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IIMB Archives
Professor Pankaj Chandra served the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) as Director during a transformative phase in the Institute’s history. His tenure marked a period of global recognition, academic expansion, strengthened research output, and deeper international engagement. As reflected in successive Annual Reports of the Institute, Professor Chandra’s leadership significantly advanced IIMB’s aspiration to become a globally respected research-led management institution.
Professor Chandra holds a PhD from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and a BTech from the Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University. Before and during his association with IIMB, he built a strong academic profile through research, teaching, and administrative leadership. He has taught at leading global institutions including McGill University, University of Geneva, The Wharton School, International University of Japan, Cornell University, Renmin University (Beijing), and IIM Ahmedabad (IIMA), and worked briefly with The World Bank in Washington D.C.
Earlier in his career, he served as Chairperson of the Doctoral Program at IIMA, was the first Associate Dean (Academic) at ISB Hyderabad, and helped found the Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship at IIMA, serving as its Chairperson. His scholarship has focused on operations strategy, supply chain management, manufacturing competitiveness, technological capability building in Indian firms, and hi-tech entrepreneurship.
At IIMB, Professor Chandra was associated primarily with the Production & Operations Management area. His research and teaching interests spanned manufacturing management; supply chain coordination; operations strategy; technology & innovation management; building technological capabilities in Indian manufacturing firms; hi-tech entrepreneurship; public systems and infrastructure; and competitiveness of manufacturing and services.
During his tenure as Director, he worked closely with and strengthened several Centres of Excellence, including the N. S. Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning; the Centre for Public Policy; the Centre for Supply Chain Management (established in 2006–07 during his tenure); and the Centre for Corporate Governance and Citizenship. These centres expanded their academic and policy outreach significantly during this period.
Professor Chandra contributed to multiple programs at IIMB, including the flagship Post Graduate Program in Management (PGP); the Fellow Program in Management (FPM) – doctoral education; the Executive Post Graduate Program (EPGP); and Executive Education (Open and Custom MDPs/OBPs).
The one-year Executive Post Graduate Program in Management (EPGP) was launched on April 3, 2009 during Professor Pankaj Chandra’s tenure. Under his leadership, enrolment in doctoral and executive programs expanded. The Institute saw steady growth in FPM registrations and doctoral graduations, along with strong performance in placements and executive education delivery.
Professor Chandra’s tenure is especially remembered for strengthening IIMB’s research identity with significant growth in scholarly publications and case output; strategic partnerships for global case dissemination; collaboration with the Richard Ivey School of Business for co-branding and distributing IIMB-authored cases; and the landmark partnership with Harvard Business Publishing (HBP), making IIMB the first Indian B-school to distribute its cases through HBP. These milestones placed IIMB’s intellectual output on the global academic map and significantly enhanced the visibility of India-focused management cases.
The Institute also entered research collaborations with international universities such as University of Exeter, Singapore Management University, Cornell University, and Queen’s School of Business. These partnerships expanded collaborative publications, faculty exchange, and joint research.
Professor Chandra engaged actively with government, industry, and public systems. He served as:
His advisory roles extended to policy discussions, innovation systems, higher education reform, and governance frameworks, contributing to both academic and national discourse.
During his leadership, the Institute strengthened public policy research and training initiatives, and strategic collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) was formalized to promote research in technology, innovation, and science-driven entrepreneurship.
Professor Chandra has authored and co-authored numerous scholarly papers in operations, manufacturing competitiveness, and technological capability building. During his tenure, research publications in top-tier journals increased significantly; faculty were encouraged and supported to pursue international collaborations, and institutional funding mechanisms were strengthened to support research and doctoral education.
Under his direction, IIMB moved decisively toward a research-based institutional model, emphasizing intellectual leadership alongside teaching excellence. Three Young Faculty Research Chairs were instituted in 2009-10 with a view to identify, encourage and support world-class scholarship within the institute.
His reforms were aligned with a long-term vision: to build IIMB as a globally recognised, research-intensive management institution. Professor Pankaj Chandra guided the process and contributed significantly to the Long Term Vision document of IIMB, which was formally adopted on 16 January, 2009.
As Director, Professor Chandra guided the Institute through EQUIS, the European Quality Improvement System Certification (EFMD Quality Improvement System) accreditation from the European Foundation Management Education (EFMD) and global ranking recognitions. Under his stewardship, IIMB achieved EQUIS accreditation in 2010-2011; consistent “Five Palmes” recognition by the Eduniversal Worldwide Business School Ranking; and enhanced global positioning in management education. IIMB joined the Global Network for Advanced Management (GNAM) in 2012.
As Director, Professor Chandra worked closely with the Board of Governors. He oversaw expansion of infrastructure, including new classroom complexes and campus development. During Professor Chandra’s tenure, in 2011-12, the Government of Karnataka allotted 110 acres to IIMB for expansion purposes in Mahantlingapura, Jigani hobli, Anekal taluk, 25 km from the Bannerghatta Road campus.
Professor Pankaj Chandra’s tenure saw the creation of the IIMB Alumni Association Trust on September 29, 2009. IIMB also hosted the making of the film ‘Three Idiots’ on campus, which Professor Chandra saw as a means to bring the campus alive for the alumni and to build pride within the alumni for their alma mater, as also an opportunity to engage with the entertainment industry, one of the largest industries in the world.
Professor Pankaj Chandra is thought of as a strategic thinker who combined academic rigour with institutional vision. Faculty members remember his emphasis on research depth, doctoral quality, and global benchmarking. Students recall his encouragement of entrepreneurship and alternative career pathways, including deferral policies to support startups.
Professor Chandra’s tenure is often described as a “bridge phase” — connecting IIMB’s strong teaching legacy to a research-driven, globally networked future. The international MoUs, policy committee engagements, case partnerships, and doctoral expansion undertaken during his leadership laid foundations that continue to shape IIMB’s academic character. His leadership helped position IIMB not only as a premier Indian B-school, but as an emerging global thought leader in management education. His legacy remains visible in IIMB’s continued emphasis on research excellence, global engagement, innovation ecosystems, and institutional transformation.
Link to snippets from an interview with Prof. Pankaj Chandra, on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of IIMB 2023, recorded on 9 May 2023.
https://www.iimb.ac.in/archives/pankaj.php