François Ortalo-Magné
Professor of Management Practice in Economics and Strategy and Entrepreneurship; Executive Dean (External Relations)
PhD (Minnesota)
François Ortalo-Magné is Professor of Management Practice with joint appointments in Economics and Strategy & Entrepreneurship. An economist, former CEO and experienced board member, he works on a challenge he knows first-hand: how executives and boards think and act when ambitions, constraints and incomplete knowledge collide. His work helps leaders see more clearly the underlying structure of the situations they face and move from impossible demands to robust action.
François served as Dean and CEO of London Business School from 2017 to 2024 and previously as Dean of the Wisconsin School of Business. He sits on the boards of Tanla Platforms (India) and the Graduate Management Admission Council (US) and advises institutions internationally.
François began his academic career at the London School of Economics and held faculty appointments at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, HEC Paris, Toulouse School of Economics and Wharton. His research in housing and land economics has been published in industry outlets and in academic journals including the American Economic Review and the Review of Economic Studies. He brings together the rigour of academic research with the judgement that comes from having served on boards and led complex organisations.
Academic and professional experience
Professor of Management Practice in Economics and Strategy & Entrepreneurship, London Business School (2024-present)
Board Member, Tanla Platforms, India (current)
Board Member, Graduate Management Admission Council, USA (current)
Advisor, Fudan University School of Management, China (current)
Advisor, Institute of Strategy and Leadership, Togo (current)
Advisor, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Saudi Arabia (current)
Executive Dean (External Relations), London Business School (2024-2026)
Dean, London Business School (2017-2024)
Albert O. Nicholas Dean, Wisconsin School of Business (2011-2017)
Dept. Chair, Real Estate and Urban Land Economics Department, Wisconsin School of Business (2008-2011)
Robert E. Wangard Professor of Real Estate, Real Estate and Urban Land Economics Department, Wisconsin School of Business (2009-2011)
Associate Professor, Real Estate and Urban Land Economics Department, Wisconsin School of Business (2001-2009)
Lecturer in Economics, London School of Economics, (1995 – 2001, with tenure from 2000)