Prof. Soumitra Dutta

Dean, Said School of Business | Oxford University

Soumitra Dutta brings a unique perspective on business and technology strategy in a global world. With a PhD in artificial intelligence and computer science from the University of California at Berkeley, Dutta brings a deep grounding in data sciences and advanced technologies. Having spent more than three decades of his career in leading business schools across the Atlantic (INSEAD and Cornell University) he has conducted extensive research in and consulted with leading global firms on building effective technology and innovation strategies. As the co-founder and founder respectively of two major global technology/innovation indices, the Network Readiness Index (published for 15 years by the World Economic Forum) and the Global Innovation Index (published for 10 years by the World Intellectual Property Organization), Dutta has worked with several governments on formulating national technology and innovation policies. Having served on the boards of major international corporations including Sodexo, Dassault Systemes and ZS Associates, he is at home dealing with strategic business issues at the highest levels. He also enjoys working with smaller startups (many started by his students) and he has co-founded two technology startups – Fisheye Analytics (a social media analytics firm that was sold to the WPP Communications Group in 2013) and Igesia (an Edutech firm started in 2019). He is deeply involved with non-profits and is on the boards of several global business schools including Centrum Catholica (Peru), HEC Montreal, University of Los Andes (Colombia), ESADE (Spain) and others. He has chaired the largest business school accrediting agency, AACSB and is currently the chair of GBSN (the Global Business School Network). He has been involved for more than a decade with the activities of the World Economic Forum and has served as the co-Chair of the Forum’s Global Future Council on Innovation Ecosystems. He is a powerful public speaker and brings a refreshing global perspective from his deep personal knowledge of Asia, Europe and the Americas. In 2017, he was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award from his alma mater, the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.