Michael Wright was a world-renowned scholar and Professor of Entrepreneurship at Imperial College Business School from 2011 until his passing in 2019. He served as Director of the Centre for Management Buy-Out Research, the first academic center devoted to the study of private equity and buyouts, which he established in 1986 at Nottingham University Business School before bringing it to Imperial College. Prior to his role at Imperial, Wright was Professor of Financial Studies at Nottingham University Business School, where he built his reputation as a leading authority in entrepreneurship research. Born in 1952, Wright dedicated his career to advancing the understanding of management buy-outs and entrepreneurship before his untimely death on November 25, 2019 following a short illness.
Wright's groundbreaking research established him as the most cited scholar in the field of entrepreneurship according to Google Scholar, with an impressive body of work comprising over 40 books and more than 300 papers in academic and professional journals. His seminal contributions, particularly his highly cited works in the Academy of Management Journal (2000) and Journal of Management Studies (2005), fundamentally reshaped the understanding of privatization in Russia, corporate governance, and strategic management in emerging economies. Wright's pioneering work on private equity and buyouts created an entirely new area of academic inquiry, providing critical insights into management buy-outs and their impact on business transformation. His research on university spin-outs further expanded the field, demonstrating how academic innovations could be successfully commercialized through entrepreneurial ventures.
Beyond his research achievements, Wright profoundly influenced the academic community through his editorial leadership, serving two terms as editor of Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, as joint editor of the Journal of Management Studies, and as editor elect of the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal. He was a dedicated mentor who guided numerous junior scholars, sharing his intellectual breadth and academic experience with humility and generosity while serving as Head of the Department for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Imperial. Recognized with the highest honors in his field, Wright was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2016 and became a Fellow of the Strategic Management Society, while also receiving an honorary doctorate from the University of Ghent and holding visiting professorships at ETH Zurich and INSEAD. His legacy continues to shape entrepreneurship research worldwide, with his work remaining foundational to contemporary studies of private equity, management buy-outs, and academic entrepreneurship.
