Leandro Simões PongeluppeView profile
Assistant Professor
Leandro "Leo" Pongeluppe serves as an Assistant Professor of Management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, holding the distinguished position of Leonard J. Horwitz Faculty Scholar. His academic journey culminated with a PhD from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, positioning him at the forefront of research at the intersection of business and societal challenges. Pongeluppe's research program centers on understanding how organizational design and governance mechanisms influence the achievement of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. His work spans multiple continents and contexts, with field research conducted in Brazilian favelas, the Amazon rainforest, worldwide desalination plants, and African HIV/AIDS treatment clinics. Methodologically, he employs innovative mixed-methods approaches that combine econometric causal inference with ethnographic techniques to tackle complex socio-environmental challenges. His publication portfolio reveals a consistent focus on stakeholder management within contexts of socioeconomic development and environmental sustainability. The research demonstrates how businesses can effectively address global challenges through strategic stakeholder engagement, showing particular promise in environmental conservation efforts and inclusive business models. His work on the Amazon rainforest reveals how companies like Natura have successfully preserved forests through stakeholder alignment, while his favela research exposes the complex social consequences of economic mobility. Wharton AI & Analytics Initiative Research Funding (2024) Wharton Teaching Excellence Awards (2023-24) Wiley Blackwell Outstanding Dissertation Award (Academy of Management, 2023) Multiple Best Paper Awards from Strategic Management Society and Academy of Management conferences Wharton Global Initiatives and ESG Initiative Funding (2023) Prior to his academic career, Pongeluppe co-founded Insper Metricis, a research group focused on socio-environmental impact evaluation, where he contributed to Brazil's first Social Impact Bond in partnership with São Paulo State Government and international development institutions. His professional experience also includes three years as an associate researcher at the Accenture Institute for High Performance, working on inclusive innovation projects across Brazil, China, Ghana, India, Mozambique, Nigeria, and South Africa. This practical experience deeply informs his scholarly work and teaching approach, particularly in his course on Managing Established Enterprises which addresses strategic challenges facing incumbent firms.







