TAMPA, Fla., July 12, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Soumitra Dutta, founding dean of SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University, began a one-year term on July 1, 2017, as chair of the board of directors of AACSB International (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business). Dutta succeeds Santiago Iiguez, president of IE Business School in Madrid, Spain.
“Soumitra is known for his contribution to and authority on new technology in the business world, and on innovation policy,” said Thomas R. Robinson, president and chief executive officer of AACSB International. “His insight to driving growth across the digital economy will help AACSB to guide itself, and business schools worldwide, into a new era of innovation and transformation.”
Dutta’s volunteer work with AACSB International (AACSB) has spanned more than six years, and his insight on strategies for driving growth and innovation has provided important direction for the future of business education. Dutta was elected to the AACSB International Board of Directors in 2014 as a member, and as vice chair-chair elect in 2016. In addition, he served on multiple committees, including the 2020 Committee and the Committee on Accreditation Policy.
Most recently, Dutta served as chair of the Innovation Committee (formally the Committee on Issues in Management Education, or CIME), which helps to incubate ideas and a continued vision for business education. The Innovation Committee aims to explore emerging innovations and effective practices and report on challenges and opportunities within the industry.
Dutta has also played an active role in the AACSB accreditation process by serving as a participant in the AACSB Accreditation Volunteer Community and as a member of accreditation peer review teams. He is a prominent speaker and has presented at many high-profile events, forums, and conferences around the world, including many editions of the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“I am very pleased to serve as chair of the AACSB International Board of Directors, and look forward to supporting the organization and advancing its mission,” said Dutta. “In addition, I am looking forward to building new networks with leaders and business schools across the globe to further our goals.”
As an authority on new technology and on innovation policy, Dutta is the co-editor and author of two influential reports: the Global Information Technology Report, published by the World Economic Forum, and the Global Innovation Index, published by the World Intellectual Property Organization. Both reports are used extensively by governments worldwide for planning their technology and innovation strategies. As a prominent author, Dutta’s research includes more than 150 published articles and more than 60 case studies. His research has also been cited widely in the global media, and Dutta has been awarded over 8 million USD in research grants.
Previously, Dutta served as dean of the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University. Prior to that position, he held multiple roles at INSEAD, including dean of external relations, dean of executive education; and dean of technology and e-learning. He has also served as a visiting professor at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, at the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford, and at the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge.
Dutta is a non-executive member of the board of two listed companies: Sodexo, a global food services and facilities management company, and Dassault Systemes, a leading technology company in 3D modeling and virtual reality. In addition, he is a member of the advisory boards of SWIFT Institute and several global business schools, including HEC Montreal (Canada), ESADE (Barcelona, Spain), and ESCP (Paris, France). He has co-founded two firms, including Fisheye Analytics (later acquired by WPP group). He is also a member of the Davos Circle, an association of longtime participants in the Annual Davos meeting of the World Economic Forum, and has engaged in a number of multi-stakeholder initiatives to shape global, regional, and industry agendas.
Dutta received a B. Tech. in electrical engineering and computer science from the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi; an MS in both business administration and computer science; and a PhD in computer science from the University of California, Berkeley.
For more information on AACSB International’s governance, visit aacsb.edu/about/governance.
About AACSB International
As the world’s largest business education alliance, AACSB International (AACSB) connects educators, students, and business to achieve a common goal: to create the next generation of great leaders. Synonymous with the highest standards of excellence since 1916, AACSB provides quality assurance, business education intelligence, and professional development services to over 1,500 member organizations and more than 785 accredited business schools worldwide. With its global headquarters in Tampa, Florida, USA; Europe, Middle East, and Africa headquarters in Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore, AACSB’s mission is to foster engagement, accelerate innovation, and amplify impact in business education. For more information, visit aacsb.edu.
About the SC Johnson School of Business at Cornell University
Cornell University has created a reimagined model for business education that reflects the future of business itself: flexible, collaborative, and cross-disciplinary. The Cornell SC Johnson College of Business unites the strengths of three business schoolsÑSchool of Hotel Administration, Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, and the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of ManagementÑso that every student can benefit from the combined power of business at Cornell: more degrees, faculty, resources, and expertise. Whether the focus is creating great customer experiences, solving real-world challenges, or deeply immersing in a particular industry, each of our schools offer something unique and meaningful.