A “stable hand with a proven track record in leadership” is a phrase that typically gets a unisonous vote from corporates across the board, more so in times of global uncertainties. It is perhaps with good reason that the executive board of the Indian School of Business (ISB) announced on Friday that Professor Madan Pillutla will continue as dean for a second five-year term. The school describes it as a reaffirmation of its “confidence in his leadership and vision for the institution’s next phase of growth and global impact, as the school celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.”
In an era where ‘training’ is term fitted more to algorithmic models than to management education, institutions that nurture talent that can handle turbulent times better could prove crucial with problems galore. With troubling thoughts around geo-political uncertainties and their implications, a market that has both a corporate laggard and a leviathan defining their version of the emerging landscape, the looming threat of Artificial Intelligence (AI) upending pedagogy. All of it with a tidal wave of foreign schools hitting the shores seeking to operate and compete.
It is therefore with good reason that some of the executive board members of ISB point to Professor Pillutla track-record of achievements in his first term that more than justifies reasons to repose faith in his leadership. According to the note from the school, during his first term as dean, the school oversaw “several strategic initiatives that strengthened ISB’s academic offerings, research impact, entrepreneurship ecosystem, and institutional brand.” These included the launch of the Post Graduate Programme in Management for Young Leaders (PGP YL); I-Venture Immersive (ivi), a first-of-its-kind residential programme for aspiring entrepreneurs and ISB Discover, India’s first practitioner-focused digital platform that translates faculty research into actionable insights for business, policy, and society. He also led the curriculum redesign of ISB’s flagship Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP), ensuring it remains aligned with the evolving needs of business and industry.
Under Professor Pillutla’s tenure, ISB has strengthened its global standing, with its flagship Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) securing the #12 position globally in the Financial Times Global MBA Rankings 2026. That alone, a board member felt, was a worthy reason to let the dean continue his term in office.
The note quotes, Harish Manwani, Chairman of the Executive Board at ISB, as saying: “Professor Pillutla’s first term has been marked by several significant milestones for the school… This period has also seen a marked strengthening of ISB’s philanthropic base, with sustained growth in fundraising and an expanding community of donors and partners committing to the school’s long-term vision. We look forward to the continued growth and impact of ISB under his stewardship in the years ahead.” With Professor Madan Pillutla responding with his resolve “to strengthen ISB’s contribution to India’s future by developing responsible leaders, generating knowledge that matters, and serving business and society.”
Professor Pillutla’s relationship with ISB runs since the School’s inception. He taught the founding batch of the Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) and has served as the Area Leader for Organisational Behaviour. Prior to his role as Dean at ISB, he held distinguished academic and administrative positions at the London Business School (LBS) as a Professor of Organisational Behaviour.