Press Release

In a global first, AACSB welcomes its first representative from an Indian business school.

Varun Nagaraj, Dean of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR), has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the world’s leading standard-setting body for business education. He will represent the Asia Pacific region on the global board.

“On behalf of AACSB’s global community, we extend our sincere congratulations to Dean Varun Nagaraj on his appointment to the Board of Directors,” said Lily Bi, president and CEO of AACSB. “As we celebrate 110 years of advancing quality and impact in business education around the world, this milestone marks another meaningful chapter in our history. Dean Nagaraj’s leadership and perspective will further strengthen AACSB’s mission to connect, elevate, and transform business education globally, and we are proud to welcome representation from India to our Board for the first time.”

SPJIMR is the first Indian business school to be represented on the AACSB Board in its 110-year history. While individuals of Indian origin have previously served on the Board, they have represented institutions located outside of India. Dr. Nagaraj’s three-year term commences on July 1, 2026.

“I look forward to collaborating with colleagues worldwide to elevate the impact of business schools. SPJIMR’s commitment to wise innovation and societal impact closely aligns with AACSB’s vision of driving meaningful change in business and society,” said Dr. Nagaraj.

A practitioner-academic, Dr. Nagaraj is a Professor of Information Management, and has served as the Dean of SPJIMR since 2021. He brings over three decades of industry experience to his role as Dean, including leadership roles as CEO of venture-funded start-ups and public companies, and as a Partner at PRTM Management Consulting. His research and teaching focuses on responsible/wise innovation, product management, and entrepreneurship. His research has been published in Journal of Product Innovation Management, California Management Review, Research-Technology Management, Edward-Elgar’s Handbook of Digital Entrepreneurship, and in popular media.

Dr. Nagaraj holds a BTech in Electrical Engineering from IIT Bombay, an MS from North Carolina State University, an MBA from Boston University, and a PhD from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University.

Founded in 1916, AACSB is the global standard-setting body for business education, advancing excellence through accreditation, thought leadership, and transformative learning across more than 100 countries.

About SPJIMR

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR) is one of India’s leading postgraduate management institutes. It is recognised in the Financial Times MiM rankings as the #35 business school globally and among the Top 3 in India, ranked by Business Today as one of the country’s top five business schools, and rated by the Positive Impact Rating as one of the top five schools worldwide for societal impact. Known for its innovative and socially conscious approach to management education, research, and community engagement, SPJIMR aims to influence managerial practice and promote the value-based growth of its students, alumni, organisations and its leaders, and society. SPJIMR holds the international ‘Triple Crown’ of accreditations from EQUIS, AACSB, and AMBA.

Visit spjimr.org for more information.

For media inquiries, please contact: mediarelations@spjimr.org