Michael Jacobides

Michael Jacobides

Pioneering Architect of Business Ecosystems & Digital Platform Strategy

Core Intelligence Domain: Corporate Strategy & Innovation
Location: London, United Kingdom | Languages: English, Greek
Representation: Represented globally by PSpeakers Global Intelligence

Michael Jacobides is the Sir Donald Gordon Professor of Entrepreneurship & Innovation and Professor of Strategy at London Business School, widely recognised as one of the world’s leading strategic minds on business ecosystems, digital platforms, and the structural transformation of industries. As a consistently top-ranked Thinkers50 global management thinker, he equips C-suite executives, global boards, and policymakers with proprietary frameworks to navigate value shifts, leverage artificial intelligence, and design resilient organisational architectures in an increasingly complex and interconnected global market.

With an exceptional ability to bridge rigorous academic research and practical commercial application, Professor Jacobides has reshaped how modern enterprises view competition. He asserts that companies no longer compete as independent entities but as pivotal players within dynamic ecosystems. His seminal work on industry architecture and platform strategy has been instrumental in guiding Fortune 500 companies through digital disruption, helping them transition from traditional pipeline models to multi-dimensional ecosystem orchestrators.

Beyond his academic tenure, Michael serves as the Lead Advisor for Evolution Ltd and has acted as a strategic consultant for elite organisations including BCG, IDEO, and Tencent. His intelligence is highly sought after at the macroeconomic level; he is a Lead Author for the World Economic Forum (WEF) and has served as the Chief Expert Advisor on the Digital Economy for the Hellenic Competition Commission, co-authoring policy frameworks that shape the regulatory landscape of digital markets across Europe.

His proprietary research is frequently published in top-tier journals, including the Harvard Business Review, Financial Times, Strategic Management Journal, and California Management Review. By dissecting the DNA of successful platforms, Michael provides business leaders with the foresight required to anticipate sector convergence, mitigate the risks of disruption, and construct ecosystems that generate compounding global value.

Major Professional Achievements

• Thinkers50 Laureate: Consistently ranked among the top 50 management thinkers globally, reaching #11 for his paradigm-shifting work on ecosystem strategy.
• London Business School Leadership: Holds the prestigious Sir Donald Gordon Chair of Entrepreneurship & Innovation.
• World Economic Forum Lead Author: Driving global initiatives on digital platforms, value distribution, and the future of industrial architecture.
• Policy & Regulatory Architect: Served as Chief Expert Advisor on the Digital Economy for the Hellenic Competition Commission, influencing EU-wide digital regulatory strategies.
• Global Corporate Advisor: Consults for top-tier firms including McKinsey, BCG, IDEO, Santander, Airbus, and De Beers on ecosystem strategy and AI integration.
• Award-Winning Author: Recipient of multiple academic and corporate strategy awards for his foundational papers in the Harvard Business Review on “In the Ecosystem Economy, What’s Your Strategy?”.

Key Speaking Topics & Strategic Themes

• The Ecosystem Economy: Competing in a Boundaryless World: Unpacking the shift from traditional industry silos to interconnected ecosystems, and how organisations can position themselves as orchestrators rather than mere participants.
• Designing Digital Platforms for Asymmetric Growth: Strategies for building, scaling, and defending digital platforms in hyper-competitive markets.
• Navigating Strategic Value Shifts: How macroeconomic trends, geopolitical fragmentation, and technological disruption are redistributing global wealth, and how to capture emerging value pools.
• AI and the Evolution of Industry Architecture: A C-suite guide to integrating artificial intelligence not just for operational efficiency, but as a core driver of business model innovation and structural dominance.
• Regulatory Foresight in the Digital Age: Understanding the evolving landscape of antitrust laws, platform regulation, and digital governance across European and global markets.

Key Takeaways

• Proprietary Ecosystem Frameworks: Actionable methodologies to determine whether your organisation should build, buy, or partner within a business ecosystem.
• Platform Monetisation Strategies: Deep insights into transforming traditional products into highly scalable digital platform services.
• Future-Proofing Leadership: Equipping executives with the cognitive tools to anticipate industry convergence before it commoditises their core offerings.
• Regulatory Intelligence: Strategic foresight on how impending digital regulations will impact data usage, platform monopolies, and market entry.
• AI-Driven Value Creation: Clear pathways for leveraging artificial intelligence to redefine structural industry boundaries and secure a sustainable competitive advantage.