Indian-origin academic Srikant Datar is set to become the second consecutive dean of Harvard Business School hailing from India. The Arthur Lowes Dickinson Professor of Business Administration and the senior associate Dean for University Affairs at Harvard Business School will lead the prestigious 112-year-old institution from January 1, 2021.
Datar, an alumnus of Mumbai University and IIM Ahmedabad, will succeed Nitin Nohria, another Indian-American.
"Srikant Datar is a leading thinker about the future of business education, and he has recently played an essential role in HBS's creative response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. He has served with distinction in a range of leadership positions over his nearly 25 years at HBS, while also forging novel collaborations with other Harvard Schools," President Larry Bacow announced in 'The Harvard Gazette'.
Datar will be the 11th dean of the prestigious school that is counted amongst the top business schools in the US and the world. Since joining the faculty in 1996, Datar has held a series of key positions, as the School's senior associate dean responsible for faculty recruiting, faculty development, executive education, research, and currently for University affairs.
"I am equal measures humbled and honored to take on this role," said Datar. "Harvard Business School is an institution with a remarkable legacy of impact in research, education, and practice. Yet the events of the past year have hastened our passage to an unforeseen future."
Datar received his bachelor's degree, with distinction, from the University of Bombay in 1973. A chartered accountant, he went on to receive a postgraduate diploma in business management from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, before completing a master's degrees in statistics (1983) and economics (1984) and a PhD in business (1985), all from Stanford University.
From 1984 to 1989, he was an assistant professor and then associate professor at the Carnegie Mellon Graduate School of Industrial Administration, where he was honoured with the George Leland Bach Teaching Award. From 1989 to 1996, he served on the faculty of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he rose to become the Littlefield Professor of Accounting and Management and was recognised with the school's Distinguished Teaching Award.
