Herminia Ibarra. Professor, author and speaker.

A world authority on leadership, career transition and women’s advancement

Herminia Ibarra is the Charles Handy Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School. Prior to LBS, she served on the INSEAD and Harvard Business School faculties for over 25 years. She teaches executives and masters students on leadership, organisational transformation and career development.

Herminia’s books and articles are founded on rigorous research and pose some of the most important business questions of our time: How do I reinvent my career? How do I transition to a more senior leadership role? How do we reduce the barriers to women reaching top management roles? What will leadership look like in the age of AI?

Books

Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader book by Herminia Ibarra

In this unconventional book, Herminia provides the first practical guide on how to change when you also need to lead. Defying standard leadership development guidance, which encourages deep self-reflection into strengths and weaknesses, this book shows that the most effective way to change is through action, not analysis, and by learning from experience, not introspection.

Working Identity book by Herminia Ibarra

Nearly all of us have entertained the notion of reinventing ourselves. Feeling unfulfilled, burned out, or just plain unhappy with what we’re doing, we long to make that leap into the unknown. In this powerful book, Herminia presents a new model for career reinvention that flies in the face of everything we’ve learned from ‘career experts’.

Latest articles

Herminia writes for the leading academic journals, business publications, and international news media, on leadership and organisational transformation.

Reinventing your career — when it’s not just about you

16 January 2024

When people decide to change careers and are in transition, they often grapple with not just their own sense of loss but also the expectations of the people around them.

Five barriers to career change — and how to overcome them

5 December 2023

Moving into a new career can feel impossible. A survey of more than 950 business school alumni explores why, and what can help.

Why career transition is so hard. And how to manage it better.

15 October 2023

The accelerated pace of technological change and, most recently, the advent of AI are reshaping jobs and organizations in ways that call for constant career reinvention. So we all need to learn how to get better at making the most of the frequent transitions that will constitute a long working life.

Professor

Herminia is the Charles Handy Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School and has served on the INSEAD and Harvard Business School faculties. In 2019 she was awarded the LBS Excellence in Teaching prize and Thinkers 50 ranks her among the world’s top management thinkers.

Author

Herminia’s books, Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader and Working Identity are bestsellers in their field. Both were updated by Harvard Business Press for their second editions in 2023. Her articles are published in leading academic journals, business publications, and international news media. She is a bestselling case author, as ranked by the Case Center.

Speaker

Herminia speaks internationally on leadership and transformation for organisations, and at conferences that include TEDx, WIRED Smarter and the World Business Forum.

The authenticity paradox

TEDx, London Business School

What will leadership look like in the age of AI?

WIRED Smarter