BITS School of Management announces Saravanan Kesavan as new dean

The BITS School of Management (BITSoM) has announced the appointment of Dr Saravanan Kesavan as its new Dean. He will take over from the Founding Dean, Dr Ranjan Banerjee, who has decided to explore opportunities outside the business school environment.

Dr Kesavan has a doctorate in technology and operations management from Harvard Business School, advanced degrees from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a B-Tech from IIT Madras. He has over 16 years of experience in academia, having served as a faculty member at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, where he was also the Associate Dean of the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Dr Kesavan is a renowned scholar in the field of operations management, and his research has been published in leading academic journals, including Management Science, Operations Research, and Production and Operations Management. He is also a recipient of numerous teaching awards, and is known for his engaging and effective teaching style.

In his new role as Dean of BITSoM, Dr Kesavan plans to focus on building on the school's strong foundation and making it one of the leading business schools in the world. He is particularly interested in developing innovative programs that prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century workforce.

Chancellor BITS Pilani, Kumar Mangalam Birla, said, “As a key member of the founding team, Dr Banerjee played a pivotal role in establishing a firm foundation for BITSoM, fostering strong ties with both students and corporates. He was instrumental in developing initiatives such as the tailored personal development programme, mentorship programme, the management ideas festival—Beacon, and in building a robust career services team. Over the last two years, BITSoM has emerged as a truly new-age business school.” 

Also Read: RBI not considering re-introduction of Rs 1,000 currency notes: Report