Tommaso Buganza keynote speaker

Tommaso Buganza is an internationally recognized management thinker, Professor of Leadership and Innovation at Politecnico di Milano, author, researcher and expert in platform-based business transformation. His work explores how organizations can harness digital technologies, develop innovative business models and cultivate the leadership capabilities required to succeed in an increasingly interconnected economy.

Recognized on the prestigious Thinkers50 Radar List in 2024, Tommaso is among the management thinkers contributing new perspectives on business innovation and organizational transformation. Together with his longtime research collaborator Daniel Trabucchi, he was also shortlisted for the Thinkers50 Digital Thinking Award in 2025, recognizing their work on platform-based innovation and the future of business.

As a Full Professor at the School of Management of Politecnico di Milano, Tommaso teaches Platform Thinking, Innovation Management, Leadership and Project Management to executives, business leaders and students. His research lies at the intersection of technology, innovation and leadership, with a particular focus on how digital platforms can transform traditional organizations and create entirely new opportunities for growth.

Tommaso is co-founder and Scientific Director of LEADIN'Lab, the Leadership, Design and Innovation Laboratory at Politecnico di Milano, bringing together more than 30 researchers and affiliates working on innovation, leadership and business transformation. He is also co-founder and Scientific Director of the Platform Thinking HUB, a research and innovation community helping organizations explore the strategic potential of platform-based business models.

His research challenges the assumption that successful digital transformation requires companies to abandon their established strengths. Instead, he demonstrates how traditional businesses can leverage existing assets, customer relationships, capabilities and industry expertise to create new digital ecosystems and compete with technology-native companies.

Tommaso is the co-author, with Daniel Trabucchi, of Platform Thinking: Read the Past. Write the Future, which examines how organizations can move beyond traditional product-centric strategies and create value through platform business models. Their subsequent book, The Digital Phoenix Effect: How Legacy Companies Can Lead the Platform Revolution Without Burning Everything Down, provides a practical framework for established businesses seeking to reinvent themselves through digital innovation.

In 2026, The Digital Phoenix Effect was selected for the Thinkers50 Best New Management Books List, recognizing its contribution to contemporary management thinking and the strategic challenges facing established companies.

Beyond platform innovation, Tommaso investigates the human dimensions of technological change. His research examines how leadership, organizational culture, psychological safety and a growth mindset influence companies' ability to experiment, learn and adapt. He advocates an approach to innovation that combines technological advancement with human capabilities, collaboration and organizational learning.

His work also explores the emerging role of artificial intelligence in innovation teams. In 2026, research co-authored with Daniel Trabucchi on integrating generative AI into collaborative innovation processes received the Mariano Corso Best Practical Implications Award at the Continuous Innovation Network Conference. The research highlights how organizations can design productive collaboration between human professionals and AI systems.

Tommaso is co-founder of Symplatform, an international symposium connecting researchers and practitioners working in the field of digital platforms. He also serves as Chair of the Board of the International Product Development Management Conference, promoted by the European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management, and contributes to academic journals specializing in innovation and management.

Through his research, executive education and work with organizations, Tommaso combines academic rigor with practical insights into business transformation. His approach emphasizes the importance of turning emerging technologies into sustainable competitive advantages while developing the leadership skills and organizational structures needed to support lasting change.

As a speaker, Tommaso offers audiences a fresh perspective on innovation, platform ecosystems and digital leadership. Drawing on original research, real-world business examples and practical management frameworks, he helps executives understand how established organizations can reinvent themselves, unlock new sources of value and thrive in the digital economy.