Gavin Kennedy, a distinguished Emeritus Professor at Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University, passed away on April 25, 2019, at the age of 79. Professor Kennedy was a towering figure in the fields of negotiation and economic thought, celebrated for his profound scholarship and his accessible approach to teaching complex ideas.
Kennedy joined Heriot-Watt University in 1985, where he taught negotiation, economics, and business strategy until his retirement in 2005. During his tenure, he published numerous seminal works, including Everything Is Negotiable(Random House, 1982) and Pocket Negotiator (The Economist, 1984). His expertise in negotiation strategy and his behavioral approach to negotiation in New Negotiating Edge (Brierley, 1998) established him as a thought leader in the field, impacting students, academics, and business leaders around the world.
After retiring, Professor Kennedy continued his work as an author and scholar, shifting his focus to the legacy and philosophy of Adam Smith. His books Adam Smith’s Lost Legacy (Palgrave, 2005) and Adam Smith: a Moral Philosopher and a Political Economist (Palgrave, 2008, 2nd ed. 2010) have become essential readings for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of Smith's nuanced philosophy and moral economics. Kennedy’s dedication to unveiling Smith's true views was driven by a commitment to scholarship and an unyielding respect for historical truth.
We were privileged to interview Professor Kennedy in 2016, where he shared insights into Adam Smith's realism and discussed the importance of understanding Smith not as an ideologue but as a thinker "bound by the world order in which he lived." His reflections on Smith's pragmatism continue to resonate today. Read the full interview here.
Gavin Kennedy will be remembered for his intellectual rigor, his passion for teaching, and his invaluable contributions to economic philosophy. His legacy lives on through his writings, his students, and the colleagues who were fortunate to work alongside him.
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