Customer-Centric Innovation

Prof. Dr. Frank T. Piller, born in 1969, has established himself as a distinguished leader at RWTH Aachen University, where he serves as Professor of Technology and Innovation Management since 2007 and heads the Technology and Innovation Management Group. His academic journey began at the University of Würzburg, where he earned his PhD in Operations Management in 1999, followed by his Habilitation in Innovation and Value Co-Creation at TUM Business School. Before joining RWTH Aachen, he gained valuable experience at MIT Sloan School of Management (2004-2007) and as an assistant professor at TUM Business School (1999-2004). His research excellence has garnered over 25,000 citations and an h-score of 73, establishing his group at RWTH as one of the world's leading research centers for open and distributed innovation ecosystems. His current work focuses on disruptive business model innovations, AI-augmented innovation management, and digital transformation, particularly in Industry 4.0. His teaching excellence has been recognized with RWTH Teaching Awards in 2010 and 2015, and he has contributed significantly to executive education through workshops for DAX30 and Fortune 500 companies. As co-founder of the MIT Smart Customization Group and advisor to numerous innovative technology companies, he effectively bridges academic research with practical business applications.