Dean Kannan Interviewed by Arizona Business Magazine

Arizona Business Magazine sat down with business leaders to watch in 2023 and among them was Eller’s very own Karthik Kannan, dean and Halle Chair in Leadership.

Kannan was asked several questions ranging from “What attracted you to the Eller College of Management?” to “How do you see the long-term impact of COVID on Education?”

“The Eller College is at the forefront of a lot of research and thought leadership activities,” says Kannan. “Being the leader of such a college is a tremendous opportunity.”

Kannan mentions that the senior leaders and department heads at the Eller College have really stood out to him and have made his job very pleasant and easy in his first few months. “They are all thinking about the college and the community as a whole and make sure that we are making an impact.” 

Kannan mentioned that in terms of how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected education, we need to think both about high school students that will be transitioning into college as well as our current students. 

Karthik Kannan joined the Eller College of Management in 2022 and is Halle Chair of Leadership and the dean of the College. Previously, Kannan spent 19 years at Purdue's Krannert School of Management in various capacities, including as the Associate Dean for Research and Partnerships, founding academic co-director for MS (Business Analytics and Information Management).

Kannan is a thought leader in digital transformations, analysis of digital traces, and strategic foresighting. He has published many papers in leading management journals and has won various awards. In 2017-18, he was awarded the prestigious Jefferson Science Fellowship by the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering.

His undergraduate degree is in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from NIT Trichy (formerly REC Trichy). Before joining Purdue, Kannan obtained his Ph.D. in information systems, MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and MPhil in Public Policy and Management, all from Carnegie Mellon University. Before joining the graduate school, he worked with Infosys Technologies.