Best Prof: David Bach

David Bach of IE Business School in Spain is one of the world's 40 best profs under the age of 40.

David Bach of IE Business School in Spain is one of the world’s 40 best profs under the age of 40.

David Bach

Professor of Strategic Management and Dean of Programs

 

Age: 35

Institution: IE Business School

Hometown: Gelnhausen, Germany

Marital Status: Married

Children: 2:  Nicolas (3 years) and Adriana (1 year)

Education: University of California-Berkeley, PhD, Political Science

University of California-Berkeley, MA, Political Science

Yale University, BA, Political Science and International Studies

Courses: Business, Government, and Society

Corporate Social Responsibility

Nonmarket Strategy

Business Ethics

Lobbying and Political Influence

At IE Since: 2004

Before IE: Berkeley PhD student

Extracurricular Activities: Placed twice on the “Guru Radar” by Thinkers 50, a ranking of influential management thinkers

Fun Fact: “I climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in August 2006 with a group of friends.”

The intersection between business and politics is the focal point of Professor David Bach’s research interests. “Politics has always been important for business,” he says, “but owing to globalization and new demands on companies, executives must more than ever engage in skilful political management.” Bach has earned himself a reputation for being a guru on nonmarket business strategies in International business. Similar to reputation management, Bach’s research encourages firms to consider the entire business landscape when making strategic decisions instead of choices based solely on consumers, market climate, and competitors. Professor Bach also serves IE Business School as the Dean of MBA Programs.

Students Say:

“David masters the art of questioning every assumption of the students, opening new perspectives unconsidered that are crucial in order to perfectly understand everybody’s role in a conflict. He makes sure that all the students realize the level of complexity involved in the non market company decisions and provide important tools to build a great strategy.”

“If you think you are smart, and have learned a lot in your previous career, well, take a class with Professor David Bach and you will know how it feels to be sent back to humility. Prof. Bach taught us vital contemporary business fundamentals that are too often forgotten: the non-market factors. The unique way he manages class participation is amazingly dynamic and interactive. On top of that, he is accessible whenever you need him, he can understand your questions extremely accurately and quickly, and will guide you to ask yourself the right questions. I am proud to be one his MBA students, and will surely apply the key learning I gained from his non-market strategy class into my future management job. To me, he is simply an exceptionally brilliant mind, in a brilliant school.”

“Prof. Bach’s class is a window to the complex world of businesses inside societies. Complicated situations caused by old fashioned political power games became a common language with the students using examples from the FIFA World Cup, computer simulations, and animation series, eventually changing my future managerial perceptions.”

David Bach is among “The World’s 40 Best B-School Profs Under the Age of 40