ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, IESE Business school
Natalie BurfordI am an Assistant Professor of Strategic Management at IESE Business School. My research examines digital platforms and ecosystems, with a focus on how technological interdependence shapes firm boundaries and the distribution of value.
A central puzzle in my work is that existing theories of platforms and ecosystems often predict relatively narrow firm boundaries, yet the firms that dominate these settings - particularly large technology companies - tend to operate with remarkably broad scope. I study why and how firms expand their boundaries through ecosystems and platforms, and how these decisions reshape interactions across the system. In particular, I examine the drivers of inter-organizational integration in technological systems and how different forms and degrees of integration affect firm performance, value capture, and user outcomes. More broadly, my research speaks to the implications of these strategies for competition, choice, innovation, freedom and privacy in an increasingly platform-based economy.
I hold a PhD in Management from INSEAD. Prior to academia, I worked in business development at Delivery Hero, and as the first employee of the insurtech startup Getsurance in Berlin, in portfolio strategy research at Goldman Sachs in London and in consulting at McKinsey&Company in Zurich. I completed a B.A. at the university of St. Gallen and an MSc in Finance and Economics at the London School of Economics (LSE).
I am half English, half German and have lived in seven countries (the UK, Germany, Switzerland, France, Australia, Singapore, and Spain). Outside of work, I enjoy skiing, golf, padel, kitesurfing and hiking.
