Faculty
Peter Hirst leads a team of professionals who partner with clients and faculty to design, develop, and deliver innovative and impactful executive education programs for individuals and companies. He has over twenty years of experience in international strategy, technology consulting, and organizational leadership and development.
His past roles have included: CEO of the commercialization, consulting, and executive education business of the London School of Economics; Senior Science and Technology Policy Officer and Westminster Fellow in the UK’s Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology, where he advised MPs and Peers of all parties on policy issues in the physical sciences, defense, IT, and entrepreneurship. Peter has served as director and board adviser to businesses and non-profit organizations on three continents. He served as an elected board member (2014-2020) and chair (2018-2019) of Unicon, the international industry association for university-based executive education; is a board director and current co-chair of FRED Leadership, a collaboration between educators and business leaders to elevate the field of ethical leadership; is a founding director of the Internet of Things Talent Consortium; and is a director and former president of the British American Business Council of New England.
In his philanthropic endeavors, Peter is a member of the advisory board of Self Help Africa, an international charity that enables economic development in Africa by supporting robust farm-to-fork supply chains to create sustainable business ecosystems in place of unreliable subsistence farming; and serves as a trustee and president of the American Foundation of Scotland’s University of St. Andrews.
Peter earned a First Class Degree with Joint Honors in physics and electronics (1989) followed by a PhD in physics (1992) from the University of St. Andrews. In 2012, he was named a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) by the HRM Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his service to British and American business and academia interests.
Peter Hirst explains how MIT Sloan works with executives to ensure that they acquire the skills and knowledge needed to be effective leaders.
To strike the balance between AI tools and human talent, learning and development can lead the transformation by putting people first.
"As interest surges, many individuals are quickly transitioning to become voices in the AI discourse, adding to the diversity of perspectives."
"The companies that have a smart strategy to meet employees' needs will be better insulated from the effects of the Great Resignation."
