Danny Samson is Professor of Management at the University of Melbourne (since 1988), was Head of the Department of Management in the Faculty of Economics and Commerce for three years (2002-4), and was Director of the Foundation for Sustainable Economic Development there.
He has an honours degree in chemical engineering (UNSW) and a PhD in management from the Australian Graduate School of Management (1984). His work history includes three years as an engineer at ICI Australia, appointment as a lecturer at AGSM, five years as an Assistant Professor of Business Administration at the University of Illinois and ten years as the Professor of Manufacturing Management at the Melbourne Business School, University of Melbourne. He was Associate Dean (Development) in the Faculty of Economics and commerce from 1998 to 2001.
His most recent book is titled “Innovation and Entrepreneurship”, Oxford University Press, 2016.His board experience includes nine years (maximum term) on the board of the TAC in Victoria, an insurer with $6 billion in assets. He also served on the Board of the Australian Institute of Management, and its state board in Victoria. He has regularly been an advisor to boards, especially SMEs, in both manufacturing and logistics businesses. While professor at Melbourne Business School, he founded and directed the Centre for Manufacturing Management for over a decade. It conducted research and ran a large number of short courses for manufacturing executives and managers. During that time, he wrote a book on Technology Management.
He worked as a consultant to many companies in Australia and beyond, especially in formulating manufacturing/ operations and business strategies. He works closely with a variety of high level industry professionals and media, magazine and business leaders. In 2015-7, he has been working closely with Toyota in Australia, who many would assess as the world’s leading manufacturing business. He regularly contributes to professional industry magazines and does a monthly BBC worldwide radio business commentary show.
