Willy Shih

Willy Shih is the Robert and Jane Cizik Professor of Management Practice in Business Administration at Harvard Business School. He is part of the Technology and Operations Management Unit, and he teaches in the MBA and Executive Education Programs. Shih’s areas of expertise include manufacturing, product development, and supply chain management.

Shih has authored or co-authored a wide range of cases and teaching materials across diverse industries, including semiconductors, IT, consumer electronics, aerospace, transportation equipment, manufacturing technologies, and intellectual property. His book, Producing Prosperity – Why America Needs a Manufacturing Renaissance, co-authored with Gary Pisano, has called attention to the link between manufacturing and innovation. His paper on the challenges of reshoring was featured in the Fall 2014 issue of the Sloan Management Review, and his Summer 2020 paper, Is it time to Rethink Global Supply Chains? was the most popular article of the year.

Prior to joining the Harvard Business School in 2007, Shih spent 28 years in industry, holding leadership roles at IBM, Digital Equipment, Silicon Graphics, Eastman Kodak, and Thomson SA. His work spanned product development and manufacturing across a variety of technologies, including computer systems, scientific instruments, semiconductors, digital cameras, optical media, and software systems. He oversaw major manufacturing operations in the US, China, Ireland, Japan, and Mexico, as well as global sales and marketing functions.

Shih is on the Board of Directors of Nextracker LLC, a maker of smart solar tracker solutions. He presently serves as a member of the Advisory Committee on Supply Chain Competitiveness to the US Secretary of Commerce, and on the Industrial Advisory Committee for the US Secretary of Commerce.

Shih holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Chemistry and Life Sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a Life Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.