New York University has named Bharat N. Anand, a highly respected academic leader and renowned expert in digital and corporate strategy, as the new Richard R. West Dean of the Leonard N. Stern School of Business.
Anand will officially assume his role in August 2025, succeeding after an extensive international search.
Currently serving as Vice Provost for Advances in Learning at Harvard University and the Henry R. Byers Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School (HBS), Anand brings with him over two decades of experience at the intersection of academia, digital transformation, and strategic leadership.
A Visionary in Digital Strategy and Education Innovation
Professor Anand has long been a transformative force in education and business. As a scholar, he has focused on the twin challenges facing digital enterprises: “getting noticed” and “getting paid.”
His groundbreaking work in digital strategy led to the creation of HBS’s first executive program for media companies, addressing the disruptive forces reshaping the industry.
He was also the founding faculty chair and first senior associate dean of HBS Online, spearheading Harvard’s expansion into online business education.
Under his leadership, the platform scaled rapidly, redefining how business education can be delivered to learners around the world.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Anand played a pivotal role in Harvard’s academic response. As vice provost, he guided the university through the transition to virtual learning, established a task force on the future of learning, and helped launch Axim, a nonprofit aimed at broadening access to high-quality education.
He also led the development of a new learning experience platform, reflecting his commitment to innovation in both residential and online education.
Leadership Welcomed by NYU
NYU President Linda G. Mills and Provost Georgina Dopico lauded Anand’s appointment and the extensive search process led by Professor Mor Armony.
“NYU is absolutely thrilled with the appointment of Bharat Anand to lead Stern,” said President Mills.
“He is an outstanding choice, deeply strategic, possessed of a global outlook, innovative, highly respected, and exceptionally effective. He greatly impressed the Search Committee, Provost Dopico, and me with his energy, his leadership, and his entrepreneurial vision. He is also admired for his ability to build common ground and foster thoughtful conversations, traits we value deeply at NYU.”
Dean Anand’s Reflections
In his official statement, Professor Anand expressed both humility and excitement:
“I am honored to be named dean of the Leonard N. Stern School of Business. Stern not only has a superb reputation but it also possesses a remarkable spirit, entrepreneurial, determined, energetic, resourceful, and global. I was so delighted and impressed with everyone I met during the search process, and I’m excited to join this vibrant community and contribute to all that Stern is and aspires to be in the years ahead.”
A Distinguished Academic Career
Anand joined Harvard Business School in 1998, following an early academic stint at Yale School of Management. He became the Henry R. Byers Professor in 2006 and later took on leadership roles, shaping HBS Online and the university’s digital learning strategy.
He currently chairs Harvard’s Generative AI Working Group for Teaching and Learning, reflecting his forward-thinking approach to integrating emerging technologies into education.
Anand is also a widely published author and an influential voice in business theory. His 2016 book, The Content Trap: A Strategist’s Guide to Digital Change, was named a Top 10 Book of the Year by Fast Company and Bloomberg and received the Axiom Business Book Silver Award.
His research has been published in leading academic journals, and his cases and teaching materials have earned multiple accolades.
He is a two-time recipient of the Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence and the Robert Greenhill Award for Outstanding Contributions at HBS.
Academic Foundations
Anand holds a bachelor’s degree in economics, magna cum laude, from Harvard University, and a PhD in economics from Princeton University. His early academic promise was recognized with his selection to the Princeton Junior Society of Fellows.
