
- Finance
Biography
David Wessels (Ph.D. '00) is an adjunct professor of finance and a director of executive education in the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Wessels teaches courses on corporate valuation, venture capital and performance management to undergraduates and MBAs in Philadelphia and San Francisco, along with global executive audiences.
Wessels has been recognized by his students with Wharton's MBA excellence in teaching award, and has been acknowledged nationally for his research on organizational structure and financial performance. His co-authored book, Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies, is accepted as the seminal text for students of corporate valuation and investment banking.
Wessels has served on the executive development and training faculties at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Coca-Cola, Ericsson, Estee Lauder, Home Depot, Lockheed Martin, McKinsey & Company, Microsoft, Philips, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Siemens and UPS.
Before joining the Wharton School, Wessels served on finance faculty of the Goizueta Business School at Emory University. Prior to Emory, he was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company and a technology analyst for Harbourvest Venture Partners in Boston.
Education
Ph.D. Finance, UCLA Anderson School of Management
B.S. Economics, University of Pennsylvania
B.S. Computer Science, University of Pennsylvania
In the News
Why Those Startup Valuations Might Be Way Off, Wall Street Journal - 10/08/2017
Wal-Mart is buying trendy e-commerce sites. The cool kids are not having it, Los Angeles Times - 08/17/2017
Vision Quest: Expectations for CFOs to add strategic value have never been higher., CFO Magazine - 06/10/2016
Saudi Aramco IPO: The Biggest Fee Event in Wall Street History, Wall Street Journal - 06/09/2016
The enduring power of the biggest idea in business, The Economist - 04/02/2016
How Foreign Should Investors Get?, Wall Street Journal - 08/10/2015
Chemours launches with questions about its future, Wilmington News Journal - 07/02/2015
WhatsApp price ups the ante in a big-spending industry, Los Angeles Times - 02/21/2014
Social media start-ups' value is enormous - if you trust investors, Los Angeles Times - 11/16/2013
Beware, investors: Facebook was just a warning, CNN - 05/24/2012
Awards
Excellence in Teaching Award, WEMBA San Francisco, 2017
William G. Whitney Award for Outstanding Teaching in the Affiliated Faculty, 2016
William G. Whitney Award for Outstanding Teaching in the Affiliated Faculty, 2015
William G. Whitney Award for Outstanding Teaching in the Affiliated Faculty, 2013
Excellence in Teaching Award, Full-time MBA Program, 2013
Excellence in Teaching Award, Full-time MBA Program, 2012
William G. Whitney Award for Outstanding Teaching in the Affiliated Faculty, 2012
Excellence in Teaching Award, WEMBA San Francisco, 2011
Excellence in Teaching Award, Full-time MBA Program, 2010
Excellence in Teaching Award, WEMBA San Francisco, 2009
Excellence in Teaching Award, Full-time MBA Program, 2006
Excellence in Teaching Award, WEMBA San Francisco, 2004