Paolo Aversa

Paolo Aversa is Professor of Strategy at King’s Business School, King’s College London – ranked among top-30 universities globally – and the Jonas Persson Visiting Professor at Stockholm School of Economics, Center for Sports and Business. He has also held several other visiting and honorary affiliations in various institutions including UCL School of Management, ESADE, University of Trento, Bologna Business School, Luxembourg School of Business, Ca’ Foscari Venice, Politecnico di Bari, and CUOA Business School.

His research focuses on strategy, innovation and the evolution of industries and ecosystems. His investigations concentrate on technology-intensive settings to explore radical innovations, digital transformation and business models. He is globally considered one of the leading academic experts in the motorsport and Formula 1 industry, as well as an expert on how to derive business-relevant insights from the world of sports and history.

His work is published in leading academic journals such as the Academy of Management Journal, Organization Science, Journal of Management, Research Policy, Journal of Management Studies, and practice-oriented outlets such as Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review. He serves as an Associate Editor at the Journal of Management Studies, on the editorial board of Organization Science and Academy of Management Discoveries, for which he is also a guest editor. He is the Director of Communications and an appointed officer of the Strategic Management (STR) Division – Academy of Management. He is a Senior Fellow of Higher Education.

His research often features more than 400 times in international media, including the Financial Times, New York Times, BBC, Sky, Forbes, Reuters, Sunday Times, The Times, The Telegraph, and in most sport-related outlets.

Professor Aversa has received numerous awards for his research, teaching, and impact. He was listed among the ‘World’s Best 40 under 40 Professors’ (Poets & Quants) and received the ‘Talented Young Italians Award for Research and Innovation’ by the Italian Chamber of Commerce and the Italian Embassy in London. As a former winner of a Marie-Curie Individual Fellowship, he was selected as a runner-up for the prestigious ‘EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Communicating Science Prize’, which awards projects with the widest coverage in mainstream media and the most innovative approach to dissemination. In 2023 the Presidency of Italy also awarded him a Knighthood for his professional achievements and his contribution to the country.

He collaborates with several universities and often presents his work and industry analyses at international conferences, firms, and institutions – including the House of Commons, United Nations, and the European Union. He serves as a Non-Executive Director and on the advisory board of several companies and industry bodies.

Before joining King’s College London, Professor Aversa worked at Bayes Business School – City, University of London, where he also served as director of the Full Time MBA. Formerly, he worked as a Post-Doc at the Management Department of the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, where he also held a visiting scholar position at the Sol C Snider Entrepreneurial Center.