Soumitra Dutta

About Soumitra Dutta

Soumitra Dutta brings a truly global perspective to the table having lived and worked in Europe, the United States and India. From 2006 to 2009, he oversaw global operations for INSEAD as dean of external relations, helping to develop business education in many of the emerging economies, like India, China, and Brazil. After 20 years at INSEAD he has taken up the top spot at Cornells Johnson School which he sees as an encouraging sign that America is beginning to develop a more international perspective.

Awards, Accolades, Achievements, Honours

Received the European Case of the Year from the European Case Clearing House in 2002, 2000, 1998, and 1997.

Background/History

Soumitra Dutta was born and brought up in India and still visits family in New Delhi several times a year, however after completing his studies in electrical engineering and computer Science at the Indian Institute of Technology; he left for California and a PhD in computer science at Berkeley. He worked in the U.S. for a spell at General Electric (GE), before moving to France in 1989 to take up a position as Roland Berger Professor of Business and Technology at INSEAD.

Career

To his own focus on globalization and emerging markets he adds many years experience applying technological research to business in order to innovate and solve real problems. His studies on the impact of social media in business led to the book Throwing Sheep in the Boardroom How Online Social Networking Will Transform Your Life, Work and World 2008 with Matthew Fraser. The book examines why senior managers fear social media and explains why they must get to grips with it and learn to use it to their advantage.

In 2008 he also co-authored the book Innovating at the Top: How Global CEOs Drive Innovation for Growth and Profit which looked at leadership development. Other books include The Bright Stuff and Embracing the Net about how companies must transform in order to create successful internet based businesses.

Every year Soumitra Duttas areas of expertise come together in the form of two highly influential reports on global technology and innovation; the Global Information Technology Report (co-published with the World Economic Forum) and the Global Innovation Index – a comprehensive international assessment of the impact of ICT on development and competitiveness.

His work often appears in leading journals such as the Harvard Business Review, European Management Journal and Management science. His work has been profiled in magazines and newspapers like Chief Executive Magazine, Forbes, and The McKinsey Quarterly.

He is on the advisory boards of several international business schools, has co-founded two firms and is on the board of several startups. He is currently a member of the Advisory Committee for ICT for the Government of Qatar and has advised other national governments on ICT policy issues.

Dutta is also a member of the elite Davos Circle who meet each year at the World Economic Forum.

Current/Past Roles and Positions

• Head of the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University.
• Authority on the impact of new technology on the business world, especially social media and social networking.
• Author and editor of 2 influential annual reports assessing the state of global innovation and technology.

Speaking Style

Soumitra Dutta is an extremely experienced speaker and business educator who presents with a great deal of warmth, knowledge and charm.