Soumitra Datta, former dean of Oxford's Said Business School, has built a career that stands as a model of excellence. He graduated second in his class at IIT Delhi in 1985, later earning a PhD in Computer Science with a focus on AI from UC Berkeley. His academic journey took him to INSEAD in 1989, where he founded the ALAB Research Centre, and then to Cornell in Oxford, all among the world's elite universities.
Soumitra Datta is the architect of two influential global benchmarks, the Network Readiness Index and the Global Innovation Index. These indices have shaped public policy worldwide, helping governments measure their innovation capacity and readiness for the digital age. Switzerland has led the G for 15 years, India entered the top 50 in 2020 and rose to 38th, while China ranked 10th in 2025.
At Cornell, Datta oversaw one of the most complex institutional integrations in US higher education, creating the SC Johnson College of Business, securing a $150 million naming gift, and launching a dual MBA with Tsinghua University. At Oxford, he championed AI readiness, sustainability, and global competitiveness, raising the school's profile as a research powerhouse and deepening ties with corporations, policymakers, and multilateral institutions.
