Professor Himanshu Rai is the Director of IIM Indore. Under his leadership IIM Indore got the triple crown accreditation of AMBA, AACSB and EQUIS making it one of the 100 institutions in the world to have the honor. Prior to this he has been the Dean of SDA Bocconi India campus, Professor at SDA Bocconi, Milan, and has taught at IIM Lucknow and XLRI. His profile includes a stint of over 8 years at Tata Steel, India, where he played a pivotal role in developing Quality Systems and the Communication Policy for the Company. He is an alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad and KREC Surathkal. His book titled “Negotiation” is a bestseller and his TEDx talk on “Ethical Leadership: Lessons from the Vedas” won him several accolades the world over. His latest book titled “Organizational Behavior” is co-authored with Steven McShane and Mary Ann Von Glinow. He has trained over 25,000 professionals both in the government as well as private sector in “Negotiations” and “Leadership”. He provides consultancy to the government of India, state governments, world bank and the Indian industry and industry bodies.

Himanshu is the Chairperson of the board of directors, Indore Management Association, Chairperson of the Advisory Board of Durban University of Technology Business School, South Africa, and Member, International Advisory Board of ESC Clermont Graduate School of Management, France. He is on the advisory committee of National Commission for women (NCW), member of the high-powered advisory committee on Indian Knowledge System (IKS) of Ministry of Education, and member Vision@2047 committee of the Government of India. He is an independent director on the boards of several companies and advisor to several startups. His personal initiative Centre for Conflict Management is helping resolve intrapersonal and interpersonal conflicts among the youth across several countries.

He is a recipient of NTSE Scholarship, Infosys Fellowship, and LMA Outstanding Management Professional Award 2022, among numerous other awards and honours. He has also been adjudged as being among 25 most influencing voices from India by LinkedIn, and among top 10 motivational speakers from India by media.com. 

Himanshu also practices and teaches Yoga, and considers the Himalayas his spiritual abode. Passionate about mountaineering and trekking, he has scaled Kilimanjaro, Everest Base Camp, Rudragaira, Kala Patthar, Nagakarsang, Khatling and Chandrashila peaks.

An avid quizzer, Himanshu has conducted over a hundred quiz shows across the country and has had a delightful stint in dramatics with many plays to his credit, both as an actor and a director. He also juggles a keen interest in reading and collecting books with a strong passion for music.