Jeffrey Sonnenfeld

Jeffrey Sonnenfeld is the Senior Associate Dean for Leadership Studies and Lester Crown Professor in Management Practice at the Yale School of Management, as well as founder and president of the Chief Executive Leadership Institute, a nonprofit educational and research institute focused on CEO leadership and corporate governance.. He has authored eight books, including The Hero’s Farewell, an award-winning study of CEO succession and Firing Back, a study on leadership resilience from adversity. His work is regularly cited by the general media such as: BusinessWeek, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Newsweek, Time, the Economist, the Financial Times, the Washington Post, CBS, MSNBC, CNN, FOX, NBC, ABC as well as PBS, and he is a staff contributor for CNBC and a staff columnist for FORTUNE, TIME, Chief Executive, and Corporate Board Member. Sonnenfeld has informally advised five US presidents across parties and helped Jared Kushner launch the Abraham Accords in the Mideast. Sonnenfeld was recognized by Poets & Quants Magazine as the 2022 Professor of the Year in recognition of his high-profile efforts to catalyze the historic exits from Russia of over 1,000+ global businesses after the invasion of Ukraine, and named to Worth Magazine’s “Worthy 100 Leaders,” an annual global listing of the most influential leaders across society. Sonnenfeld’s BA, MBA, and doctorate are from Harvard where he was a professor for a decade. He holds an honorary PhD from Sacred Heart University. His research has been published in 100 scholarly articles which appeared in the leading academic journals in management. Having rung the Opening Bell of the NYSE and the NASDAQ a record 12 times, Sonnenfeld received the 2023 Greatest Impact on Corporate Boards award by Corporate Board Member magazine, Poets & Quants magazine “Outstanding Business Professor of the Year” award the Ellis Island Foundation Medal, and received the Academy of Management’s 2023 Distinguished Scholar Practitioner Award.