Herminia Ibarra
Born 1961 · Age 65
Scholar of organizational behaviour, leadership, and career development; Charles Handy Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School; author of Working Identity and Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader.
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Life & Career Timeline
BA, University of Miami (summa cum laude)
Received B.A. from the University of Miami, graduating summa cum laude.
Awarded National Science Graduate Fellowship (start)
Received National Science Graduate Fellowship supporting graduate studies (approx. 1982–1984).
Belgian American Educational Foundation Fellowship
Received Belgian American Educational Foundation fellowship (1984–85).
Yale School of Management teaching fellow (start)
Served as teaching fellow at Yale School of Management (1985–1989).
Yale University fellowship (1986–87)
Held a Yale University fellowship during graduate studies.
M.A. and M.Phil., Yale University
Awarded M.A. and M.Phil. degrees in organisational behaviour from Yale University.
Yale fellowship (1988–89)
Held additional Yale fellowship during final doctoral period.
Ph.D. in Organisational Behaviour, Yale University
Completed Ph.D. in organisational behaviour at Yale University.
Joined Harvard Business School faculty
Began career as a professor at Harvard Business School.
Published influential ASQ paper on networks and gender
Published 'Homophily and Differential Returns: Sex Differences in Network Structure and Access' in Administrative Science Quarterly (1993).
Promoted to Associate Professor, HBS
Promoted to associate professor at Harvard Business School.
Greenhill Award, Harvard Business School
Received the Greenhill Award from Harvard Business School.
Promoted to Full Professor with Tenure, HBS
Promoted to full professor with tenure at Harvard Business School.
Joined INSEAD as Chaired Professor
Left Harvard Business School and joined INSEAD as Chaired Professor of Organizational Behaviour (Cora Chair / Chaired Professor of Leadership & Learning references).
Created The Leadership Transition executive program at INSEAD
Designed and directed The Leadership Transition executive program to help managers prepare for senior roles.
Created Women Leading Change executive program at INSEAD
Created and directed the Women Leading Change executive program at INSEAD focused on women's leadership development.
Published Working Identity (1st ed.)
Published Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career (Harvard Business School Press, 2003).
Instructor for World Economic Forum
Served as an instructor for World Economic Forum programs (champions/WEF involvement noted).
Appointed member, Harvard Business School Visiting Committee
Became a member of the Harvard Business School Visiting Committee (reports to the Board of Overseers).
Published 'Identity as Narrative' in Academy of Management Review
Published 'Identity as Narrative: A Process Model of Narrative Identity Work in Macro Work Role Transition' in the Academy of Management Review.
Became Chair of HBS Visiting Committee (start)
Became chair of the Harvard Business School Visiting Committee; served as chair 2012–2016.
Published 'Women Rising' in Harvard Business Review
Published 'Women Rising: The Unseen Barriers' in Harvard Business Review (reprinted in HBR compendia).
Named #1 Leadership Thinker, Thinkers50
Ranked #1 Leadership Thinker in Thinkers50 list.
Published Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader (1st ed.)
Published Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader (Harvard Business Review Press, first edition).
Won Best Practitioner Paper, AOM OB division (for related work)
Awarded Best Practitioner Paper by the Academy of Management, Organizational Behavior division (related to leadership/authenticity research).
Appointed Charles Handy Professor, London Business School
Joined London Business School as the Charles Handy Professor of Organisational Behaviour.
Delivered Clarendon Lectures, Oxford Said Business School
Invited to deliver Clarendon Lectures at Oxford University's Said Business School.
Named HR Magazine's #1 Most Influential Thinker
Recognized by HR Magazine as the #1 Most Influential Thinker.
Academy of Management Scholar-Practitioner Award
Received the Academy of Management's Scholar-Practitioner Award for contributions to management practice.
Listed among 100 Most Influential People in Gender Policy (Apolitica)
Named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Gender Policy by Apolitica.
TED/TEDx Talk on 'The Authenticity Paradox' (speaker)
Delivered a TED/TEDx talk exploring the Authenticity Paradox (champions and other sources cite a 2018 TED talk).
Excellence in Teaching Prize, London Business School
Awarded the Excellence in Teaching Prize at London Business School.
Elected Fellow of the British Academy (FBA)
Elected Fellow of the British Academy in July 2019.
Published 'The Leader as Coach' in Harvard Business Review
Published 'The Leader as Coach' in HBR (Nov–Dec issue); article later won the Warren Bennis Prize for the best leadership article in HBR.
Listed among Top 50 Bestselling Case Authors (The Case Centre)
Recognized as a Top 50 Bestselling Case Author by The Case Centre (2019–2023 recurring).
Awarded Warren Bennis Prize for HBR leadership article
Received the Warren Bennis Prize (best leadership article in Harvard Business Review) for 'The Leader as Coach' (award year reported as 2019/2020 in sources).
Scholarly Contributions to Educational Practice Award
Received the Scholarly Contributions to Educational Practice: Advancing Women in Leadership Award (Academy of Management—listed 2021).
Best Teacher Award, LBS Sloan
Awarded the Best Teacher Award at the LBS Sloan programme in 2022.
Published 2nd editions: Working Identity & Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader
Second editions of Working Identity and Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader published (HBR Press listings cite 2023 2nd editions).
Listed in Thinkers50 (2011–2023 recurring recognition)
Repeatedly named by Thinkers50 among the world's most influential management thinkers (spanning 2011–2023).
The Case Centre Awards recognition
Awarded/recognized in The Case Centre Awards 2024 (The Case Centre awards & case recognitions cited).
Top 40 / Top 50 Case Author listings (2019–2024)
Listed among top case authors by The Case Centre across multiple years; multiple individual case awards for cases like 'Satya Nadella at Microsoft' and others.
Member, World Economic Forum Expert Network (ongoing)
Member of World Economic Forum Expert Network; involved in global advisory activities and executive teaching for WEF.
Governor, London Business School (ongoing)
Serves as a Governor (member of governing body) of London Business School.
Judge, Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award (ongoing role)
Serves as a jury member for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award (role cited on multiple sources).
Recurring speaking engagements at Wired, TEDx, HR Congress and others
Has spoken repeatedly at TED/TEDx, Wired, HR Congress, London Business School events and other international conferences on leadership and career transitions.
Continued prolific academic publishing and case writing
Ongoing regular contributions to Harvard Business Review, Academy of Management Review, Administrative Science Quarterly, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal and The New York Times; multiple case studies are bestsellers.
Key Achievement Ages
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