New Dean takes Charge at the Indian School of Business

Hyderabad , July 1, 2004 : Professor M Rammohan Rao today takes over as the Dean of the Indian School of Business (ISB).  He succeeds Professor Vijay Mahajan who served as Dean of the ISB since June, 2002. Professor Mahajan held a dual responsibility over the last two years, that of being the Dean of ISB, and also as the John P Harbin Centennial Chair in Business at the McCombs School of Business, University of Texas at Austin.  

Talking about his new role, Professor Rao said, “In the short while since its inception, the ISB has already established itself as a leader in management education in India . Being ISB Dean is both, a privilege and an honour, and I look forward to being closely involved in the evolution of a top, global B School.”

He added that the School will continue adding to its faculty pool, and will further hone its research focus. “We are a research driven management institution – we want to lead the way in generating research that focuses on emerging economies, and contribute in a big way to the body of knowledge that already exists,” said Professor Rao.

Welcoming Professor Rao, outgoing Dean Vijay Mahajan said, “Professor Rao is an excellent academician and brings extensive research and academic expertise. His outstanding academic credentials will support the ISB in realising its vision of being a research-led management School par excellence.” Professor Mahajan returns to Austin to continue his role as the Professor of Marketing.

Instituted in 2001, the ISB is now in its second phase of growth. In keeping with its extensive expansion plans, the School has been steadily increasing its student numbers. At 276 students, this year’s Class is the largest so far, and makes the ISB the biggest    B -School in India . The School also tripled its Executive Programme offerings in 2003, with more new programmes being developed this year.

Outlining ISB’s development plans, Professor Rao said, “Our quantum growth plans include boosting its research infrastructure. We are establishing two more Centres of Excellence in Analytical Finance and Strategic Marketing to drive research in these areas.” The first of these Centres, the Wadhwani Centre for Entrepreneurial Development (WCED), was established in 2001, and has been leading the way in promoting the study of entrepreneurship in India .

Professor Rao brings extensive global research and teaching experience. An illustrious academic, he is the recipient of the prestigious Fulkerson Prize, an award sponsored by the Mathematical Programming Society and the American Mathematical Society to encourage mathematical excellence in the fields of research. He taught as the Professor of Operations Research, Stern School of Business, New York University, and has served as the Dean and the Director of IIM Bangalore. He was also the visiting faculty at the University of Tennessee and the Graduate School of Management, University of Rochester . Professor Rao has a PhD in Industrial Administration from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), and dual Masters’ degrees from CMU and Cornell University .