Professor Kalyan Singhal joined the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) in October 1974 and served until 1978, playing an instrumental role in the formative years of the Institute. Appointed in the Production and Operations Management Area, he was also the first Coordinator of the Education Sector. He contributed extensively to the Post Graduate Programme (PGP), teaching both core and elective courses, including Basic Mathematics, Applications of Operations Research, and Operations Management. He introduced innovative pedagogical approaches such as real-world projects, where students redesigned Bangalore’s City Market, and encouraged summer projects and electives that gave shape to PGP’s specialization framework. Prof. Singhal also contributed to the Fellow Programme in Management (FPM) and the Tamil Nadu Teacher Training Programme, developing management teachers and policy professionals.

In academic administration, he was the first Chair of the Production and Operations Management Area, helping to build it into one of the largest such groups globally by 1977. He spearheaded the Education Management Sector and led pioneering programmes for engineering college principals and executives from Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. His consultancy work included landmark projects such as the cement distribution study commissioned by the Ministry of Industry, which demonstrated large-scale cost savings, and assignments for Binny’s Ltd. and Coromandel Fertilisers. He was also a joint coordinator of the seminar on Rural Social Organisation in Ayyandur, Tamil Nadu, underscoring IIMB’s early commitment to socially relevant education. His tenure reflects a blend of institution building, curriculum innovation, impactful consultancy, and pioneering contributions to management education in India.