Dr. Shashank Shah is a stakeholder management strategist, public policy specialist, international researcher, and national bestselling author. He has been consistently ranked among ‘The Top 200 Most Influential Global Thought Leaders’ by peopleHum. His research and writings focus on economic and social value creation through visionary leadership, stakeholder-centric decision making and inclusive strategies. He has developed strategic perspectives and operational frameworks on leading multinational and Indian public and private sector firms, including Fortune 500 companies.

Academic Achievements and Qualifications

Dr. Shah has the unique distinction of being a Fellow at the world’s preeminent universities including Harvard and Oxford. He was awarded the prestigious ‘Chevening Gurukul Fellowship for Leadership and Excellence’ at the University of Oxford in 2021-22 by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the Govt. of United Kingdom. As part of the fellowship, he worked on a public policy research project on ‘Transforming Indian Higher Education: Benchmarks and Insights from Global Higher Education Systems’, with Prof. Simon Marginson, Director, Center for Global Higher Education, and Prof. Roger Goodman, Pro-Vice Chancellor, University of Oxford.

Between 2014 and 2017, he was J.N. Tata Trust Scholar at Harvard Business School, USA, where he worked in collaboration with Prof. Kasturi Rangan, Professor of Marketing and Co-Chairman of the Social Enterprise Initiative, in the areas of Corporate Social Responsibility and Inclusive Business. Between 2015 and 2017, he held joint appointment as Project Director and Fellow at Harvard University South Asia Institute (SAI), USA, and worked with the Director Prof. Tarun Khanna and led the project on ‘Livelihood Creation in India through Social Entrepreneurship and Skill Development’. The two-year project led to the upskilling of 100+ social entrepreneurs and 180,000+ rural artisans. He also served as Editor-in-Chief, Postdoctoral Editors Association at Harvard University. In 2011, he was Visiting Scholar at the Center for CSR, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark.

Dr. Shah received a Doctor of Philosophy in corporate stakeholder management under the joint supervision of Prof. Sudhir Bhaskar, Dean, Faculty of Management, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL), and Prof. Peter Pruzan, Emeritus Professor, Copenhagen Business School. He was awarded the AIMS International Outstanding Doctoral Management Students Award 2010 at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. He completed his double post-graduation in Business Management from SSSIHL where he received the President of India and Governor’s Gold Medals for standing first at the University in the MBA and MPhil programmes. He completed his graduation in Commerce with a specialisation in Accountancy and Taxation from University of Mumbai in 2002. He was a recipient of the ‘Mr. Mumbai University’ Award from Prof. Bhalchandra Mungekar, Vice Chancellor, University of Mumbai, at the 33rd Annual Youth Festival of the University in 2001. He was also conferred the Saraswati Award and Gold Medal by Bruhad Mumbai Gujarati Samaj for top honours in Class XII exams in 1999.

Research and Publications

Dr. Shah has published ~250 research-based papers, articles, case studies and technical notes in peer-reviewed national and international publications in the areas of stakeholder management, public policy, innovation and entrepreneurship, leadership and governance, higher education, humanised healthcare, corporate responsibility and sustainability, inclusive business, human values and ethics. These have been published by eminent publishers including Harvard Business School, Springer, Sage, Emerald, and Macmillan Publications. He has authored three highly acclaimed books, co-edited five books and four monographs in these areas.

His first book ‘Soulful Corporations: A Values-Based Perspective on Corporate Responsibility’ was published by Springer as part of the India Economy Series in 2013 and has been reviewed in leading management journals in India and Europe. His second book ‘Win-Win Corporations: The Indian Way of Shaping Successful Strategies’ was published by Penguin Random House in December 2016 and was featured for a special book launch at the Confederation of Indian Industry-Govt. of India’s International Partnership Summit and the Kolkata Literature Festival 2017. Over 20 industry captains and subject experts acclaimed his work through insightful observations.

His third and most recent book ‘The Tata Group: From Torchbearers to Trailblazers’ is published by Penguin Random House. It captures the 150 years of India’s largest and most globalized conglomerate – The Tata Group from several lenses including leadership, culture, governance, customer-centricity, people and supply chain practices, corporate responsibility, and nation-building. The book was selected for an exclusive cover launch at the Tata Literature Festival 2018. It has been acclaimed by several subject experts from India and overseas as the most definitive book on the group and featured at the International Book Fair New Delhi, Kolkata Literature Festival, Madras Management Association, Tata Sons, Tata Motors and TCS headquarters, and several other platforms. Amazon listed it among the most memorable books of 2018. Penguin Random House acknowledged it as a National Bestseller in 2021 and released a special edition with a foreword by Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus, Tata Group.

Professional Experience and Affiliations

Dr. Shah has served as Board Research Chair, Institute of Risk Management, and Academic Advisory Council Member, New Delhi Institute of Management. He has been a Fellow, European SPES Institute Belgium; International Advisory and Editorial Board Member, Journal of Values-Based Leadership, Valparaiso University, USA; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Review of Professional Management; and Reviewer, Journal of Human Values (Sage Publications), Harvard Business History Review (Cambridge University Press), Emerging Market Case Study Series (Emerald Publications) Journal of Management, Religion and Spirituality (Taylor and Francis Publications), International Journal of Indian Culture and Business Management (Inderscience Publications); Book Reviewer for Palgrave Macmillan; and Consulting Editor, The Business India Group. He was a nominated member at the International Project Management Advisory Board, IIB Council, USA, and Malaysia.

Dr. Shah has been an invited Research Faculty at Executive Development Programmes organised by the Harvard University South Asia Institute, World Bank and the Govt. of India, Harvard Business School Executive Education, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, and the Larsen & Toubro Group of companies. These programmes were organised for middle and senior management executives with 15 to 35 years of professional experience and focused on diverse themes including: ‘Non-State Players in Human Development – Achieving India’s Goals’, ‘Organisational Stewardship and ESG’, ‘Multi-Stakeholder Value Creation’, and ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’.

Public Speaking

A TEDx and Talks at Google speaker, Dr. Shah has given 250+ invited lectures and keynote addresses in 50+ cities globally. These include eminent higher education institutions like Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), Indian School of Business (ISB) Hyderabad, BITS Pilani, Management Development Institute (MDI) Gurgaon, SP Jain Institute of Management & Research, and Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) Gandhinagar; leading public and private corporations like Tata Group, NTPC, Amdocs, and National Housing Bank; prestigious platforms like the Manipur Legislative Assembly, Delhi and Madras Management Associations, Young Presidents’ Organization Nepal, NASSCOM Foundation, National HRD Network, Rajasthan IAS Association, CIO Klub, Chief Learning Officers Summit, and Traditional Art Entrepreneurship Summit; popular literature festivals at Kolkata, Pune and Mumbai; and impactful social welfare institutions like Tata Trusts, Reliance Foundation, Rotary International, United Way, and Sri Sathya Sai Organisations.

Media Presence

His work and interviews have been featured in leading Indian dailies including The Times of India, The Economic Times, Hindustan Times, Mint, The Hindu, DNA, The Indian Express, The Financial Express, The Statesman, The Free Press Journal, The Pioneer, The Tribune, The New Indian Express, Business Standard, Quartz India, Scroll, Millennium Post, International Business Times, and leading business magazines such as Business India, Business Today, and Business World.

In July 2022, Dr. Shashank Shah delivered the 30th Convocation Address of the Institute for Technology and Management at Navi Mumbai. He was interviewed for the prestigious programme ‘State of the Economy’ on the Rajya Sabha TV channel of the Indian Parliament in January 2017, ‘Beyond The Lines’ a show with bestselling business authors on Amazon Fire TV in June 2019, ‘Awaaz Desh Ki’, a show on Sansad TV, and several other shows and podcasts in Asia, Australia and North America.

Knowledge Creation and Dissemination

He has interviewed 250+ senior leaders across national and multinational corporations in India and top academics from USA and Europe including the Harvard Business School, Harvard Kennedy School, MIT Sloan Business School, Boston University, Stern School of Business, Darden School of Business, INSEAD, University of Oxford, Copenhagen Business School, and experts from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the United Nations. Through his two-decade-long research, he has curated insights on best-in-class practices in Strategy, Sustainability and Social Responsibility, and a knowledge base of multi-sectoral, multi-industry and multi-stakeholder leadership insights of a collective experience of 5,000+ years, which he presents at diverse platforms.

INSTITUTIONAL AFFILIATIONS


Faculty Chair, Learning and Development Programmes, Larsen & Toubro, Mumbai, 2021-22

Research Chair and Strategic Advisory Board Member, Institute of Risk Management, Mumbai, 2020-22

Member, Strategic Advisory Board, LokiBots Inc., San Francisco Bay Area, USA, 2020-22

Corporate Strategy and Research Advisor, Pratian Technologies, Bangalore, 2020-22

Reviewer, Harvard Business History Review, Cambridge University Press, 2019 onward

Member, Academic Advisory Council, New Delhi Institute of Management, 2019-22

Member, Editorial Advisory Board, Review of Professional Management, 2019 onward

Consulting Editor, The Business India Group, 2017-2022

Advisory Board Member, IIB Council, Malaysia and USA, 2017-2021

Book Reviewer, Palgrave Macmillan, 2017-18

Columnist, Businessworld, 2017-18

Subject Expert, Thought Leadership Study on Corporate Responsibility, EY India, 2016

Editor-in-Chief, Postdoctoral Editors Association, Harvard University, 2016-17

Project Director and Fellow, Harvard University South Asia Institute, USA, 2015-17

Research Faculty, Executive Education Programme on Corporate Social Responsibility in India, Harvard Business School, 2015

Reviewer, Journal of Management, Religion and Spirituality, Taylor & Francis Publications, 2015 onward

Visiting Scholar, Harvard Business School, USA, 2014-17

Fellow, European SPES Institute, Belgium, 2014 onward

Invited Expert Faculty, Executive Development Programme (EDP), jointly organised by Harvard University South Asia Institute (SAI), World Bank and the Department of Public Enterprises, Government of India, 2014

Joint Secretary and Treasurer, Sri Sathya Sai Students & Staff Welfare Society, Prasanthi Nilayam, 2012-14

International Advisory and Editorial Board Member, Journal of Values-Based Leadership, Valparaiso University, USA, 2012 onward

Reviewer, Journal of Human Values, Sage Publications, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, 2012-17

Reviewer, Emerging Market Case Study Series, Emerald Publishers, United Kingdom, 2012-17

Visiting Scholar, Center for Corporate Social Responsibility, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark, 2011

Invited Researcher, The Academy of Business in Society, France, 2011

Invited Researcher, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay School of Management, 2011

Invited Resource Person, Executive Development Programme in Corporate Social Responsibility, School of Management, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, 2011

Invited Resource Person, Ninth Annual PhD Conference at CEDEP (Centre for Executive Education and Development) INSEAD, Paris, 2011

Post Doctoral Fellow, Faculty of Management & Commerce, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, 2011-14

Editor-in-Chief, Publications Division, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Prasanthi Nilayam, 2008-14

Keynotes & Addresses



- Chief Guest, Business World Education Summit, New Delhi, 2023
- Keynote Speaker, Elets World Education Summit, New Delhi, 2023
- Invited Speaker, Mint India Public Policy Summit, New Delhi, 2023
- Invited Speaker, 1st Acumen Global Gateway Summit on Higher Education, New Delhi, 2023
- Invited Speaker, 2nd Education East Summit, CII, Kolkata, 2023
- Convocation Address, Institute for Technology & Management, Navi Mumbai, 2022
- Invited Speaker, World Education Summit, Govt. of Telangana, Hyderabad, 2022
- Invited Speaker, Global Education Summit, Adani University, Gandhinagar, 2022
- Keynote Speaker, National Vigilance Week, National Housing Bank, 2021
- Invited Speaker, JRD Tata Anniversary Celebrations, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), 2021
- Invited Speaker, Leadership Café Series, Amdocs, 2021
- Invited Speaker, Series on Emerging Reality of Industry Leadership, NTPC, 2021
- Invited Speaker, Indian School of Business (ISB) Hyderabad, 2021
- Invited Speaker, Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), Nepal, 2021
- Keynote Speaker, Annual Marketing Conclave, Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon, 2020
- Invited Speaker, Tata Edge Webinar Series, Tata Business Excellence Group, 2020
- Invited Speaker, ‘Bounce Back’ Webinar Series, Larsen & Toubro, 2020
- Invited Speaker, PeopleHum Leadership Interview Series, 2020
- Keynote Speaker, Talks at Google, Hyderabad, 2019
- Keynote Speaker, Tata Motors, Pune, 2019
- Invited Speaker, Manipur Legislative Assembly, Imphal, 2019
- Invited Speaker, Madras Management Association Annual Convention, Chennai, 2019
- TEDx Speaker, Annual Symposium, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani Campus, 2019
- Keynote Speaker, Tata Consultancy Services, Bangalore, Gandhinagar, Pune, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai, 2019
- Invited Speaker, India Business Literature Festival, Pune, 2019
- Invited Speaker, Health Officers Meet, Tata Trusts, Mumbai, 2019
- Keynote Speaker, Chief Marketing Officers Meet, Tata Sons, Mumbai, 2019
- Invited Speaker, National HRD Network Annual Convention, Chennai, 2019
- Keynote Speaker, Tata@150 Valedictory Event, Tata Sons, Mumbai, 2019
- Keynote Speaker, Rajasthan IAS Association Literary Event, Jaipur, 2019
- Invited Speaker, Kolkata Literature Festival, 2017; 2019
- Keynote Speaker, CIO Klub, 9th Anniversary Celebrations, Pune, 2019
- Invited Speaker, Book Talk Series, Vikram Sarabhai Library, Indian Institute of Management, 2019
- Special Address, SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai, 2019
- Keynote Speaker, Bennett University, Greater Noida, 2019
- Keynote Speaker, New Delhi Institute of Management, 2019, 2020
- Invited Speaker, Vivekanand Institute of Management Studies and Research, Mumbai, 2019
- Keynote Speaker, City Book Leaders Anniversary Celebrations, Gurugram, 2019
- Panel Chair, NASSCOM Foundation CSR Leadership Conference, Bangalore, 2018
- Invited Speaker, Tata Literature Festival, Mumbai, 2018
- Invited Speaker, Doctoral Summer School, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, 2018
- Inaugural Address, Summit Event on ‘Livelihood Creation in India’, Harvard University South Asia Institute and Tata Trusts, New Delhi, 2017
- Invited Speaker, International Partnership Summit jointly organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Visakhapatnam, 2017
- Keynote Speaker, International Speaker Series, Delhi Management Association, New Delhi Institute of Management, 2017
- Keynote Speaker, Trainers Forum, Mumbai, 2017
- Inaugural Address, Summit Event on ‘Women’s Economic and Social Rights in India: Exploring New Collaborations and Engagements’, Harvard University South Asia Institute and Tata Trusts, New Delhi, 2016
- Address as the Guest of Honour on ‘Livelihood Creation in the Indian Crafts Sector’, Traditional Art Entrepreneurship Summit, MITHILAsmita and New Delhi Institute of Management, 2017
- Invited Speaker, ‘Soulful Business and Corporate Responsibility,’ Special Talk Series, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, Gandhinagar, 2015
- Invited Speaker, ‘The Evolution of Corporate Social Responsibility’, Special Talk Series, Reliance Foundation, Navi Mumbai, 2015

Academic Honours and Awards



  • Chevening Gurukul Fellowship for Leadership and Excellence at University of Oxford, awarded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Govt. of United Kingdom, 2021-22.

  • Global 200 Most Influential Thought Leaders,by peopleHum, the award-winning Human Capital Management company, 2021 onward.

  • J.N.Tata Scholar for advanced research in Corporate Responsibility at Harvard Business School, USA, 2014

  • HR College Golden Alumnus Award and Citation, awarded by Dr. Indu Shahani, Honourable Sheriff of Mumbai, 2011

  • Association of Indian Management Scholars International Outstanding Doctoral Management Student Award 2010 and Gold Medal; awarded at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, 2011

  • Conferred Doctor of Philosophy by the Revered Founder Chancellor in the presence of the Prime Minister of India – Dr. Manmohan Singh, 2010

  • Governor’s Gold Medal for standing first in the Masters of Philosophy Programme received from the Revered Founder Chancellor in the presence of the President of India – Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, 2006

  • President of India Gold Medal for standing first in the MBA Programme received from the Revered Founder Chancellor, 2004

  • Mr. Mumbai University Award’ for the year 2000-2001 by Dr. Bhalchandra Mungekar, Vice-Chancellor, University of Mumbai, at the 33rd Annual Youth Festival of the University, 2001

  • Saraswati Award and Gold Medal received from the Minister of Higher Education, Govt. of Maharashtra and the Bruhad Mumbai Gujarati Samaj for standing among the top ten students in the Mumbai Board for Class XII, 1999


Sri Sathya Sai Educational and Service Institutions (India and Overseas)


[Founded in 1965, it is a socio-spiritual multi-faith non-denominational ecosystem of institutions with ten-lakh active volunteers and members in ~5,000 centres across 125 countries. Some of these speeches were before large audiences of nearly 10,000 individuals from multi-religious, multi-country, and multi-age backgrounds. Themes of talks included Spirituality and Self-Discovery, Leadership and Nation Building, Role of Youth, Human Values for Life and Living, Values-Based Education, Social Service and Responsibility, Unity of Religions, Indian Ethos and Values, Indian Scriptures and Heritage, Shad Darshan, Yoga and Vedanta.]

- All India Convention of Youth Office Bearers, Ooty, 2022
- Silent Retreat, Sathya Sai International Organisation, USA (Regions 1 and 2), 2020
- Summer Course in Indian Culture and Spirituality, Odisha, 2020, 2021
- All India Samiti Convenors Conference, Prasanthi Nilayam, 2019
- All India Youth Convention, Kodaikanal, 2019
- Odisha State Conference, Paradip, 2019
- North California Regional Conference, Santa Clara, 2018
- All India Conference on Spirituality in Daily Life, Prasanthi Nilayam, 2018
- Samarpan Series, Mumbai, 2017; Pune, 2018; Indore, Hyderabad, 2019
- Mid-Central Regional Conference, St. Louis, 2017
- South Central Regional Conference, Austin, and Houston, 2016
- South East Regional Conference, St. Petersburg, Florida, 2016
- Pacific South Regional Conference, Los Angeles, 2015
- Guru Poornima Celebrations, Detroit & Ann Arbor Michigan, 2015; US Virgin Islands, 2016; Thane, 2018
- Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference, Pennsylvania, 2015
- Aradhana Day, Chicago Region, 2015; Boston, 2016; New Zealand, 2020
- Birthday Celebrations, Boston Region, 2014, 2016; London Metro Region, 2022
- North America Alumni Meet, Baltimore, 2014
- Invited Talks at Varanasi, Allahabad and Lucknow, 2014-15; Bhubaneswar, 2016; Chandigarh, Kolkata, Kolhapur, Chennai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, 2019; Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Nagpur, Bangalore, 2020
- Gujarat State Youth Conference, Surat, 2014; Bhavnagar, 2016; Surat, 2018
- North East Regional Conference, Troy, 2013
- Symposium at Manhattan, New York, and Virginia, 2013; Seattle, San Francisco, San Jose & San Diego, 2015; Austin, Milwaukee, Flushing, Freemont, Manhattan, New Jersey, Raleigh, Hartford, 2018; North California, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, Western Canada, 2020; Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, West Indies, 2021
- East Asian Countries Regional Conference, Prasanthi Nilayam, 2013
- Middle Eastern Countries Regional Conference, Prasanthi Nilayam, 2012
- Dharmakshetra Anniversary Celebrations, Mumbai, 2012
- All India Bal Vikas Alumni Conference, Prasanthi Nilayam, 2012
- Gujarat State Conference, Ahmedabad, 2011; Vadnagar, 2018; Vadodara, 2020
- Sathya Sai Vidya Vihar, Rishikesh, 2011; Navsari, 2014, 2018; Surat, 2017
- Bal Vikas Alumni Conference, Mumbai, 2009
- All India Conference of District Presidents and Senior Office Bearers, Prasanthi Nilayam, 2008
- State Youth Conferences – Kerala – 2003, 2004; Himachal Pradesh – 2007; Delhi – 2008, 2009; Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand – 2008, 2012, 2013; Gujarat – 2009; Rajasthan – 2009
- Valedictory Address, Man Management Workshop, SSSIHL, Prasanthi Nilayam, 2014
- Valedictory Address, Marketing Workshop, SSSIHL, Prasanthi Nilayam, 2013
- Vice-Chancellor’s Felicitation Function, SSSIHL, Prasanthi Nilayam, 2010
- Ati Rudra Maha Yajna, Chennai, 2007
- World Youth Conference, Prasanthi Nilayam, 2007
- Prasanthi Vidwan Mahasabha, Prasanthi Nilayam, 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2011
- Festivals including Sankranti, Buddha Poornima, Krishna Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Ugadi, Holi, and many others at Prasanthi Nilayam, Bangalore and Kodaikanal, 2004 to 2011
- International Conference of Educationists on Educare, Prasanthi Nilayam, 2005
- University Grants Commission (UGC) Golden Jubilee Vice Chancellor’s Conference on Ethics and Education, Prasanthi Nilayam, 2003