Imperial appoints Peter Todd as dean of Business School

Imperial has appointed a renowned expert in organisation, management and information technology to lead its Business School.

Professor Peter Todd has been confirmed as the new Dean, taking up the position from 1 September 2024, for a period of five years. He will succeed Professor Franklin Allen who has served as Interim Dean at the Business School since September 2023.

Reporting to Imperial’s Provost, Professor Todd will be responsible for all aspects of the School’s strategy, operations and finances. As Dean, he will also be a member of Imperial’s Council and University Management Board (UMB).   

Professor Todd’s academic expertise lies in information technology and innovation management, spanning computer science, psychology and management. His research brings these different disciplines together to examine how people interact with technology.

He has a wealth of experience in senior academic roles across Europe and North America. Most recently, he served as the Director General (CEO) and Dean of HEC Paris, the first non-French holder of the post.

Before his role at HEC Paris, he was Dean of the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University in Canada. 

He has extensive experience in university fundraising, having been instrumental in obtaining faculty naming gifts at both the University of Houston and McGill. While at HEC Paris, he oversaw the launch of a major €200 million fundraising campaign for the business school.    

He was a member of the Board of Directors of the AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) International between 2018 and 2020.  He has also served on the Coursera Global Advisory Board. 

Commenting on his appointment Professor Todd said: “I am thrilled to be joining Imperial College Business School. Imperial is an exceptional global institution with an unsurpassed reputation for research excellence and a unique entrepreneurial spirit.

"I am particularly drawn to the determination of the university and its Business School to tackle big questions that foster a healthy, smart, sustainable and resilient society through innovative and entrepreneurial approaches that bridge business with science, engineering and medicine."

He continued: “The big questions for business are the big questions facing society. Climate and sustainability, health and wellness, AI and autonomous technology, income inequality, diversity and inclusion, and building resilient societies. In this regard, business research and teaching need to bring a broader lens. The answers to these questions will only be found by working across boundaries, bringing together experts in business, with science, engineering and medicine. Imperial and its Business School are uniquely positioned to tackle such issues in 2024 and beyond.”  

Professor Ian Walmsley, Provost of Imperial College London, said: “Peter brings a wealth of experience of leading globally oriented, internationally prominent business schools in Europe and North America. He is the ideal person to lead Imperial College Business School into its next era.

"His international outlook, academic reputation and understanding of high-profile business schools will greatly enhance the Business School’s ambitions to capitalise on its position within the university. I would like to thank Professor Franklin Allen for his outstanding leadership of Imperial College Business School since last September.”

Born in Burnaby, Canada, Professor Todd graduated from McGill University, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in commerce, finance and information systems. He later achieved a PhD in business administration from the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia.

Professor Todd’s previous roles have included: Associate Dean for Graduate Programs in the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia, and Associate Dean (Academic) in the CT Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston, where he was also Director of the Information Systems Research Centre. He was also Director of the Research and PhD programmes at the Queen’s University Business School. 

This article was first published on 10 January by Imperial College London.