
Encourages students to think outside the box.
Patient, kind, and always approachable.
Inspires curiosity and a love for knowledge.
Thank you for being such a thoughtful and patient professor. Your encouragement made a huge difference in my confidence and performance.
John Davis is a Professor of Practice in the Department of Management at the University of Oregon's Lundquist College of Business, where he also serves as Director of the Center for Sustainable Business Practices. He serves on the advisory committee of the University of Oregon's Olympic Studies Hub, contributing expertise in sports sustainability, brand strategy, and global sports business. Davis holds an MBA from Columbia University (1990) and a BA from Stanford University (1982). Before entering academia, he led product marketing across three sports categories at Nike and served as Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at Transamerica, Informix, and Unify. He founded two companies, Northwest Resorts and BrandNewView, gaining experience across the spectrum from startup to global enterprise.
Davis's academic appointments include Regional Managing Director for Asia and North America at Duke Corporate Education (2015–2021), Dean and Professor of Marketing at SP Jain School of Global Management (2010–2011, 2013–2015), Department Chair and Professor of Marketing at Emerson College (2009–2010), Professor of Marketing Practice and Director of the Centre of Marketing Excellence at Singapore Management University (2004–2009), and adjunct faculty roles at the University of California Davis and University of Washington Foster School of Business. He has designed and delivered executive development programs in more than 40 countries for senior leadership teams on strategy, branding, and organizational transformation. His areas of expertise encompass business sustainability, international business and brand strategy, leadership, marketing and sales management, marketing measurement and accountability, and sports marketing. Davis is the author of 11 books, including Radical Business: How to Transform Your Organization in the Age of Global Crisis (Emerald Publishing, 2022), Measuring Marketing: The 100+ Essential Metrics Every Marketer Needs, third edition (De Gruyter, 2018), Sports Marketing: Creating Long-Term Value (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2013), and The Olympic Games Effect: How Sports Marketing Builds Strong Brands, second edition (John Wiley & Sons, 2012). Key journal articles include Value in Stories: Realising the Benefits of the Olympic Games (Brand Finance Journal, 2024). He has earned the James E. Reinmuth First-Year MBA Teaching Excellence Award and Second-Year MBA Teaching Excellence Award from Lundquist College of Business (2024–2025), multiple Dean's Teaching Honors from Singapore Management University (2004–2009), and other teaching accolades. Davis delivers keynote addresses and workshops worldwide to heads of state, Fortune 500 executives, and founders.