Areas of expertise
Strategy & Leadership
Supporting boards and executive teams in developing strategic acumen, shaping and executing strategies, and leading strategic change.
Innovation & Transformation
Helping organizations innovate by deploying agile and customer-centric innovation methods to enhance creativity and resilience in the age of AI.
Operations & Performance
Working with organizations and supply chains to effectively measure, manage and improve financial, social and environmental performance.
I am Professor of Business Performance & Innovation at Warwick Business School where I lead the Operations Management group and the cross-disciplinary Spotlight on the Future of Business, Manufacturing & Innovation. My work bridges academic research and real-world impact — helping organisations turn strategy into action, drive innovation, and improve performance in complex, fast-changing environments.
Over the past 20 years, I have worked with 95 organisations across 19 countries as a consultant, mentor, orchestrator and facilitator. Clients include large corporations, global institutions and government agencies such as AstraZeneca, BP, Coca-Cola, Emirates group, HSBC, Jaguar Land Rover, the Council of Europe, UAE Government, UK Cabinet Office and the House of Lords.
Teaching and learning approach
My approach to teaching and learning is based on design thinking principles and practices such as abductive reasoning, learning centricity, a gestalt view of problem framing and solving, and iteration and experimentation. I believe that executive education participants and students learn best when they are engaged and therefore I try to constantly maintain a very lively and interactive environment through the use of various media, and by challenging participants and giving them opportunities to contribute.
Recent executive education assignments include: training and facilitation of various projects in relation to customer-centricity, design thinking and digital transformation for an airline; facilitation of multiple sessions in relation to operational excellence and performance management for an oil & gas firm; the delivery of training programmes on user-centred design, innovation management, and digital transformation for a bank; facilitating Board meetings of a service provider using a design thinking approach to lead a company-wide digital transformation; and supporting the ExCo of a medium-sized company in developing a strategic agenda that combines radical innovation and operational excellence.
At Warwick Business School, I have introduced 17 new modules in 13 years, and have been awarded nine teaching awards over the past four years. Moreover, I was Course director of the Distance Learning MBA programme (ranked #1 in the world by the Financial Times) in 2018-2022 and Course director of Executive MBA programme (ranked #21 in the world by the Financial Times) in 2016-2017.
Debunking the three top myths about strategy
What People Say
Customised programme
"Pietro's energy and his passion for his subject is evident. His drive to check we understand made his classes relaxed whilst the learning objective was met effectively" (Senior Manager, Airline)
Customised programme
“I found the topics generally relevant and informative. The models presented and discussed provide ample opportunity to use in my leadership challenges. The HQ discussions and interactions proved again valuable in understanding dilemmas better and discussing how this group of professionals can influence and improve HQ effectiveness.” (SVP, Oil & Gas firm)
Open programme
“Pietro was fantastic. He has great energy and really made the content of his session relevant to our worlds. His input in group sessions was really helpful and it felt like he had tailored it to our individual situations. I really enjoyed this session.” (Senior Manager, IT firm)
Open programme (online)
"Pietro was excellent. One of the most engaging I have had on training and that is a real skill when everyone is online. I felt he pitched the content right, and was willing and able to adapt it where our group had more or less interest / knowledge. Very good at explaining terminology or concepts we were less familiar with and using real world examples to illustrate how they look in practice." (Middle Manager, Public sector organisation)
MBA teaching
"Pietro not only showed outstanding knowledge of the subject, but huge enthusiasm for it, teaching with both power and humanity. He was very attentive to the students, hosting a pre-course online session, as well as answering emails promptly. During the course he was excellent in supporting group work and answering questions one-to-one. Universally, he had the respect of the students and left them enthused. We could not have asked for more." (Executive MBA student)
Research Projects
My work and research centre on three core areas:
• Strategy: strategy formulation, strategy implementation, strategic acumen, and enacting strategic change
• Innovation: design thinking, customer centricity, agile methods, digital transformation, and the roles of AI in organizations
• Operations: performance measurement and management, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
My research has led to the publication of three books and over 60 articles in professional and academic outlets, including top journals such as the Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Marketing, Research Policy, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Public Administration Review, and the International Journal of Operations & Production Management.
My current projects include:
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how organizations can effect strategic change while managing innovation paradoxes
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how design thinking can help connect digital innovations to improving people's lives
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understanding the impacts of GenAI on creative processes
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examining the impact of performance measurement on organisations' capacity to improve and innovate
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how to develop measurement systems to implement strategy in complex organizational systems.
I have served as principal and co-investigator on projects funded by EPSRC, NIHR, the Design Council and several private and public institutions. As of December 2025, my work has been cited 9,750 times on Google Scholar (h-index 30) and 4,350 times on Scopus (h-index 25).
I am Associate Editor for the Journal of Product Innovation Management and the International Journal of Operations & Production Management, and Consulting Editor for the International Journal of Management Reviews. I have received 12 research awards, including best paper prizes at the Academy of Management and the European Operations Management Association (EurOMA), and the “most impactful paper of the past five years” by the Journal of Product Innovation Management in 2024.