About the Event
The Center for Emerging Markets will host John Fallon, former CEO of Pearson, for a conversation on his new book, Resurgent: How Established Companies Can Compete and Win in the Digital Economy. Drawing from real-world experience and global case studies, Fallon will explore how legacy firms can rethink strategy, culture, and operations to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
About John Fallon
John Fallon is the former CEO of Pearson, the world's largest education company, where he led the firm's transformation during a period of massive digital and market disruption. With more than two decades of global leadership experience, Fallon has worked at the intersection of media, education, and technology. He currently serves as a Visiting Scholar at MIT Sloan School of Management and is co-author of Resurgent, a guidebook for how established firms can adapt and lead in the digital age. Prior to joining Pearson, he held senior roles in UK public service and served as Director of Communications for the Confederation of British Industry. Fallon brings firsthand perspective on strategic renewal, organizational change, and building cultures that thrive in a competitive, fast-moving global economy.
About the Book
The big tech companies (Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft) have had an enormous impact on our everyday lives. A new wave of start-ups in the tech sector has dominated the press and swallowed up huge amounts of investment. But what about those established companies in the traditional parts of the world's economies, from energy, industrial and consumer goods to travel and health? They rarely got a mention. Everyone was talking about the disrupters – the start-ups and the entrepreneurs – and not about the incumbents. This book is a call for a reality check.
For at the core of our established companies are capabilities and qualities that remain highly relevant in the digital age. They are often market leaders for very good reasons – they know their customers and markets well, and they have great product, sales and marketing expertise. They are operationally savvy and financially strong, with deep insights into areas of expertise that no one else has, giving them a unique advantage.
John Fallon and Julian Birkinshaw have come to a clear conclusion: incumbents are not going quietly into that dark night. Organizations will need to jettison their analogue baggage and infrastructure and embrace digital transformation. They will survive and they will prosper. And this shows how they are doing it.
About the Nardone Family Seminar Series
Made possible by a gift from David R. Nardone, the Nardone Family Seminar Series at the Center for Emerging Markets brings academics and practitioners to Northeastern University to share insights about emerging markets with the Boston community.
The longtime series has hosted over 150 speakers since the Center for Emerging Markets' inception, thanks to Nardone's support. Speakers have discussed topics ranging from family business to climate resilience, fintech trends to medical innovation, corporate governance to international policy, and more. These speakers have similarly come to CEM from a diverse array of academic and professional backgrounds and have shared their knowledge on research, trends, and innovations touching nearly every continent.