Dr. Himanshu Rai
Director, IIM Indore · Author · Educator · Global Thought Leader
About
Dr. Himanshu Rai
Dr. Himanshu Rai is the Director of the Indian Institute of Management Indore, where he has led a transformational journey focused on academic excellence, global engagement, ethics, and social impact. Under his stewardship, IIM Indore achieved the coveted Triple Crown accreditation (AMBA, AACSB, and EQUIS)—a distinction held by fewer than one percent of business schools worldwide—and significantly strengthened its standing in national and international rankings, including NIRF and the Financial Times.
A Fellow of IIM Ahmedabad and an alumnus of KREC Surathkal, Prof. Rai brings together rigorous scholarship and deep corporate experience. Prior to academia, he spent over eight years at Tata Steel, where he led major initiatives in quality systems, project execution, and corporate communications, including the development of company-wide communication policy and ISO 9000 frameworks. He has also served as Dean of the India campus of SDA Bocconi School of Management and taught at leading institutions in India and abroad.
At IIM Indore, Prof. Rai has driven wide-ranging institutional reforms, including a six-fold expansion of executive education revenues, a ₹500-crore campus expansion, major research and consultancy grants from the World Bank and Government of India, and collaborations with over sixty international universities. His leadership philosophy—anchored in ethics, empathy, and empowerment—has shaped initiatives in sustainability, inclusivity, and digital transformation.
A prolific author and public intellectual, he has written several acclaimed books, including the bestseller Negotiation, Organizational Behavior (with Steven McShane and Mary Ann Von Glinow), Pravah, and Brand India. He also writes three widely read weekly columns, collectively reaching nearly 30 million readers.
Prof. Rai is a globally respected trainer and consultant, having trained over 100,000 professionals, including senior bureaucrats, diplomats, and armed forces personnel. An avid mountaineer, yoga practitioner, and cultural enthusiast, he exemplifies holistic leadership—where intellect, integrity, and purpose converge in service of society. He has skydived from 13,000 feet and done the world’s longest zipline.
Years in Academia
Professionals Trained
Weekly Column Readers
The Journey
From Tata Steel to the Himalayas — and to the Classroom & Beyond
The Beginning
Dr. Rai’s path to academia began not in a lecture hall, but on the shop floor. After graduating from KREC Surathkal, he spent over eight years at Tata Steel, leading quality systems development, corporate communications policy, and ISO 9000 frameworks. It was a career of substance and structure — and it planted the seeds of something deeper.
The Turning Point
It was trekking in the Himalayas that clarified everything. In those mountains, he found his purpose — not just to do meaningful work, but to help others discover their own potential. He returned to education, pursuing his doctorate at IIM Ahmedabad, and never looked back. Since 2006, he has taught at IIM Lucknow, XLRI Jamshedpur, and SDA Bocconi Milan, building a reputation as one of India’s most rigorous and reflective educators.
The Philosophy
His academic work has always carried a moral compass. He designed ‘Justice, Ethics and Morality’ — now one of the most popular electives at the IIMs. His research spans negotiation, cross-cultural management, spirituality through Vedic literature, and gender — always grounded in philosophy, always asking the harder questions. He is a connoisseur of Sanskrit literature and has given discourses on both Indian and Western philosophy.
The Present
As Director of IIM Indore, Dr. Rai has led a transformational era — Triple Crown accreditation, a ₹500-crore campus expansion, World Bank research grants, and a six-fold growth in executive education. He writes three weekly columns read by nearly 30 million people. He has trained senior IAS officers, diplomats, and armed forces personnel. And he still treks the Garhwal Himalayas every year.
A People-Centered Approach Grounded in Timeless Values
Ethics
Integrity and moral responsibility are not constraints — they are the foundation of every decision, every institution, and every leader worth following
Empathy
Understanding diverse human perspectives is not a soft skill. It is the prerequisite for any meaningful leadership, education, or policy.
Empowerment
The highest purpose of education is not to fill a mind but to free one — to help every individual discover and realize their own potential.
Areas of Expertise
Grounded in scholarship, sharpened by practice
Negotiation
Author of the widely used textbook Negotiation (McGraw Hill, 2017); has trained thousands of professionals and government officers in principled negotiation.
Mediation and Arbitration
Facilitating constructive dialogue to resolve complex conflicts with fairness, empathy and mutual respect across organizational, institutional and interpersonal contexts, grounded in justice, ethics and morality.
Spiritual Healing
Offering guidance and one-to-one personal mentorship for resolving personal and professional conflicts through healing the mind, body, and soul with Yoga, Meditation, and Counseling.
Motivational Speaking
Delivering high-impact talks on leadership, purpose, ethics, and self-discovery for institutional and corporate audiences
Leadership Training
Has trained IAS officers, diplomats, military personnel, and senior executives across India and internationally.
Management Education
Two decades of teaching at India’s top institutions — IIM Lucknow, XLRI, IIM Ahmedabad, and SDA Bocconi Milan.
Landmark Moments
1. Triple Crown Accreditation
2. CAT 2010 Convener
3. World Bank & Government Grants
4. 30 Million Readers
Books & Publications
Thought leadership in management, negotiation, and the human condition
Brand India: Story of Bharat in a Changing World
Author: Rai H, Jain V (2025).
Publisher: National Book Trust
Written in simple, lucid language, the book walks us through India’s significant achievements. The book emphasizes that India is now recognized as one of the fastest-growing economies. With the explosion of IT, pharmaceuticals, biotech, etc., India has established itself as a talent powerhouse in thinking and creating, and superpowers prefer to recruit brains among our best and brightest here.
Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Data-Driven Decision Making in HR for Revolutionizing Organizational Growth
Author: Rai H, Gupta A, Bansal R (Eds) (2025).
Publisher: Emerald Publishing
This book explores the transformative role of artificial intelligence in reshaping HR, recruitment, and organizational culture.
Pravah
Author: Rai H (2024).
Publisher: Shri Radhika Prakashan Private Ltd
Profound yet accessible exploration of ancient Vedic and Upanishadic teachings on spirituality and personal growth. Pravah aims to simplify these teachings, allowing readers to connect with and apply spiritual wisdom in their everyday lives. With its engaging and insightful content, this book offers a path to personal transformation and enlightenment.
Emerging Business Trends and Management Practices: Lessons from the Pandemic
Author: Rai H, Baba MM, Babbar M (Eds) (2024).
Publisher: Apple Academic Press
This book explores the dramatic changes that have occurred in the business environment due in part to the phenomenal impact on societies and economies around the globe that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic
Organizational Behavior
Author: McShane SL, Glinow MAV, Rai H (2022).
Publisher: McGraw Hill Education
Note: Indian adaptation co-authored with two globally recognized OB scholars. Used in management programmes internationally.
Negotiation
Author: Rai H. (2017).
Publisher: McGraw Hill Education
A comprehensive textbook on the science and practice of negotiation. Widely adopted in management programmes across the globe, it covers principled negotiation, bargaining strategies, mediation, arbitration, and cross-cultural negotiation dynamics. Recognized as a bestseller on Amazon.
Engage with Dr. Himanshu Rai
For speaking engagements, training programs, consultancy, or media inquiries — reach out directly.