Sergey Gorbatov

Professor of Leadership and Human Resources at IE Business School

Director, Talent Management at AbbVie, and co-author of ‘FairTalk: Three Steps to Powerful Feedback’

With over 15 years of experience, Sergey has delivered results in a wide spectrum of roles ranging from HR Operations to Compensation & Benefits to General HR. Yet his strongest expertise lies in Talent, Leadership and Organization Development. Having performed in the HQ, regional and affiliate organizations, professor Gorbatov has first-hand knowledge of operating in multinational matrix environments at companies like AbbVie, PMI and Shell.

Sergey earned his MA in Linguistics and Intercultural Communication at Orel State University in Russia, complemented with an MBA from IE Business School in Madrid, Spain. He has received a Ph.D. in Management Studies at VU Amsterdam.

He teaches, speaks and writes about the complex science of human performance, while making it simple. His recent book, ‘FairTalk: Three Steps to Powerful Feedback,’ enables any leader to drive results in their teams through fair, focused, and credible feedback.

A true traveler at heart, Sergey is passionate about cultures, diversity and languages. A Russian native, Sergey has lived and worked in the United States, Russia, South Africa, Spain and Switzerland.