Jeffrey A.Sonnenfeld
Senior Associate Dean for Leadership Studies
Lester Crown Professor in Management Practice
Yale School of Management
Pioneer in CEO leadership education, founder of the world's first school for chief executives, and trusted advisor to 5 US presidents and thousands of global CEOs.
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld
Yale Leadership Expert
Distinguished Scholar
A Legacy ofLeadership Excellence
From Harvard to Yale, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld has dedicated his career to understanding and developing exceptional leadership in the world's most influential organizations.
Academic Journey
Born in Philadelphia in 1954, Sonnenfeld earned his AB, MBA, and PhD from Harvard University. At just 26, he joined Harvard Business School faculty where he taught for 10 years before spending a decade at Emory University.
Global Impact
Sonnenfeld has established himself as one of the most influential voices in corporate leadership and governance, with his research and insights shaping business policy worldwidethrough his work with Fortune 500 companies and government leaders.
Impact by Numbers
Advised
Counseled
Articles
Authored
DistinguishedAccomplishments
A lifetime of groundbreaking contributions to leadership education, corporate governance, and business policy that shaped modern executive development.
Chief Executive Leadership Institute (CELI)
Founded the world's first school for chief executives, pioneering CEO education since 1987. Now at Yale University, CELI serves as a non-profit educational and research institute focused on CEO leadership and corporate governance.
Academy of Management Distinguished Scholar Award
Received the 2023 Award for Distinguished Scholar-Practitioner, recognizing a lifetime of contributions in applying leadership studies to the world of business.
Professor of the Year 2022
Recognized by Poets & Quants Magazine for high-profile efforts to catalyze the historic exits from Russia of over 1,000+ global businesses after Ukraine invasion.
Ellis Island Medal of Honor
Earned the 2018 Ellis Island Medal of Honor from the Ellis Island Honors Society for exceptional contributions to American society.
World's Most Influential Business Professor
Listed by BusinessWeek as one of the world's 10 most influential business school professors and among the 100 most influential figures in corporate governance by Directorship magazine.
Stock Exchange Bell Ringer
First academician to ring the opening bells of both the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ, having done so ten times.
Current LeadershipPositions
Senior Associate Dean for Leadership Studies
ActiveYale School of Management
Lester Crown Professor in Management Practice
ActiveYale School of Management
Founder & President
ActiveChief Executive Leadership Institute
Staff Contributor
ActiveCNBC
Staff Columnist
ActiveFORTUNE, TIME, Chief Executive, Corporate Board Member
Media Presence &Global Impact
A trusted voice in business media with regular appearances and contributions to major news outlets and publications worldwide, shaping global business discourse.
CNBC
Staff Contributor
FORTUNE
Staff Columnist
TIME
Staff Columnist
Wall Street Journal
Regular Contributor
New York Times
Regular Contributor
BusinessWeek
Regular Contributor
Recent Media Appearances
CEO Concerns on National Security
Discussed Yale CEO Caucus findings on corporate America's worries about national security degradation and policy uncertainty.
CEOs to Watch in 2025
Analysis of emerging CEO leadership and the key challenges facing top executives entering 2025.
Starbucks CEO Leadership Transition
Commentary on the Starbucks CEO shakeup and implications for corporate leadership changes.
Fortune 500 CEOs & 2024 Election
Revealed that no Fortune 500 CEOs are supporting Donald Trump in the 2024 election cycle.
Featured Work & Impact
Yale Russia Company Tracker
ActiveCreated and maintains the viral spreadsheet tracking 1,000+ companies that have withdrawn from Russia, dubbed a 'naughty-or-nice list' by The Washington Post.
Catalyzed historic corporate exits from Russia
CEO Leadership Research
OngoingPioneering research on CEO succession, leadership resilience, and corporate governance that has shaped modern executive development.
100 scholarly articles published
Presidential Advisory Work
OngoingInformal advisor to 5 US presidents (3 Democrats, 2 Republicans) on corporate leadership, economic sanctions, and business policy.
Influenced national economic policy
Publications &Research Legacy
Over 100 scholarly articles and 8 books spanning four decades of groundbreaking research in leadership, corporate governance, and organizational behavior.
Featured Books
The Hero's Farewell
What Happens When CEOs Retire
Award-winning study of CEO succession that became the definitive work on leadership transitions in major corporations.
Firing Back
How Great Leaders Rebound After Career Disasters
A comprehensive study on leadership resilience examining how successful leaders overcome setbacks and failures.
The Leadership Equation
10 Practices That Build Trust, Spark Innovation, and Create High-Performance Organizations
Practical framework for developing transformational leadership based on decades of research with Fortune 500 CEOs.
Recent Publications
What Happened When Five AI Models Fact-Checked Trump
Yale Insights
Can Mark Zuckerberg Spend His Way to AI Success?
Yale Insights
200 Top CEOs Reveal How AI Is Transforming Their Sectors
Fortune
Harvard's Board Is Guilty of 5 Key Failures
Fortune
Why CEOs Are Not Warming To Donald Trump In 2024
TIME Magazine
Research Areas
CEO Succession & Leadership Transitions
25+ articlesPioneering research on how leadership changes impact organizational performance and stakeholder outcomes.
Corporate Governance & Board Effectiveness
30+ articlesAnalysis of board structures, director independence, and governance practices in Fortune 500 companies.
Crisis Leadership & Organizational Resilience
20+ articlesStudy of how leaders and organizations respond to and recover from major crises and disruptions.
Executive Development & Education
25+ articlesResearch on effective methods for developing senior executive capabilities and leadership competencies.
AcademicImpact
Research that has shaped modern understanding of leadership and corporate governance, influencing academic discourse and business practice worldwide