Peet van Biljon
Senior Advisor & Principal
Background
Peet van Biljon is a well-rounded international executive with deep consulting, high-tech and advanced industry experience. He advises clients on innovation management and technology strategy, R&D and business transformation, as well as public policies to promote innovation. He can help corporate and public-sector clients meet a full range of innovation challenges; such as innovation organization, culture and creativity, portfolio management, R&D management, and product strategy. He also has a background in operations, quality management and process excellence.
Dr. Van Biljon was formerly a consultant and engagement manager at McKinsey & Company, working out of its Johannesburg, Toronto, and Washington DC offices. He managed McKinsey’s global innovation practice for five years. He has held executive positions in several companies internationally. He led teams at the Corporate Executive Board (now Gartner), an advisory company; Algorithmics (now SS&C), a financial risk-management solution provider; and Honeywell Aerospace, a manufacturer of aviation systems.
He is a noted thought leader on innovation. He serves as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, where he created and has been teaching a graduate course, Innovation and Public Policy, since 2017. Dr. Van Biljon’s textbook, Innovation for Value and Mission: An Introduction to Innovation Management and Policy (2022), covers innovation in both the public and private sectors, as well as public policy for innovation. He often writes articles and blogs on innovation and technology management. Articles on innovation and R&D management that he coauthored were published in MIT Sloan Management Review, Research-Technology Management, and on mckinsey.com. His previous book, Making Money: The History and Future of Society’s Most Important Technology, on money, economics, fintech and blockchain was released in 2020. Earlier he authored Profit with a Higher Purpose, a book on business ethics.
Areas of expertise
- Innovation management, governance, and strategy
- R&D and business transformation
- Public policies to promote innovation.
- Business model innovation and redesign
- Growth and innovation strategy
- Organizing for innovation, including special innovation structures
- Open innovation and external collaboration
- Innovation and R&D portfolio management
- Lean startup, creativity and problem-solving techniques
- Innovation culture, leadership and change management
- Best practice capture and knowledge management
Education
Dr. van Biljon earned his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of South Africa. His doctoral research focused on the association between public procurement and innovation capabilities in private companies.
He also holds a B.Eng. (Electronic Engineering) degree from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, and B.Com. (Accounting and Economics) and M.Com. (Economics) degrees from the University of South Africa.
He is licensed as a Professional Engineer in Ontario, Canada, and is a longstanding member of IEEE.