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The University of Oxford has appointed Indian-origin academic Professor Soumitra Dutta as the new Dean of its Saïd Business School.
Professor Dutta, currently Professor of Management at the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University in New York, will take up his new UK post on June 1 this year, the university said on Wednesday.
“I am delighted to be joining Saïd Business School at Oxford University. My daughter Sara graduated from Oxford and both my wife Lourdes and I spent a fruitful half-year sabbatical at Oxford. We are both looking forward to being part of this diverse, exciting and innovative community,” said Dutta.
“It is an honour to be appointed as Dean of the School, it is a unique institution placed within one of the world’s greatest universities. I very much look forward to collaborating with colleagues, students and alumni within Oxford Saïd and across Oxford, to move the school forward to higher levels of excellence and impact,” he said.
The university said the academic has a distinguished three-decade academic career behind him, including being current Chair of the Global Business School Network and 13 years in leadership roles at INSEAD in France.
Professor Dutta also serves on the boards of listed international corporations, has founded several successful start-ups, co-chaired the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on Innovation Ecosystems and created major global technology and innovation indices.
He has also acted as a senior advisor to governments on technology and innovation policies.
“I am delighted that Professor Dutta has accepted our offer to become the next Dean of Saïd Business School. He brings a global perspective, wide-ranging experience and deep knowledge of technology and of business education. I look forward to working with him,” said Professor Louise Richardson, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, who led on the appointment for the post.
The university said Dutta’s appointment marks the end of a global search to find the right person to lead Oxford Saïd, a “world leading business school within one of the world’s greatest universities”.
It follows the departure of Professor Peter Tufano, who stepped down after 10 years as Dean in June 2021.
Since then, Professor Sue Dopson has been leading the School as Interim Dean, working closely with joint Deputy Deans Professor Richard Barker, Associate Professor Jonathan Reynolds and Chief Operating Officer Sara Beck.
“We are excited to be welcoming Professor Dutta to lead our School community. He brings with him an incredible breadth of global leadership experience, from world-leading business schools, through to major corporations and down to small start-ups,” said Dopson.
“With Professor Dutta at the helm, we will continue to flourish as we focus on tackling complex, world-scale challenges through education,” she said.
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