Renowned economist to lead LBS

Sergei Guriev, currently Provost and Professor of Economics at L'Institut d'études politiques de Paris (Sciences Po), will be the next Dean of London Business School (LBS).

He will take up the Deanship at the start of the 2024/25 academic year after moving from his senior position at the prestigious university in Paris attended by the French political elite, including the last five Presidents of France. He will also join the distinguished LBS faculty as a Professor of Economics.

Professor Guriev previously headed the New Economics School in Moscow and was one of the leading intellectual figures supporting the modernisation of the Russian economy. He was forced to leave Russia in 2013 after offering public support for critics of President Putin.

From 2016 to 2019, Professor Guriev was chief economist at the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which provides investment funds for countries in Europe, Asia and North Africa to foster their transition towards sustainable market-oriented economies. After moving to Sciences Po, he became a dual Russian/French citizen.

Professor Guriev is noted for his outstanding academic record, publishing research in the top economic journals in Europe and United States. His work spans the economics of development and transition economies, political economy of populism and autocracy, the role of social media, long-run development and structural transformation, corporate governance and finance.

With policy-making experience at the EBRD and in Russia, Professor Guriev is recognised globally for his thought-leadership and insight, contributing numerous columns to leading European and US newspapers. He regularly addresses top business leaders and policymakers, is the author of several books on economics and politics, and contributed to LBS as a guest-lecturer in 2023.

Sergei Guriev said: “I am excited, honoured and humbled to have been chosen as the new Dean of London Business School. I admire the institution for its academic excellence, its truly global DNA, and its commitment to diversity and inclusion.

“I strongly support the School’s mission and values, and am looking forward to working together with LBS’s outstanding team and alumni to make an impact on the way the world does business and the way business impacts the world in the rapidly evolving global environment.”

Led by the Chair of the School’s Governing Body, Dr David Pyott CBE, former CEO of Allergan in the United States, a Search Committee was established, comprised of members of the Governing Body, representing faculty, staff and the Governance and Nominating Committee. The Governing Body approved Professor Guriev’s appointment on Thursday 25 January 2024; he was awarded tenure as a Professor of Economics by the full Professors of the LBS Faculty.

Dr Pyott said: “We have undertaken a rigorous, worldwide search for the new Dean of London Business School, a unique place that requires a Dean of exceptional capabilities. We sought global experience, respected academic credentials, leadership and management experience in a top-ranked institution, and a strong external representative for the School’s mission, values and purpose.

“Sergei is an eminent economist and a well-known figure on the world stage, who has served as Provost at Sciences Po, a prestigious institution. He has an outstanding track record in Russia, the US and France. His vision for a School achieving global impact and making the world a better place will define the future of LBS.

“I would like to thank those faculty, staff and Governance and Nominations Committee colleagues who have been part of this appointments process.”

Professor Guriev will succeed Dean François Ortalo-Magné, who has been in post since August 2017 and led the School through the turbulence caused by the Covid-19 virus. The School rebounded with its best year as a provider of executive education, working in transformational partnerships with many large corporations, innovating its degree programmes and launching a major fundraising campaign, Forever Forward.

Dean François announced in October 2023 that he would step down as Dean at the end of the 2023/24 academic year to become a Professor of Management Practice at LBS and Executive Dean for External Relations.

He said: “I am delighted to welcome Sergei Guriev as the tenth Dean of London Business School. It is a privilege to lead an organisation that has had such a profound impact on business and the world, and to engage with all the talented people in our global community. I look forward to working with Professor Guriev as the School transitions to his leadership.”

LBS has a history of appointing influential economic and business figures as Dean, including Professor Sir George Bain and Professor Laura Tyson, Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers to President Clinton.

The School was founded in 1964 and Professor Guriev will join as Dean at the start of its 60th anniversary year.

LBS has a global outlook, with a significant majority of international academics and students attracted to London by the city’s strong financial services, consulting, technology, start-up and media sectors. Its purpose is to have a profound impact on the way the world does business and the way business impacts the world. It is committed to outstanding research, learning and diversity.

Learn more about Sergei Guriev.