An Indian has been appointed the new head of the prestigious Harvard Business School.
American Indian Nitin Nohria, who takes up his new appointment in July, is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology. He joined Harvard as a faculty in 1988.
His latest work includes a combined effort with his colleague Rakesh Khurana to instrument an oath for businesses globally. Nohria and Khurana were also the protagonists behind the introduction of the MBA Oath in 2009 that emphasised on the ethical behavior of MBA grads.
Though one of the highest profile HBS professors, Prof Nohria was not necessarily the obvious choice for the job, Silicon India reported.
Many insiders predicted that senior associate dean Srikant Datar or Carl Kester, deputy dean for academic affairs, would be appointed. However, his experience within India and his stints at London Business School made him the right choice to bring in a global perspective to the dean's position.
The 48-year-old leadership professor will serve as the 10th dean of Harvard Business School by succeeding the current dean Jay Light. The chemical engineer turned professor Nohria, accepted the role on Tueday and will resume his post from July 1.
"I feel a profound sense of responsibility for continuing Harvard Business School's proud legacy of ground-breaking ideas and transformational educational experiences," he said. Currently he is the Richard P. Chapman Professor of Business Administration at the century-old institution and co-chair of its Leadership Initiative.
Some of his students also recall how he, along with his brother-in-law Bharat N. Anand, the Henry R. Byers Professor of Business Administration at Harvard, are known for their hospitality and the receptions to celebrate Indian festivals and its culture.
"As his student, I found his discussion techniques and detailing immensely informative and thought provoking," said Manoj Kumar, managing partner with the Hahhurabi and Solomon, a legal and corporate consultancy firm.
"Prof. Nohria also made the curriculum and case studies very relevant to issues in the Indian business context. He deserves a special mention for making the programme so very insightful," Kumar added.
Nohria received his degree in chemical engineering in 1984 from the Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai, which also awarded him with its distinguished alumnus medal in 2007.
- SiliconIndia