Srikant Datar Named Dean of Harvard Business School

On October 9, 2020, Harvard University President Lawrence Bacow announced that 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, beginning January 1, 2021.

In his announcement, Bacow said, “Srikant Datar is an innovative educator, a distinguished scholar, and a deeply experienced academic leader. 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 has served with distinction in a range of leadership positions over nearly 25 years at HBS, while also forging novel collaborations with other Harvard Schools.”

Datar will become the 11^th dean of the Business School, succeeding Nitin Nohria, who has served for 10 years. Datar joined the HBS faculty in 1996 and has held various positions: Senior Associate Dean responsible for faculty recruiting, faculty development, executive education, research, and currently for University Affairs. Since 2015 he has been Faculty Chair of the Harvard Innovation Labs (i-lab). Datar’s academic interests include design thinking, data science, artificial intelligence, innovative problem-solving, and strategy implementation. He has written extensively on the future of business education.

Nohria said, “Srikant is an outstanding choice as Harvard Business School’s next dean. He has thought deeply about the challenges and opportunities facing management education, and has a proven record of collaboration, innovation, and leadership, not only within HBS, but across Harvard and at other organizations. He is deeply respected for his judgment, admired for the genuine enthusiasm he brings to his research and teaching, and beloved as a colleague. I am confident, through the remainder of the pandemic and beyond, he will chart an inspired course for the School.”

Datar said, “I am equal parts humbled and honored to take on this role. 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. I look forward to working with colleagues and friends of the School, including through Harvard, in our Boston community, and around the world, to realize our mission in what undoubtedly will be an exciting new era.”

For more information on Srikant Datar and Harvard Business School, see this article.

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