An international, cross-industry career that has moved from corporate management to extensive research, advisory and capability development services to public, private and third sector organisations. Tim has lived and worked in the UK, France (3 years) and United States (20 years), building an impressive research and entrepreneurial record, with demonstrated commitment to delivering social benefit.

As Founder and President, World Commerce & Contracting (formerly International Association for Contract & Commercial Management), Tim has built a 72,000 member worldwide non-profit association which increasingly influences commercial policies and contracting practices in major corporations and governments. In September 2019, he was presented with the Financial Times ‘Market Shaper of the Year’ Award.

Tim was until recently Professor and Chair, International Commercial & Contract Management, University of Leeds, School of Law, where he taught and led development of inter-disciplinary commercial programs.

Prior to founding World Commerce & Contracting, Tim was on the Chairman’s staff at IBM Corporation and led the development of worldwide commercial processes and skills. His early career included management roles in banking, automotive and aerospace industries, where he led negotiations up to $1.5 billion in value. He has served in advisory roles for government departments in various countries, including the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and Japan.

Keld Jensen has consistently ranked in the Global Gurus Top 30, reaching #4 as a Global Guru on Negotiation worldwide in 2024. In 2016 he was recognized as one of the world’s 100 Top Thought Leaders in Trust. He is the creator of the world’s most awarded negotiation strategy, which has received accolades from The Organization of Public Procurement Officers and The World Commerce & Contracting Organization’s Innovation and Strategic Award, IACCM etc.

Keld's extensive background in management and his role as a former CEO of a publicly traded technology company, underline his leadership and strategic acumen. An associate professor, Keld teaches at top-ranked universities worldwide, including the Thunderbird School of Global Management at ASU, BMI Executive Institute in Lithuania, BMI/Louvain University in Belgium, and Denmark’s Aalborg University. He is the former chairman of the Centre for Negotiation at Copenhagen Business School.

With more than 200 international TV appearances, and hundreds of articles in major business publications across Europe, Asia Pacific, and the U.S., Keld has established himself as a global thought leader. He is a prolific author of 26 books, which have been translated into 16 languages and have reached over 3 million readers worldwide. Several of these works have received awards, marking him as a significant voice in international business literature.

He is the founder and head of The SMARTnership Negotiation Organization, a pivotal force in consulting and training for both the private sector and governmental bodies. His clientele includes industry giants such as Vestas, LEGO, ConocoPhillips, Novo Nordisk, Johnson & Johnson, Bechtel and leading organizations like UNICEF and World50, as well as the governments of Canada, Denmark, and Great Britain.

Keld is the Negotiation Expert in Residence at WorldCC.

Yadvinder holds a Doctorate in Business Administration in Cross-Border M&A negotiations from the Edinburgh Business School, an MBA from the Manchester Business School, and a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering From the Turin Polytechnic. 

Yadvinder serves as Adjunct Professor of Cross-Cultural Negotiation at the Catholic University in Milan and the Politecnico di Milano School of Management. 

He currently researches and applies artificial intelligence to enhance negotiation processes. His work focuses on improving fairness and efficiency in negotiations.

Between 2004 and 2010, he was Africa, Asia & Pacific Sales Director for a global leader in the luxury goods sector. From 1997 to 2003, he worked for Fiat Group in the US, UK and France, leading post-M&A integration strategies (Case and New Holland, Iveco and Renault V.I., Fiat-GM JV).

Pubblications:

Rana, Y. S. (2024). When AI Joins the Table: How Large Language Models Transform Negotiations. Available at SSRN 5049248.

Rana, Y., Druckman, D., & Canduela, J. (2022). A turning points analysis of cross-border merger and acquisition negotiations. Negotiation and Conflict Management Research, 15(3).

The 4Ps Framework: Advanced Negotiation and Influence Strategies for Global Effectiveness (2014)