Biography

Dr. Pankaj Gupta is a Global Academic Leader and Institution Builder with over 35 years of distinguished professional experience as a professor, researcher, and transformative leader in higher education. He currently holds three roles at O P Jindal Global University (Institution of Eminence, India's top-ranked private university, QS 2026): Professor at Jindal Global Law School, Executive Director of the Centre for Ethics, Spirituality and Meditation (CESM), and Senior Fellow of the Jindal India Institute (JII). At JGU, he previously served as Vice Dean of JGBS and later as Dean of OCS. Before rejoining JGU, he served as President (Vice Chancellor) and CEO of IIHMR University, Jaipur, India's premier institution in healthcare, hospital, and pharma management.

A leader of rare range and depth, Dr. Gupta has held apex positions — Director, Dean, Executive Director, Director General/Group CEO, Vice Chancellor, and Chief Advisor — across some of India's and the world's most respected institutions, including IMT Ghaziabad, IIM Kozhikode, Symbiosis, University of Washington, and S P Jain School of Global Management (Dubai and Singapore). He was the Founding Director of two institutions built from the ground up — Symbiosis (SIBM) Bengaluru (ranked Top-5 Business School in South India within three years) and the Educomp–Raffles JRE School of Management — and has co-founded four institutions in total. As Group CEO of the four-campus Jaipuria Group, he subsequently had the transformative governance work at Jaipuria documented by IIM Ahmedabad in a series of case studies. He has also served as Co-Chairman of the Education Committee of PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry for two successive terms, and holds several Director and Board-level positions across the corporate and education sectors.

A prolific scholar, author, and thought leader, Dr. Gupta teaches and consults in Finance and Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Cost Management, Activity-Based Costing, Corporate Governance, Performance Management and Control Systems, Mindful Leadership, Mental and Spiritual Health, Transformative Leadership and Change Management, Ancient Wisdom and Ethics, and Learning Advocacy and Management through the Bhagavad Gita. He is the author of several widely read and acclaimed books, including Spirituality and Management: From Models to Application (Springer International Publishing, 2022; German Edition, 2025), Heartful Leadership: A Primer for Transforming Education (Walnut Publications, 2022), Management Accounting (Excel India Publishers; 200,000+ copies sold), and Message of Gita for Managers (new edition forthcoming 2026). His peer-reviewed research spans healthcare supply chains, blockchain and AI in industry, ESG reporting, and demonetisation (EU-funded, with Queen's University Belfast). He has delivered 80+ keynote addresses across India, the UK, Europe, Australia, and the USA, and has been a regular commentator on higher education leadership on Rajya Sabha TV, Doordarshan, and Patrika TV.

Dr. Gupta is a recipient of several prestigious recognitions, including the Fulbright Fellowship (USIEF), the Most Innovative Idea in Management Education Award (IMC/AICTE), the Valuable Contribution to Profession Award (ICMAI), the Rashtriya Shiksha Gaurav Award (CEGR), and recognition among the Top-5 Emerging Academic Leaders in India (Korn Ferry, 2011). He has built over 60 global academic partnerships across 30+ countries and commands an active network of 300+ Vice Chancellors, Deans, and CEOs worldwide. A pioneer in bringing Self-Awareness and Mindful Leadership into academic and corporate settings, the Centre for Ethics, Spirituality and Meditation (CESM) under his leadership has earned national and global recognition at the intersection of wellness, governance, and management thought. Dr. Gupta is deeply drawn to Spirituality and Ancient Wisdom, & finds renewal in silence and meditation in the Himalayas.