W. Chan Kim

1. Chan Kim, an esteemed South Korean business theorist, is The Boston Consulting Group Bruce D. Henderson Chair Professor of Strategy and International Management at INSEAD business school. In addition to his position at INSEAD, he is the co-director of the INSEAD Blue Ocean Strategy Institute in Fontainebleau, France. He previously held a post as a professor at the University of Michigan Business School. His expertise and influence have led him to serve as a board member and advisor for numerous multinational corporations across multiple regions, including Europe, the U.S., and the Asia Pacific. His advisory roles extend to the European Union and several countries.

His thought leadership has not gone unnoticed. Along with his colleague Renee Mauborgne, he was named the #1 Most Influential Business Thinker in the world by Thinkers50 and later ranked second in their list of the most influential living management thinkers. His influence has also been recognized in the academic field, where he has been named among the world’s top 5 best business school professors by MBA Rankings. His numerous academic and management awards include the prestigious Nobels Colloquia Prize for Leadership on Business and Economic Thinking, awarded to him in 2008, the Carl S. Sloane Award by the Association of Management Consulting Firms, the Leadership Hall of Fame by Fast Company, and the Eldridge Haynes Prize by the Academy of International Business. The Observer called Kim, “the next big guru to hit the business world.”

As a Fellow of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Kim has contributed many bestselling articles to top-tier publications, including Harvard Business Review, Academy of Management Journal, Management Science, Organization Science, Strategic Management Journal, Administrative Science Quarterly, Journal of International Business Studies, MIT Sloan Management Review, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Financial Times. The Journal of International Management recognizes Kim as one of the world’s most influential academic journal authors in global strategy. His authorial prowess is further evidenced by his status as the world’s top bestselling author at the Case Centre and the recipient of numerous Case Centre awards, including “The Global Top 10 Bestselling Case Writers.”

Kim is the co-author of the global bestseller "Blue Ocean Strategy" and its indispensable follow-up, "Blue Ocean Shift." Both books present analytical frameworks and tools that help organizations to systematically create and capture "blue oceans," or unexplored new market areas. "Blue Ocean Strategy," co-authored in 2005, has sold over 4 million copies and is recognized as one of the most iconic and impactful strategy books ever written. It is being published in a record-breaking 46 languages and is a bestseller across five continents, hitting over 300 bestseller lists globally. The Financial Times called it “one of the bestselling business books of the century” and The Economist called it “the most successful book on business master-planning.”

His follow-up work, "Blue Ocean Shift," is a New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller. It is also a USA Today Bestseller, a Los Angeles Times Bestseller, and an International Bestseller. Amazon selected "Blue Ocean Shift" as one of the best business and leadership books of 2017. "Blue Ocean Shift" is also the winner of the distinction of "The Best Leadership and Strategy Book of 2017” by 800-CEO-READ and the #1 business book of 2017 by Library Journal. "Blue Ocean Shift" has been published in 30 languages.

Kim is the co-founder of the Blue Ocean Global Network (BOGN), a global community of practice on the Blue Ocean family of concepts that he created. BOGN embraces academics, consultants, executives, and government officers. As an influential figure in the business world, Kim is frequently sought for public speaking engagements, where he shares his insights and vast knowledge

Kim is the co-founder of the Blue Ocean Global Network (BOGN), a global community of practice on the Blue Ocean family of concepts that he created. BOGN embraces academics, consultants, executives, and government officers.