Srikant Datar

Srikant Datar
Name	Srikant Datar
Birth date	1 October 1954
Birth place	Bombay, Maharashtra, India
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of Bombay (B.Com), Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (PGDM), Stanford University (M.S., Ph.D.)
Occupation	Academic administrator, Economist, Author
Employer	Harvard University
Title	Dean of the Harvard Business School, Arthur Lowes Dickinson Professor of Business Administration
Predecessor	Nitin Nohria
Successor	Incumbent

Srikant Datar is an Indian-American academic administrator, economist, and author who serves as the eleventh dean of the Harvard Business School. He is the Arthur Lowes Dickinson Professor of Business Administration at the school, recognized globally for his expertise in management accounting, cost accounting, and business strategy. Datar's career spans decades of influential scholarship, transformative leadership in business education, and significant contributions to the pedagogy of accounting and performance measurement.

Early life and education

Born in Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra, India, Datar completed his undergraduate studies in commerce at the University of Bombay. He then earned a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, a leading institution for management education in South Asia. Pursuing further academic training, he moved to the United States and attended Stanford University, where he received a Master of Science in statistics and a Doctor of Philosophy in business administration.

Academic career

Datar began his academic career as a faculty member at the Carnegie Mellon Graduate School of Industrial Administration, now known as the Tepper School of Business. He joined the faculty of Stanford Graduate School of Business before moving to Harvard Business School in 1996. At Harvard, he has held several key leadership roles, including serving as the senior associate dean for university affairs, senior associate dean for executive education, and faculty chair of the Harvard Innovation Labs. His teaching and research have significantly influenced the MBA and Executive Education curricula at these elite institutions.

Contributions to management accounting

Datar is a seminal figure in the field of management accounting, known for integrating innovative cost management techniques with broader organizational strategy. His research has extensively explored topics such as activity-based costing, balanced scorecard, productivity measurement, and the design of performance measurement systems. He co-authored the leading textbook "Cost Accounting: A Managerial Emphasis" with Charles T. Horngren and George Foster, a work that has educated generations of students and professionals worldwide. His scholarship emphasizes the role of accounting information in managerial decision-making and corporate governance.

Leadership at Harvard Business School

Appointed dean of Harvard Business School in January 2021, succeeding Nitin Nohria, Datar has focused on steering the school through a period of significant change in higher education. His strategic priorities include advancing digital learning initiatives, strengthening the school's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and deepening engagement with the Harvard University ecosystem. Under his leadership, the school has launched new programs in fields like artificial intelligence and climate change, while continuing to uphold its mission of educating leaders who make a difference in the world.

Awards and honors

Throughout his distinguished career, Datar has received numerous accolades for his contributions to scholarship and education. He is a recipient of the American Accounting Association's Outstanding Educator Award and the Management Accounting Section's Lifetime Contribution Award. He has been recognized with multiple teaching awards from both Stanford Graduate School of Business and Harvard Business School. In 2023, he was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a testament to his broad impact on social science and public affairs.

Selected publications

Datar is a prolific author of academic articles, case studies, and influential textbooks. His notable works include *Cost Accounting: A Managerial Emphasis* (with Charles T. Horngren and George Foster), *Rethinking the MBA: Business Education at a Crossroads* (with David A. Garvin and Patrick G. Cullen), and *The Balanced Scorecard: Measures That Drive Performance* (with Robert S. Kaplan). He has also authored numerous Harvard Business Review articles and over a hundred case studies used in business school classrooms globally, covering companies from Tata Motors to Microsoft.

Category:1954 births Category:Living people Category:American economists Category:Harvard Business School deans Category:Indian emigrants to the United States Category:Stanford University alumni Category:University of Mumbai alumni