Best 40-Under-40 Professor Greg Fisher

Greg Fisher

Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship

Age: 37

Institution: Kelley School of Business, Indiana University

Since: 2012

Before current institution:

Foster School of Business, University of Washington; Gordon Institute of Business Science, University of Pretoria

Hometown: Johannesburg, South Africa

Marital status: Married

Children: Two girls, ages 4 and 2

Education:

Foster School of Business at the University of Washington, PhD Entrepreneurship and Strategy; Gordon Institute of Business Science at the University of Pretoria, MBA; University of KwaZulu Natal, Bachelor of Accounting

Courses currently teaching: 

Turnaround Management; Corporate Entrepreneurship

Fun fact: 

To keep myself sane in this career I run marathons and ultra marathons. I have completed 45 full marathons, 16 ultra marathons, and three Ironman Triathlons.

Professor I most admire:

Adam Grant for his energy, passion, and ability to have such a significant and positive impact in both academia and business practice.

Most memorable moment as a professor:

Teaching a class in the USA for the first time, I assigned almost everyone in the class letter grades ranging from B to E. This is the common distribution for grading MBA assignments in South Africa, but the students in the USA were in a state of shock and panic. I soon learned that grading distributions differ between South Africa and the USA.

“If I weren’t a b-school professor…”

I would want to be an angel investor. I love having the opportunity to positively contribute to and interact with entrepreneurs at the helm of new ventures in the early stages of development.

Students say:

“He transformed the way I approach business. He was an inspirational teacher and brought out the best in me.”

“I would describe him as knowledgeable, dedicated, passionate, and highly effective. As a human being I would describe him as inspiring, dynamic, and nurturing.”

Everywhere Greg Fisher goes, success seems to follow. The 37-year-old native of South Africa has taught at three different institutions: University of Pretoria, University of Washington, and Indiana University, each of which has presented him with awards for outstanding MBA teaching.

Along with teaching excellence, Fisher has proven himself to be a leader in another area: breaking records. While pursuing his PhD in the Strategy and Technology Entrepreneurship program at the University of Washington, Fisher was the first PhD student ever to receive an invitation to teach in the school’s Executive MBA program. At 29, he was the youngest person ever to teach an MBA course for South Africa’s University of Pretoria. Now an assistant professor who teaches entrepreneurship and management at the Kelley School, he is the first professor ever to win Indiana University’s MBA Teaching Excellence Award during their first year as an assistant professor.

In addition to being an outstanding teacher, this B-school rising star is an expert contributor for Entrepreneur magazine; he has contributed more than 60 articles.

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