rofessor Landry Signé is a world-renowned and award-winning scholar and leading practitioner with over 20 years of distinguished leadership and academic experience at top institutions across five continents. He has won over 80 prestigious awards and distinctions, authored over 200 diverse publications and manuscripts, and delivered over 1,000 keynotes and thought leadership engagements, including testimonies before the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, the Canadian Parliament, and engagements with the World Economic Forum, the World Trade Organization, the World Bank, the United Nations, Stanford University, Harvard University, the University of Oxford, Georgetown University, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Wilson Center, the African Union, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the African Economic Conference, the World Emerging Security Forum, the United States International Trade Commission, among others. His work has also appeared in Cambridge University Press, Brookings Institution Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, MIT Technology Review, Harvard International Review, CNBC, Forbes, The Hill, the World Economic Forum, Project Syndicate, BBC, among others.                                                                                              

 

Landry Signé is a full professor and executive director at Thunderbird School of Global Management in Washington, D.C, as well as senior fellow in the Global Economy and Development Program and the Africa Growth Initiative at the Brookings Institution, co-chair of the World Economic Forum’s Regional Action Group for Africa, co-chair of the World Economic Forum Friends of the African Continental Free Trade Area, and member of World Economic Forum Global Future Council on the Future of Technology Policy. He is widely recognized for his bold strategies bridging ideas and actions to solve some of the world’s most complex challenges while seizing opportunities related to the global political economy; future and systems thinking and strategic foresights; global governance and multilateralism; the Fourth Industrial Revolution, AI, and emerging technologies, and how they transform governments, industries, and societies; the future of technology policy; global business and emerging markets; agile leadership and governance in a digital world; bridging the future of global trade and global climate action; bridging the gap between policy formulation and implementation; and the political economy of development and Africa, building inclusive prosperity and sustainability worldwide. He is also the author of numerous books published by the world’s #1 ranked academic press in the field (Cambridge University Press) and #1 think thank press (Brookings Institution Press), including “Realizing Africa’s Potential (Brookings Institution Press, 2025), “Africa’s Fourth Industrial Revolution” (Cambridge University Press, 2023), “Unlocking Africa’s Business Potential” (Brookings Institution Press, 2020), “African Development, African Transformation: How Institutions Shape Development Strategy” (Cambridge University Press, 2018), and “Innovating Development Strategies in Africa: The Role of International, Regional and National Actors” (Cambridge University Press, 2017).

 

Signé’s achievements have been recognized internationally with over 80 awards and distinctions for his leadership, policy, business, and academic accomplishments, including as an extraordinary professor, prolific author, cutting-edge scholar, exemplary and dedicated academic leader, innovative entrepreneur, sought-after strategic thinker, problem-solver, board member, and keynote speaker. He was named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader for “finding innovative solutions to some of the world’s most pressing issues;” one of the World Economic Forum “[top 50] foremost future-oriented thought leaders,” in the world and one of “the world’s leading thinkers to fashion longer-term perspectives and co-create a narrative that can help guide the creation of a more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable vision for our collective future;” one of “Apolitical’s 100 Most Influential Academics in Government” in the world; one of the “100 Most Influential Africans in the World” and “Thought Leader Extraordinaire” by New Africa Magazine; one of the “100 Iconic African Leaders” worldwide, among the “Global Top 100 Most Influential Export and International Trade” leaders, one of the “100 Most Influential People of African Descent,” one of the “most creative thinkers” by the Carnegie Corporation of New York; a Desmond Tutu Fellow for driving “the transformation of Africa;” a Woodrow Wilson Public Policy Fellow for “preeminent scholarship uniting the world of ideas to the world of policy;” and one of JCI’s Ten Outstanding Young Persons in the World for “extraordinary achievements and dedication exemplifying the best attributes and leadership in academia,” among others.

 

As a world-renowned professor and innovative educator, Landry Signé has also won over fifteen teaching awards, including the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Order of Excellence for “exemplary contributions to expanding educational opportunity, increasing student academic success, encouraging campus participation, enhancing campus life and belonging, and promoting the social, intellectual, and cultural diversity of students,” the “Outstanding Faculty Award,” the “Faculty Appreciation Award,” the “Department Best Professor Award,” the “American Political Association Campus Teaching Award,” among others. As a pioneer in Silicon Valley, he was the first at Stanford to have taught an award-winning course presenting Africa as a continent of economic opportunities (Emerging African Markets: Strategies, Investments and Government Affairs), and received the Stanford Center for African Studies Distinguished Leadership Award for “innovative teaching, outstanding mentorship and exceptional service to the community.”

 

He is the author, co-author or lead writer of numerous publications, including, “An Action Plan for Global Business and Investment in Africa” (World Economic Forum), “Sahel Human development Report 2023. Sustainable Energy for Economic and Climate Security in the Sahel” (UNDP, lead writer), “Development  Strategies in a Changing Global Political Economy” (OECD), “AfCFTA: A New Era for Global Business and Investment in Africa” (World Economic Forum), “Africa’s Seat at the Table Why the G-20 Needs the African Union” (Foreign Affairs), “Regulatory Technology for the 21st Century” (World Economic Forum), “Agile Regulation for the Fourth Industrial Revolution: A Toolkit for Regulators” (World Economic Forum), and Brookings reports such as “Interoperable, Agile, and Balanced: Rethinking Technology Policy and Governance for the 21st Century,” “Effective Engagement with Africa: Capitalizing on Shifts in Business, Technology, and Global Partnerships,” “From Subsistence to Disruptive Innovation: Africa, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and the Future of Jobs,” “Climate Change, Development, and Conflict-Fragility Nexus in the Sahel,” “Renewing Global Climate Change Action for Fragile and Developing Countries”; “Technological Innovations: Creating and harnessing tools for improved livelihoods,” “Advancing Precision Medicine Through Agile Governance: Bridging Innovation and Regulation for the Greater Good,” “Harnessing Technology and Innovation for a Better Future in Africa: Policy Priorities for Enabling the 'Africa we Want,'” “Strategies for Effective Health Care for Africa in the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Bridging the Gap between the Promise and the Delivery,” “Greening the AfCFTA: It is not too Late,” “US Trade and Investment in Africa,” “A Blueprint for Technology Governance in the Post-Pandemic World,”  “Spotlighting Opportunities for Business in Africa and Strategies to Succeed in the World’s Next Big Growth Market,” “The Fourth Industrial Revolution and Digitization will Transform Africa into a Global Powerhouse,” “Leaving No Fragile State and No One Behind in a Prosperous World: A New Approach,” “The Potential of Manufacturing and Industrialization in Africa,” “Africa’s Tourism Potential,” “Africa’s Consumer Market Potential,” “Keys to success for the AfCFTA Negotiations,” “Illicit Financial Flows in Africa: Drivers, Destinations, and Policy Options,” “Why has Africa’s Fast Economic Growth Left More Poor People Behind and How Do We Fix it?,” “Accountable Leadership: The Key to Africa’s Successful Transformation,” among others.

 

He has served as a managing director of Thunderbird Global, founding co-director of the Fourth Industrial Revolution Global Initiative, executive chairman of the Africa House, executive chairman of the Global Network for Africa’s Prosperity, tenured full professor and senior adviser to the chancellor and provost at the University of Alaska Anchorage, a member of the World Economic Forum Global Future Council on the Future of Agile Governance, honorary professor at the University of Witwatersrand, extraordinary professor at the University of Pretoria, senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, lead of the Digital Access and Divides Working Group at New America’s Digital Futures Task Force. He had experiences with the French Senate, the leading French multinational food retailer Casino Group, the OCP Group, and consulted for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), among others.

 

Signé has taught or has been a visiting scholar globally including at the universities of Oxford, Stanford, Georgetown, Montreal, Ottawa, Pretoria, Witwatersrand, as well as the Sub-Regional Institute of Statistics and Applied Economics in Central Africa, Mohamed VI Polytechnic University in partnership with HEC Paris Executive Education, among others. Professor Signé was educated in Cameroon (with honors and distinction; Vogt College), in France (valedictorian and salutatorian; University of Lyon 3, Sandar Institute; Sciences Po Paris as a visiting PhD student), in Canada (where he received a series of awards and fellowships for the best doctoral performance at the University of Montreal, and a certificate from McGill University), earned his Ph.D. from the University of Montreal (awarded the Best International Ph.D. Dissertation) and completed his postdoctoral studies at Stanford University (Banting Fellowship for Best and Brightest Researchers Internationally). He has also completed executive business and leadership programs at the University of Oxford Saïd School of Business, the Harvard Business School, and Harvard Kennedy School. His adventurous life experiences have also transcended into a love of thrill-seeking hobbies, from walking safaris with gorillas and cheetahs to skydiving, shark diving, and more.