Faculty Directory

Russell Walker

Russell Walker, Ph.D. is Clinical Professor at the Kellogg School of Management. Dr. Walker has expertise in Big Data and Analytics, Risk Management, and International Business Strategy. He has developed and taught leading executive programs and MBA classes on Big Data and Analytics, Strategic Data-Driven Marketing, Enterprise Risk, Operational Risk, and Global Leadership. Russell founded the Kellogg Executive Education program on Risk Management. He founded and teaches the very popular Analytical Consulting Lab and Risk Lab. He was awarded the Kellogg Impact award by his MBA students for excellence and impact in teaching.

He is the author of From Big Data to Big Profits: Success with Data and Analytics (Oxford, 2015) that examines how firms can best monetize data assets. This book has been awarded a medal by the prestigious Axiom book awards for excellence in business technology, and has been recognized and featured by the Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. He was named one of most influential bloggers in Big Data and Analytics, globally. He also authored the award-winning text Winning with Risk Management (2013), which examines the principles and practice of risk management through business case studies. He authored the chapter Operational Risk in Insurance, as part of Risk Management in Financial Institutions (2013). He has been recognized as a top thought leader in Big Data and Analytics by many organizations, including the International Institute of Analytics, Onalytica, Teradata, SAS, KDNuggests and the Harvard Business Review. The Aspen Institute, Harvard Business School Press, The Bank of England, The World Bank, and PRMIA have recognized his cases for excellence in showcasing lessons in risk management. 

His International Business Strategy research includes a study of medical tourism opportunities for Turkey and an analysis for tourism transformation in Mexico for the Secretary of Tourism of Mexico. He leads the popular Global Lab class at Kellogg, an experiential class that brings Kellogg MBAs in touch with global opportunities. He frequently speaks on the emerging global middle class and demographic shifts driving changes in international markets. He has been invited to speak at the US Department of State, The World Bank, and the International Finance Corporation. He partners with the Cuba Study Group to identify initiatives to advance the success of Cuban entrepreneurs.

He serves on the Scientific and Technical Council for the Menus of Change, an initiative by the Harvard School of Public Health and the Culinary Institute of America, to develop healthier and more environmentally sound food choices. He served as a board member of the Education and Technology Committee to the Morton Arboretum, and as a board member of the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, where he developed support programs for Hispanic entrepreneurs and worked with US senators on US Latino matters.

He has been invited to share his perspective internationally at Oxford University, IESE Business School in Spain, the Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration in Thailand, Amsterdam Institute of Finance, and the Indian School of Business.

He has advised Microsoft, World Bank, Bank of England, SEC, US Department of State, CME Group, John Deere, IBM, Teradata, Discover Financial, Capital One Financial, PepsiCo, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Hyatt, among others.

Russell began his career with Capital One Financial, as a corporate strategist specializing in the advancement of analytics in the enterprise for the purposes of improved marketing and risk management. 

He received his Ph.D. from Cornell University. He also holds an MS from Cornell University, an Executive MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and a BS from the University of South Florida. Russell speaks Spanish.

He enjoys travel, photography, trees, and horticulture.

Russell Walker can be reached at @RussWalker1492 & russellwalkerphd.com