Michael Porter

Bishop William Lawrence University Professor
Harvard Business School

A leading authority on competitive strategy and the competitiveness of nations and regions, Professor Porter's work is recognized in governments, corporations, non-profits, and academic circles across the globe. His ideas on strategy have become the foundation for the required strategy course at the Harvard Business School, and his work is taught in virtually every business school in the world.

Professor Porter's core field is competition and strategy, and this remains a primary focus of his research. His ideas have also re-defined thinking about competitiveness, economic development, economically distressed areas, and the role of corporations in society. Professor Porter is the author of 17 books and numerous articles, and is a five-time winner of the McKinsey Award for the best Harvard Business Review article of the year.

Professor Porter has recently devoted considerable attention to understanding and addressing the problems in health care evident in the United States and abroad. His new book, Redefining Health Care (with Professor Elizabeth Teisberg), is being published in May 2006 by Harvard Business School Press. It develops a new framework for understanding how to transform the value delivered by the health care system, with practical recommendations for providers, health plans, employers, and government, among other actors.

In addition to his research and writing, Professor Porter serves as an advisor to business and government. He has served as strategy advisor to numerous leading U.S. and international companies, including Caterpillar, Procter & Gamble, Scotts Miracle-Gro, Royal Dutch Shell, Taiwan Semiconductor, and Sysco. Professor Porter also plays an active role in U.S. economic policy with the Executive Branch and Congress, and has led national strategy initiatives in numerous countries. He currently serves on the board of directors of Parametric Technology Corporation and Thermo Electron Corporation, and chairs Harvard Business School's program for newly appointed CEOs of multibillion dollar corporations.

Professor Porter received a B.S.E. with high honors in aerospace and mechanical engineering from Princeton University. He received an M.B.A. with high distinction from the Harvard Business School, where he was a George F. Baker Scholar, and a Ph.D. in Business Economics from Harvard University.

Professor Porter has won numerous awards and honors, including Harvard's David A. Wells Prize in Economics for his research in industrial organization, the Academy of Management's highest award for scholarly contributions to management, and the Adam Smith Award of the National Association of Business Economists. The recipient of numerous honorary doctorates and national honors, he was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2005.