Senior Director of Corporate Alliances, Digital Data Design Institute

Overview

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About Corporate Alliances at the Digital Data Design (D³) Institute Corporate Alliances encompasses a portfolio of programs and engagement models designed to connect industry leaders with Harvard Business School (HBS) faculty, researchers, students, and practitioners. These include:

• Multi-year corporate partnerships and strategic alliances
• Sponsored research initiatives and applied field experiments
• Executive education and custom learning programs
• Industry research consortia and global initiatives
• Executive convenings, summits, and conferences
• Student and practitioner engagement programs

D³ works with a global network of leading corporations across industries and geographies, supporting both foundational research and applied experimentation in AI and data-driven business transformation.

The Senior Director of Corporate Alliances is a senior leadership role responsible for setting the strategic vision, operating model, and growth trajectory of corporate and institutional partnerships for the Digital Data Design Institute (D³) at Harvard Business School.

This role works closely with the Chair of the Institute, Karim Lakhani, and owns the design and execution of D³’s corporate engagement strategy, including alliance models, research partnerships, executive programs, sponsored initiatives, and global convenings. The Senior Director will develop and manage the alliances budget with full P&L responsibility for target revenue and risk mitigation of corporate relationships across all types of engagements (teaching and learning, research, and more).

The leader will oversee related marketing, communications, media, and events tied to corporate engagement, ensuring alignment with corporate strategies and brand management from the HBS Deans Office and HBS Marketing and Communications leadership teams.

Corporate Alliances at D³ are focused on building deep, multi-year relationships with the C-suite of leading global organizations (many Fortune 500 companies) to accelerate research, learning, and real-world impact at the intersection of AI, data, and business transformation.

This is a senior leadership position reporting to the Launch Director of D³, with close coordination with the Chair of the Institute and HBS senior leadership.

The Senior Director of Corporate Alliances is responsible for defining and executing the overall strategy, business models, and organizational structure for corporate engagement at D³.

• Strategic Leadership
  • Set the long-term vision and operating model for corporate alliances in alignment with D³’s research and educational mission.
  • Design scalable partnership and revenue models that support sponsored research, learning programs, and convenings.
• Corporate Engagement & Growth
  • Establish and execute the corporate engagement and recruitment strategy across industries and geographies.
  • Develop deep, trusted relationships with senior executives, understanding partners’ strategic priorities and aligning them with D³ research and capabilities.
  • Identify, cultivate, and secure new corporate partners across all alliance programs.
• External Representation & Thought Leadership
  • Serve as D³’s principal liaison with corporate and institutional partners.
  • Represent D³ and HBS in meetings with senior executives, visiting delegations, and external stakeholders.
  • Speak at external events and partner forums on D³’s work and engagement opportunities.
• Program & Portfolio Development
  • Create new partnership models and programs in collaboration with D³ faculty, researchers, students, and affiliated start-ups.
  • Serve as main accountable party for major corporate initiatives.
  • Oversee executive boards and governance structures for alliance-based initiatives.
  • Plan and promote executive lecture series, workshops, and convenings tied to alliance programs.
• Marketing, Communications &…