Professor Mariano (Pitòsh) Heyden

Lead Facilitator

Professor Mariano (Pitòsh) Heyden is a globally recognised expert in strategic leadership, corporate governance, and organisational renewal. A Full Professor of Strategy & International Business at Monash Business School, he has played a pivotal role in shaping leadership education, including his tenure as Director of the PhD Program in the Department of Management. He holds a PhD from the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University.

With a strong research foundation and over AU$800k in competitive funding, including the prestigious Australian Research Council’s Discovery Early Career Research Award (DECRA-17), Prof. Heyden’s work examines the evolving characteristics of senior business leaders and how they drive innovation and change. His interdisciplinary research has been featured in leading academic journals such as Journal of Management, Journal of Applied Psychology, Research Policy, Organization Studies, and The Leadership Quarterly, as well as high-impact media outlets including Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review, Forbes, and The World Economic Forum.

Prof. Heyden is an accomplished educator who delivers customised leadership programs to executives worldwide. His innovative hybrid teaching methods engage undergraduate, postgraduate, and industry leaders in courses on Strategic Management, Global Business Strategy, and Contemporary Leadership Challenges. His commitment to leadership development has earned him multiple commendations, including a Monash PhD Supervisor of the Year nomination and selection as a PRME Twitter Voice by the United Nations’ Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME).

As an international thought leader, Prof. Heyden actively contributes to professional and academic communities. He serves as Senior Editor for the Journal of Business Research (IF >11.00) and on editorial boards for the Journal of Management Studies and Journal of Management. He also acts as an expert reviewer for premier journals such as the Academy of Management Journal and Organization Science. His leadership extends to serving as an elected Representative-at-Large for the Strategic Management Society (SMS) and a Global Representative for the Academy of Management’s Strategic Management (STR) Division.

With deep expertise in navigating generational shifts in leadership, Prof. Heyden is uniquely positioned to design and deliver customised leadership development programs that address the complex opportunities and challenges of intergenerational dynamics in the workplace. His evidence-based approach, combined with industry engagement and global recognition, ensures that his programs equip leaders with the strategic foresight to drive sustainable success in an evolving business landscape.