IIM alumnus Srikant Datar appointed Dean of Harvard Business School. He will take charge of the office, effective Jan 01, 2021. Srikant Datar, the Arthur Lowes Dickinson Professor of Business Administration and the senior associate dean for University affairs at Harvard Business School (HBS), will become the School’s next dean, President Larry Bacow announced today. Datar will begin his service on Jan. 1.

Indian-origin academician and economist Srikant Datar, who is an alumnus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, has now been appointed the new Dean of the Harvard Business School. He will assume this position from January 1, 2021.

Srikant Datar, who is set to assume charge of the prestigious 112-year-old business school in Boston, will be the second consecutive dean of Indian origin after Nitin Nohria.

Harvard President Larry Bacow described Srikant Datar as an innovative educator, a distinguished scholar, and a deeply experienced academic leader. He also said that Datar is a leading thinker about the future of business education.

Mr. Bacow said, “He 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 further added that Datar 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.

Srikant Datar has said that he is “equal measures humbled and honored to take on this role” after being appointed the new dean of the Harvard Business School after Nitin Nohria.

Datar also said, “I look forward to working with colleagues and friends of the School — including throughout Harvard, in our Boston community, and around the world — to realize our mission in what undoubtedly will be an exciting new era.” Source: India Today.