An Eli Broad College of Business expert on navigating the ever-changing headwinds and tailwinds of the digital economy will move over to a new Broad leadership role starting in August, it was announced this week.
Vallabh “Samba” Sambamurthy will take over on Aug. 16 as associate dean for MBA and professional master’s programs from current associate dean Glenn Omura, who is retiring from that post, Dean Sanjay Gupta said in a prepared statement on Monday, May 14.
Vallabh “Samba” Sambamurthy
Sambamurthy, who currently serves as associate dean for outreach and engagement at the college, has been a Broad faculty member for the past 15 years, also serving as chairperson of the Department of Accounting & Information Systems from 2012–17, Gupta said.
“Samba is aptly suited for this role as he has taught in our Full-Time MBA program for several years and also led one of the recent task forces that examined our MBA program in depth and benchmarked it against our peer and aspirant schools,” Gupta said. “In addition, he was actively engaged in the successful launch of the MS in Business Analytics program.”
“Samba is enthusiastic in addressing the challenges we face in these highly competitive programs,” said Gupta, who also encouraged Broad College faculty and staff “to work with him to address these challenges and help make Broad’s graduate business programs rise in stature and prominence.”
Sambamurthy (PhD, University of Minnesota, 1989) is a leading global expert on how firms compete in the digital economy. He has worked as a researcher or consultant with several Fortune 500 firms and in research, teaching, consulting, and executive education activities worldwide, according to his online Broad College biography.
He is co-author of Guiding the Digital Transformation of Organizations, which provides actionable frameworks for achieving competitive advantage from information technologies.
At the Broad College, he teaches courses related to digital business strategies and innovation in the Full-Time MBA program. He has been actively involved in executive education on current topics such as the shaping of digital business transformations, strategic alignment of IT, and the management of IT innovation in firms, his biography said.
In 2014, he received the William Beal Distinguished Faculty Award, the highest honor accorded by MSU.
Meanwhile, Omura – affectionately known as “Dr. O,” Gupta said – isn’t finished with the Broad College. He will be spending the next year in a consulting role with a focus on helping get started two new MS programs, in Healthcare Management and Management Studies.
