Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) has appointed Professor Bharat Bhasker as its new Director for a period of five years.

Professor Bhasker currently holds the position of Professor of Information Technology and Systems at IIM Lucknow and will assume the position with effect from March 1, 2023. 

In the interim, the Board of Governors has appointed Prof Arindam Banerjee as the Director-In-Charge for the period Feb 1, 2023 to Feb 28, 2023.

“As a successful leader and a Professor of technology with experience of working in India and across the globe, I am confident that he will carry forward the legacy and lead the institute to newer horizons in today’s digital, globalised world,” said Pankaj R Patel, Chairperson, IIMA Board of Governors.

A committee was set up by the IIMA Board of Governors, that shortlisted 13 candidates for the position. Based on the search and selection committee’s recommendations, the Board of Governors announced the appointment of Professor Bhasker as the next Director for the institute, during a meeting held at the IIMA campus on Monday.

Professor Bhasker is an experienced Information Technology leader with almost three decades of experience in industry, research, teaching, and consulting in India and globally. Until recently, he has served a five-year term as the Director of IIM Raipur from March 2017 to March 2022. 

Before joining IIM Raipur, he has been associated with IIM Lucknow for over two decades having served in various capacities including being the acting Director of IIM Lucknow for a period of five months during July and November 2015. 

He has also served as the Dean Planning & Development at IIM Sirmaur from 2003 to 2005.

He has been a Visiting Professor at ESSEC Business School, Paris, France and University of Texas, Dallas, USA. He was a Distinguished Professor at Chung- Ang University, Seoul, Korea, was a Research Professor at University of California, Riverside, USA and Adjunct Faculty at Information Systems, Univ. of Maryland, College Park

Prof Bhasker has held senior positions with multiple organisations globally including the Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA, SYBASE Inc, MDL Information Systems amongst others.

A B.Tech. graduate from IIT Roorkee, Prof Bhasker obtained his M.S. and Ph.D. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA