Paul J. H. Schoemaker

Paul J. H. Schoemaker was born and raised in the Netherlands until he was 21 and then transferred to the U.S. as a student where he completed a B.S. in physics, followed by an MBA in finance and Ph.D. in decision sciences from the Wharton School. He started his academic career in the Graduate School of Business at University of Chicago School where he taught decision making and strategy for 12 years. During that period, he took a sabbatical with the planning group of Royal Dutch/Shell in London which became a leader in scenario thinking. Thereafter, he returned to Wharton where he taught strategy and decision making, while also serving for more than a decade as Research Director of Wharton’s Mack Institute for Innovation Management. He published over 126 academic and applied papers which have appeared in journals ranging from Management Science and the Journal of Mathematical Psychology to the Journal of Economic Literature and the Harvard Business Review. His diverse articles received multiple awards including the prestigious Best Paper Prize of the Strategic Management Society in 2000. He also published 13 books, some coauthored, which in total were translated into 17 languages. His research, writing, and lectures address strategic planning, decision making, and the management of emerging technologies as well as innovation and strategic leadership. Apart from his highly cited academic work, he also acquired much practical experience as a consultant, entrepreneur, private investor, and senior executive. He founded Decision Strategies International in 1990 as a consultancy offering strategic management, training, and executive development. This company has served hundreds of clients around the world in multiple industries and was sold in 2016 to Heidrick & Struggles. He also cofounded Strategic Radar in 2003 to develop software to scan weak signals and designed platforms for clients interested in tracking and interpreting external changes using multiple scenario lenses. In addition, he served as Chairman of the Board for two family companies both of which he helped prepare for sale. One was Public Salt, a wholesale distribution company in Canton, Ohio selling safety salt, water softeners and related products and equipment. The other was Vaessen-Schoemaker in the Netherlands, a food additives company with sales in Europe and beyond which was sold via a management buyout. He has also been a private investor in many technology ventures and served on the board of several of these. Finally, he has been active in philanthropy, starting with the Decision Education Foundation which he supported financially as well as a board member. Today, he mostly works through his own family foundation. Further information can be found at www.paulschoemaker.com.

Affiliation on publications · University of Pennsylvania