The Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) has a reputation for developing world-class leaders. Four of its most successful alumni moved to the United States and reached the absolute pinnacle of their fields. From leading global financial institutions to leading Ivy League universities, these graduates are redefining international leadership.
Ajay Banga
Ajay Banga is President of the World Bank Group. He becomes the first Indian-born executive to hold the position in the bank’s history, commencing his five-year term on June 2, 2023.
Prior to joining the World Bank, he served as Vice Chairman of General Atlantic and previously served as President and CEO of Mastercard. He served as President of the International Chamber of Commerce (2020-2022) and has served on the boards of directors of the American Red Cross, Kraft Foods, and The Dow Company. He is also a co-founder of the Cyber Readiness Institute, according to a company profile.
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he received Padma Shri In 2016, he was honored by the President of India. In addition, he was awarded the Singapore Public Service Star Award and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2022.
In 2015, the IIM Ahmedabad alumnus visited his alma mater as the chief guest along with his wife Ritu Banga at the institute’s 50th convocation ceremony and established scholarships named “Ajay Banga Industry Scholarship” and “Ritu Banga Industry Scholarship”.
The Student Yearbook 1980-81 described him as: “A warm-hearted man with a hearty laugh and, no doubt, a voracious appetite. A steady, sensible, funny man who combines work with pleasure with the right amount of seriousness and ‘pace.'” Always be prepared with a second helping of ice cream and other goodies in life, some of which Gujarat cannot provide in the required quantities, despite having military camps. His academic foundation is solid, and his classroom CP delivers speeches with the piercing decibel voice of a corporate prophet. Toole and the Beatles sang from a stolen DJ speaker that was cleverly hidden in a corner of his room. He was always ready to help, whether it was with finances or rail bookings, and his boisterous laughter and deep animal calls echoed off the walls of D-5 every day. One of those pillars of indifference in good times and bad. All in all, he is a man for all seasons and no doubt the “seasons” will prove it! “
Srikanth Datar
He became the eleventh dean of Harvard Business School (HBS). While on the faculty, “he served as senior associate dean for university affairs (including faculty chair of the Harvard Innovation Lab), research, executive education, faculty development, and faculty recruitment.“
““Srikant Datar is an innovative educator, distinguished scholar, and experienced academic leader,” then-Harvard President Larry Bacow said of Datar when announcing the 2020 appointment. Datar joined the Harvard Business School faculty in 1996. Since 2015, he has also served as Chair of the Harvard Innovation Lab (i-lab).
While studying at IIM-A, he served as Coordinator, Student Affairs Committee (1977-78). He also received the Outstanding Overall Performance Award. In an interview with IIM-A, he shared how he applied to the institution after completing his chartered accountancy qualification.
In a 2018 interview, he reflected on his time as a student, saying, “It was a completely unbelievable experience.” He also mentioned his professors who made his life better.
Datar attended the PGP program at IIM Ahmedabad from 1976 to 1978. He has said that his time at the academy was “the most memorable”. He also said, “Without IIM Ahmedabad, I don’t think I would have had the opportunities that I have now.”
Raghu Sundaram
According to the official website of the New York University Stern School of Business, Raghu Sundaram is the senior vice president and chief global officer of New York University and the honorary dean of the Stern School of Business.
He also served as dean of New York University’s Stern School of Business from 2018 to 2024. Additionally, he served as Associate Dean for MBA Programs and Online Learning from 2016 to 2017. Before joining NYU Stern School of Business in 1996, he served as a faculty member at the University of Rochester.
according to his LinkedInIn 1984, he completed his MBA degree and graduated from IIM-A. In addition to his PG degree, he holds a BA in Economics from the University of Madras. In addition, he holds master’s and doctoral degrees in economics from Cornell University.
Chandrika Krishnamurthy Tandon
Chandrika Krishnamurthy Tandon is a two-time Grammy nominee and first-time winner at the 67th annual Grammy Awards. After completing her education at Madras Christian College, she pursued postgraduate studies (PGP) at IIM-A in 1975. Last month, she promised $Rs 100 crore will be provided to IIM-A to establish an Institute of Artificial Intelligence.
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She started her career as Finance Director at Citibank India. After three years there, she spent eleven years as a partner at McKinsey & Company. In 2009, she established the Krishnamurthy Tandon Foundation in New York.
She is a trustee of New York University. She is a past chair and current member of the Board of Trustees of the NYU Tandon School of Engineering, chair of the NYU President’s Global Council, and a trustee of NYU Langone Health.
