Role
Baback Yazdani is Professor of Product Development and the Executive Dean of Nottingham Business School (NBS), the UK’s top business school for personalisation and experiential learning, integrating research, teaching and industrial collaboration in business, management and economics.
During his leadership of NBS since 2007, NBS has become one of world’s leading business schools, enjoying a coveted Triple Crown status, accredited by EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA placing the school amongst the top 1% globally. He also has led the school to become one of the original Small Business Charter (SBC) holders and has become a PRME Champion and an international exemplar of UN’s Principles of Responsible Management Education.
He combines extensive senior academic, business and leadership experience and has invested in acquisition and the development of a world-class faculty; developed NBS research to international standards; deepened NBS links to business; developed a ground-breaking programmes of personalisation and experiential learning at scale that has received international recognition and acclaim.
He plays a key role in the development of business research and education. As well as being the Chair of the Board of Trustees of Academy of Business in Society (ABIS), he is a Board Member of European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD), Council Member of the Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS). He has also held various chair and board memberships in industrial and professional organisations.
He previously was an Associate Professor at University of Warwick in the 1990s before joining Ford’s global senior leadership team working in US and Europe, including Director of Product Development at Jaguar Land Rover, and Director of Business and Operations at Premier Automotive Group: JLR, Volvo, Aston Martin and Lincoln Mercury in the USA and continues to advise CEOs and senior executives in industry on product development and business strategy.
He is a Fellow of IET, Fellow of Chartered ABS, a Companion of the CMI, Principal Fellow of HEA. He is also a member of the Fédération Européenne d'Associations Nationales d'Ingénieurs, and American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
He is also an Honorary Professor of the Chinese Academy of Science’s Graduate School of Management and a Visiting Professor at University of Technology Malaysia. He has a degree in Mechanical Engineering (Wales) and is also Chartered Engineer, has an MSc in Manufacturing Systems Engineering (Warwick) and a PhD in Product Development (Warwick) and also completed a Leadership Program for Senior Executives from Harvard Business School. He is fluent in four languages.
Career overview
Professor Baback Yazdani's career spans both senior international business and top level academia in the UK and USA.
Prior to his Deanship, Baback was a senior executive at Ford Motor Company's Premier Automotive Group's Product Design and Development Operations.
2019 - present: Executive Dean of Nottingham Business School, NTU
2007-2019: Dean of Nottingham Business School, NTU
2004-2007: Director of Product Development Operations at Jaguar and Land Rover. Architect of FMC's new Global Product Development System, and the introduction of Lean increased the efficiency and speed of product development, bringing its performance to world-class standards, whilst introducing an entire range of new products into the market. Responsible for all Product Development Programmes Management, Resources, Facilities, Design and Analysis Systems.
2002-2004: Director of Business and Operations at Ford's Premier Automotive Group responsible for Design at Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo Cars.
2000-2002: Director of Business and Operations at Lincoln and Mercury Design and Concept in the USA (Michigan and California).
1997-2000: Associate Professor at Warwick University, Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG). Led the Innovation and Product Development group working closely with industry and conducting leading edge research in Product Development.
1993-1997: Senior Fellow at Warwick University, Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG). Subject lead for Product Design and Development, Automation & Robotics and Business Improvement.
1990-1993: Manager of Design and Concept Engineering at Harland Simon Automation Systems (UK), responsible for automation of Design Systems.
1988-1990: Head of Foundry, Forging and Tooling plant in Piraiki Orichalkouryia AE, Athens, Greece.
1987-1989 : Research Associate, in Robotics and Automation, WMG, University of Warwick.
Research areas
Professor Baback Yazdani maintains an active research interest, works with international automotive companies and supervises a number of doctoral candidates in the following fields:
- Sustainable Mobility
- Product Development Strategy, Systems, Processes and Performance
- Innovation and Technology Management
- R&D Management
- Automotive Industry
- Education Industry
- Education Leadership
- Personalisation
External activity
- Chair of the Board of Trustees of Academy of Business in Society (ABIS)
- Board Member of European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD)
- Council Member Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS).
- Treasurer of the Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS).
- Honorary Professor at Chinese Academy of Science.
- Visiting Professor University of Technology Malaysia
Former regional chairman of the CBI in East Midlands and a member of its influential national chairmen’s committee.
Former member of Board of Trustees and Chair of the Remuneration Committee of Chartered Management Institute (CMI).
Press expertise
Automotive industry and business education expert, Professor Yazdani regularly provides press comment on both subjects in the UK, US and worldwide.
In addition to several other high profile media outlets, he has appeared several times on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Wall Street Journal, the BBC News Channel and in the Guardian.
He is an expert on business transformation and Lean Leadership and can also comment on manufacturing, product development, regional business, business education, and business schools