Prof. Ian Williamson

Ian O. Williamson is the Dean of the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine (USA). Previously, he was the Pro-Vice Chancellor and the Dean of the Wellington School of Business and Government at Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand). Professor Williamson also served as Associate Dean at the Melbourne Business School (Australia). As a senior university administrator, Williamson has held responsibility for the strategic, academic, operational, philanthropic and financial outcomes of complex educational institutions in three countries. Williamson also served on the faculties of the Rutgers Business School (USA), the Zurich Institute of Business Education (Switzerland), the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland (USA) and Institut Teknologi Bandung (Indonesia). He received his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA). 

A passionate educator Professor Williamson has been recognized for his approaches to developing community/university collaborations that create innovative educational programs. He is a past recipient of the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business Krowe Teaching Award, the Melbourne Business School Senior Executive MBA Teaching Award, the University of Melbourne Award for Excellence and Innovation in Indigenous Higher Education, the Business/Higher Education Round Table CPA Australia/ABDC Award for Outstanding Achievement in Business Education Collaboration and an Orange County Business Journal Innovator of the Year Award Nominee. Williamson was inducted into the Ph.D. Project Hall of Fame for his efforts to enhance diversity in academia and the business world. 

Prof. Williamson’s is a globally recognized expert in the area of human resource management. His research examines the impact of “talent pipelines” on organizational and community outcomes. In particular, his research focuses on how human and social capital influences firm operational and financial outcomes, talent management in the context of new ventures and growth-oriented firms, the role of human resource practices in driving firm innovation and the impact of social issues on firm outcomes. His research has been published in leading academic journals and covered by leading media outlets across the world. His most recent book “The Conversation on Work”, explores the future of work and how organizations must evolve their talent management practices to develop an engaged and productive workforce going forward. 

Williamson is a past recipient of the Academy of Management (AOM) Education Division best paper award for his research on high performing teams and the AOM Human Resource Division best paper award for his research on the effect of employee mobility on firm performance. He is a recipient of the AOM Best Practices Mentoring Award for his role as the founding President of the Management Faculty of Color Association (MFCA). Williamson is also a recipient of the AOM Ralph Alexander Best Dissertation Award for his research examining the top management team (TMT) selection decisions of Fortune 500 firms. He also received the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School Outstanding Ph.D. Student Award. 

Williamson has worked with executives in over 25 countries across six continents helping organizations in the areas of strategic human resource management, managing organizational innovation, employee recruitment and retention, and executive coaching for organizations such as Accenture, ANZ, Australian Council for Educational Leaders (ACEL), BDO, Bunnings, BHP, CBRE, Clemenger, CSR, Etihad Airlines, King & Wood Malleson, Kiwi Bank, PwC, Lockheed Martin, Ngāi Tahu Holdings, Nestle, Orang Tua Group, Petronas, SEEK, Sussan Corporation, The Reserve Bank of New Zealand, The Royal Women’s Hospital, Vision Australia and Urbis. Williamson has served on the boards of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the Academy of Management (AOM), the Intellectual Property Research Institute of Australia, Insper (Brazil), Octane (USA), Wellington UniVentures (New Zealand) and Leave No Veteran Behind (USA).