David Gann


David Michael Gann CBE is a British academic, innovation strategy adviser, author and speaker.
He is Vice-President at Imperial College London and a member of the College's Executive Board.
Gann is an accomplished university leader, strategist and advocate, renowned for his work on innovation, entrepreneurship and technology management. His academic research spans strategy, management science and systems engineering. His distinctive strength is in building relationships proactively and internationally, to connect ideas, research and solutions with substantial funding between academia, business and government.
He plays a central role in shaping the vision, strategy and innovation agenda for Imperial's 25-acre White City Campus., and the development of new ventures such as Imperial College ThinkSpace, increasing and diversifying income.
In 2015 he led a review of Imperial’s technology transfer, translation and collaboration activities, Pathways to Societal Impact.
Gann took up this post in April 2013. He was previously Deputy Principal for Research and Business Engagement, Imperial College Business School.
Gann holds the Chair in Innovation and Technology Management at Imperial College Business School and Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London.
He has a PhD in Industrial Economics, is a Chartered Civil Engineer, a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Art, a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce and a Fellow of City & Guilds Institute. He previously held the Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Innovative Manufacturing at the University of Sussex.

Recognition

Gann was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2010 Queen's Birthday Honours for services to engineering. He is the recipient of the 2014 Tjalling C. Koopmans Asset Award, for extraordinary contributions to the economic sciences.

Early life

Gann attended St Bartholomew’s school in Newbury, Berkshire.

He holds a PhD from the University of Sussex, an MSc in Science, Technology and Industrialisation from the University of Sussex, and a BSc in Building Construction and Management from the University of Reading.

Research: Innovation

Gann's main research interest is innovation: exploring why and how innovation happens, the ways it continually transforms the world we live in, and how it can be managed. His particular focus is on innovation in the digital economy, including smart cities, data-driven innovation, and new business models.
As the founding Head of the Imperial College Business School's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Group, Gann built a portfolio of research in collaboration with large and small firms, including IBM, Microsoft, Nokia, Citigroup, Finmeccanica, Arup and BP. The Group is consistently ranked in the top tier worldwide by the Financial Times, and under Gann's leadership from 2003 to 2013, has been awarded over £65 million in research funding. During this time, Gann co-founded multi-disciplinary initiatives such as: the Digital Economy Lab, a cross-faculty portal, connecting activities in the Digital Economy across Imperial; Digital City Exchange, a cross-faculty 5-year smart cities project at Imperial, funded by Research Councils UK; Imperial – Citigroup collaborative research on Digital Money; and Design London, a centre for design-led innovation and collaboration between Imperial and the Royal College of Art.
From 2003 to 2013, Gann directed the Innovation Studies Centre – a ten-year EPSRC-funded programme conducting multi-disciplinary research on the innovation process in the science and engineering industries, from knowledge creation to commercialisation. The ISC final report showcases the major impact the programme has had on policy and practice.

Industry engagement

Gann has led Imperial College Business School's executive education programmes on innovation for business leaders at organisations such as IBM, Laing O'Rourke, Vodafone, Total, Finmeccanica, Citigroup, Arup and the Royal Society.
He is a member of Crossrail's Innovation Board – Europe’s biggest civil engineering project.
Gann was seconded from Imperial College to be the Group Innovation Executive at Laing O'Rourke, the UK's largest privately owned construction and civil engineering group, which jointly managed the 2012 Olympic Games development programme.

Advisory roles

Gann currently holds the following positions, advising government and academic institutions:

Digital Economy and Smart cities



Selected previous advisory roles:
In 2004, Gann co-founded the Think Play Do Group, an Imperial College London spin-out specialising in innovation strategy and management.
Gann was previously Director of Technopolis – a research and evaluation consultancy.

Fellowships and Visiting Professorships

Newspaper articles

David lives in Hove, and is a Patron, Trustee and board member of Brighton Dome and Brighton Festival.
His interests include opera, rugby, cricket, skiing, mountain walking, cycling, gardening, and beekeeping.