Solomon Darwin

Professor Solomon Darwin is a recognized global authority on Open Innovation and Open Business Models. He brings extensive leadership experience in innovation, international development, and global partnerships across corporate, academic, and governmental sectors. He is the Emeritus Director at the Center for Corporate Innovation, Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, where he led major global initiatives for two decades (2005–2025). Before Berkeley, he spent ten years as a Professor at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (USC). His earlier career includes more than fourteen years in progressive corporate leadership roles at Bank of America, First Interstate Bank, Glendale Federal Bank, and Motorola. He currently serves as the Director of Open Innovation at the University of California, Santa Cruz, Silicon Valley Campus, Professional Education Program.

Professor Darwin advises senior executives of multinational corporations and government leaders across Europe, China, Russia, India, Israel, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, South Korea, Turkey, Canada, Latin America, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico. He convenes and moderates high-level international innovation forums and chairs quarterly Chief Innovation Officer Roundtables in Silicon Valley.

Widely regarded as the Father of the Smart Village Movement, an initiative born at UC Berkeley and implemented across multiple states in India, he has brought together corporate CEOs and government leaders to advance scalable rural transformation. The movement received formal approval from the late President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, and recognition by Prime Minister Modi.

His major international initiatives include: The Rebuilding India Initiative, commissioned by the Planning Commission of the Government of India; the Generative AI Toolkit for Smart Villages, showcased at the United Nations COP28 in Dubai, where he served as a keynote speaker. His recent work focuses on empowering marginalized communities through a partnership with the Commonwealth of Nations under the leadership of Her Excellency Patricia Scotland and endorsed by His Majesty King Charles III.

An internationally recognized speaker and educator, Professor Darwin has received numerous awards for leadership and teaching excellence. His courses on Open Innovation, business model innovation, smart cities, scalable smart villages, and emerging economy business models have influenced thousands of students across business and engineering disciplines.

Professor Darwin teaches in executive education programs at leading institutions worldwide and has conducted programs in over twenty countries. He holds honorary professorships at universities in Europe, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, and India, serves on multiple international boards, and advises the World Health Organization on Digital Healthcare Business Models.

He is the recipient of multiple honorary doctorates and the author of ten influential books and Harvard Business Cases.

Expertise and Research Interests Include:

1. Open Innovation, 2. Smart Villages / Smart Cities, 3. Sustainability of the Planet, 4. Leadership, 5. Open Business Models, 6. Ecosystem Creation, 6. Strategies for Emerging Economies and 7. Forensic Accounting