Professor Peter Kawalek

PhD, BSc, BPl, MSc

  • Professor of Information Management
  • Director of the Centre for Information Management
  • Head of Information Management academic group

Expertise: digital, digital economy, information systems, information management, attention economy, cybernetics, systems thinking, social media.

Research groups and centres

Peter was previously Head of Business Economics and Strategy Group at Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, He has also held academic posts at the Department of Computer Science, Manchester University, and Warwick Business School at the University of Warwick.

Peter has led or co-investigated research projects to a value of around £2million, via sources including EPSRC, UK central government, and local councils. He is the author of numerous academic papers related to information systems, social media, organizational change and technological impact on strategy. Publications include California Management Review, the Journal of e-Adoption, Information and Management, the Journal of Strategic Information Systems, the International Journal of Information Management, and the Journal of Information Technology.

Peter also has experience with many companies, frequently to very senior level. These include SAP, British Telecommunications, Chubb Insurance Company of Europe, Fujitsu, Hoverspeed, the Great North Eastern Railway, Manchester City FC, New York City FC, four23, Bonka Circus, Siemens Gas Turbines, and IBM.

Peter also has extensive public sector experience. He worked on award-winning, successful change programmes at Salford City Council, as well as the follow-on initiatives at North Lincolnshire Council, Leeds City Council, Oldham Borough Council and the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities. He helped to establish the pioneering (big data) Lancashire-wide MADE (Multi-Agency Data Exchange) project with the constabulary, fire service, council, NHS, probation and drug action teams. This is still operational today after more than a decade. He also has key experience with Office an Taoiseach (Prime Minister) in Dublin, Department of Communications in Dublin, NHS in Manchester and Salford, the Department of Communities and Local Government, Cabinet Office and Greater Manchester Police. In the charities sector, he has worked with Royal Commonwealth Society on several projects, including as co-creator of the Jubilee Time Capsule; an official project of the Diamond Jubilee of HM Queen Elizabeth II.

Peter is interested by the digital economy and the effects of digitization on business and then society. He is developing a research stream related to the attention economy, building on prior work in media and social media. This accompanies his existing work on ICT and its large-scale and long effects on organizations.

  • Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts
  • Visiting Professor at Letterkenny Institute of Technology, Ireland
  • Visiting Senior Fellow at Deusto Business School, Spain
  • previously Visiting Professor at Instituto de Empresa, Spain