Blockbuster Entertainment Group, and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, among other organizations. He is a member of the United Way Worldwide Board of Trustees and serves on the corporate boards of XPO Logistics (NYSE: XPO), Flores & Associates, and Guild Education. He previously served on the White House American Workforce Policy Advisory Board and as chairman of the President's Advisory Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Mr. Taylor writes a weekly column in USA Today and is a Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional.