Prof. Dr. Dr.

Tomi Laamanen

Professor of Strategic Management

Tomi Laamanen is Chaired Professor of Strategic Management and Director of the Institute of Management & Strategy at University of St.Gallen. He holds PhDs in Finance and Strategy and until his appointment at the HSG in 2011, he served as the Head of the Institute of Strategy of Aalto University in Finland. At present, Tomi is Academic Director of the Master Program in Strategy and International Management (SIM) and of the HSG PhD Program in General Management. His research covers the strategic management field broadly ranging from corporate strategy to strategy execution. A special emphasis of his research is on mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and, in particular, on acquisition programs and serial acquirers, management’s cognition, strategy processes and strategic issue management, and digital platforms for strategy execution. Tomi is past Editor-in-Chief of Long Range Planning, past Associate Editor of Strategic Management Journal, and past Member of the Board and Executive Board of the Strategic Management Society. In addition, he has in the past held multiple leadership roles in the Academy of Management and European Academy of Management and is member of the editorial review boards of Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Discovery, Journal of Management Studies, and Strategic Management Journal.

Member of Competence Centers

Prof. Dr. Dr. Tomi Laamanen

Tomi Laamanen is chair holder and professor of Strategic Management, Director of the PhD Program in General Management and Academic Director of the Master Program in Strategy and International Management (SIM) at the University of St.Gallen. Previously, he was Professor of Strategic Management and Director of the Institute of Strategy at Aalto University (1997-2011), Dean of the Faculty of Management (TKK, Tuotantotalous) (2001-2002) and visiting professor at the University of St. Gallen and the Graduate School of Management (GSOM) of St.Petersburg State University (2011-2013). Tomi Laamanen holds doctoral degrees in strategy and finance. Tomi Laamanen conducts research in the field of strategic management. Special emphasis is placed on mergers and acquisitions, particularly on acquisition programs and series buyer and strategy processes, managerial cognition and capability dynamics. Professor Laamanen’s works were published in leading international journals like the Strategic Management Journal, the Journal of Management, the Journal of International Business Studies, the Journal of Management Studies, the Academy of Management Learning and Education, the Research Policy, the Long Range Planning and the Journal of Business Finance and Accounting, Strategic Organization and Harvard Business Review. Tomi Laamanen is Editor-in-Chief of Long Range Planning (2016–present), former Associate Editor of the Strategic Management Journal (2009-2015) and a member of editorial boards of the Academy of Management Journal, the Academy of Management Discoveries, the Journal of Management and the Strategic Management Journal. He also initiated and edited three special editions; on “Strategy Processes and Practices” in the Strategic Management Journal (2018), on “Business Models, Ecosystems, and Society in the Sharing Economy” at the Academy of Management Discoveries (2018), and on “Dispersion of Corporate Headquarters in Contemporary Firms” in the Journal of Management Studies (2017). As for strategic consulting, Professor Laamanen worked with companies of various industries as chairman, board member, consultant or strategy coach. He was chairman of five companies, including the listed SSH Communications Security Corporation (2002-2009: NASDAQ: SSH) and a board member in five other companies, including Helsinki’s second largest retail bank. Among the companies he worked with are ABB, Aldata Solution Oyj, Alma Media Oyj, Audi AG, Cable & Wireless Plc, Credit Suisse AG, Deltagon Oy, Electrobit Oyj, Elisa Oyj, Eltel Oy, Emtele Oy , Fortum Oyj, Fresenius SE, Forbo AG, Halton Oy, Helsingin OP Pankki Oyj, Honkarakenne Oyj, KPMG Finland and Switzerland, Kesko Oyj, Lemminkäinen Oyj, LähiTapiola, Metso Oyj, Nokia Oyj, Nokia Siemens Networks, Orion Oyj, Ponsse Oyj, Pöyry Oyj, Sanoma Oyj, SSH Communications Security, Teliasonera Oyj, TÜV-SÜD AG, UPM Kymmene Oyj, Wärtsilä Oyj and YIT Oyj. Particular focus in his applied research was on the Swiss private banking industry. Cooperation with KPMG resulted in seven studies that documented the state of private banking in Switzerland. Tomi Laamanen is a member of the senior management, a Board Member and Treasurer of the Strategic Management Society. He led two special conferences of the Strategic Management Society (in Lapland and St. Gallen), managed the Strategy Research Fund (SRF), the Strategy Process Interest Group of the Strategic Management Society, and the Strategic Activities and Practices (SAP) Interest Group of the Academy of Management. He is also former Chairman of the Strategic Management Interest Group of the European Academy of Management (2013-2017).

Education

Degree

University
Ph.D. in finance School of Economics & Business, Aalto University, Finland
Ph.D. in strategy School of Science, Department of Management, Aalto University, Finland
M.Sc. in finance School of Economics & Business, Aalto University, Finland
M.Sc. in strategy School of Science, Department of Management, Aalto University, Finland

Work experience

Year

Position

University
2011-2013 Visiting Professor St. Petersburg State University, Russia
1997-2011 Director of the Institute of Management Aalto University, Finland
1997-2011 Professor of the Institute for Strategic Management Aalto University, Finland
2001-2002 Head of Management Department Aalto University, Finland

Awards

Award

Awarding organization
Distinguished Service Award for the role as the chair of the Strategic Management Interest Group European Academy of Management
Distinguished Service Award at the Strategic Management Society Strategic Process Interest Group
Distinguished Service Award for the role as the chair of the Strategizing Activities and Practices Interest Group Academy of Management
Best Teacher Award of the year Aalto Executive Education
Best Teacher Award of the year Department of Industrial Management of the Aalto School of Science of Aalto University
Outstanding Reviewer Awards. Managerial and Organizational Cognition division, the Business Policy and Strategy division, and the Organizational and Management Theory division in multiple years. Academy of Management
Best Paper Runner-Up at the Strategic Management Society Conference Strategic Management Society
Co-Author of several Strategic Management Society PhD Student Best Paper Awards Strategic Management Society

Journal Articles

Conference Papers

Work Reports

Academic Positions

Year

Position

Organisation
2018-2023 Associate Editor, Member of the Board, Member of the Executive Board Strategic Management Journal, Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Discoveries, Journal of Management
2018 Guest Editor Special Issue on „Business Models, Ecosystems and Society in the Sharing Economy“ Academy of Management Discoveries
2016-2023 Editor-in-Chief Long Range Planning
2018 Guest Editor Special Issue on „Strategy Processes and Practices“ Strategic Management Journal
2017 Guest Editor Special Issue on „Dispersion of Corporate Headquarters of Multinational Companies“ Journal of Management Studies
2009-2015 Associate Editor Strategic Management Journal

In addition, Tomi Laamanen is a member of the Executive Board and the Board of the Strategic Management Society and its Treasurer. He has chaired two special conferences of the Strategic Management Society (in Lapland and St. Gallen), the Strategy Research Fund (SRF), the Strategy Process IG of SMS and the Strategizing Activities and Practices (SAP) IG at the Academy of Management. In addition, he is Past Chair of the Strategic Management SIG of EURAM.

Board- and Advisory Functions

Professor Laamanen has worked with companies from various industries in various roles as Chairman, Board Member, Advisor or Strategy Trainer. He has been Chairman of five companies including the publicly listed SSH Communications Security Corporation (2002-2009: NASDAQ: SSH) and Board Member of five others, including the second largest retail bank in Helsinki. The companies he has worked with include ABB, Aldata Solution Oyj, Alma Media Oyj, Audi AG, Cable and Wireless Plc, Credit Suisse AG, Deltagon Oy, Electrobit Oyj, Elisa Oyj, Eltel Oy, Emtele Oy, Fortum Oyj, Fresenius SE, Forbo, Halton Oy, Helsinkin OP Pankki Oyj, Honkarakenne Oyj, KPMG Finnland and Switzerland, Kesko Oyj, Lemminkäinen Oyj, LähiTapiola, Metso Oyj, Nokia Oyj, Nokia Siemens Networks, Orion Oyj, Pöyry Oyj, Sanoma Oyj, SSH Kommunikationssicherheit Oyj, Teliasonera Oyj, TUV-SUD AG, UPM Kymmene Oyj, Wärtsilä Oyj and YIT Oyj.

Daniel Michels
Head of Center for Mergers & Acquisitions

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+41 71 224 37 41

Di Bian
Dr.
Postdoc Researcher, Lecturer

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+41 71 224 27 56

Jaakko Luomaranta
M.Sc.
PhD Candidate

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Joonas Kauto
M.Sc.
PhD Candidate, Research Associate

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+41 71 224 77 82

Kata Isenring-Szabó
Dr.
Affiliated Researcher

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Paula Veyhle
PhD Candidate, Research Associate

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Simoné Hättenschwiler
Personal Assistant to Prof. Dr. Dr. Tomi Laamanen

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+41 71 224 30 31

Stephan Ryf
M.A.
PhD Candidate, Research Associate

E-Mail
+41 71 224 25 07

Thomas Starck
M.Sc.
PhD Candidate, Research Associate

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+41 71 224 37 96

Xena Welch Guerra
Prof. Dr.
Affiliated Researcher

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+41 71 224 27 95