Cornell names new Johnson School dean

ITHACA — The Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University will have a new dean later this year.

Soumitra Dutta, a professor of business and technology and founder and faculty director of a new media and technology innovation lab at INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France, will assume the post July 1. INSEAD is among the top-ranked business schools in the world, according to Cornell.

“Professor Dutta’s appointment is a natural fit with Johnson’s increasingly global outlook,” Cornell President David Skorton said in a news release. “He has expertise in new and emerging media, he has studied the conditions that promote innovation and he has extensive experience on the international stage. Among other qualities, these prepare him well to oversee the education of our next-generation business leaders and entrepreneurs.”

Dutta succeeds Joseph Thomas, who is stepping down after five years as dean. During his tenure, Thomas launched the school’s long-term strategic plan and led the creation of the Emerging Markets Institute and Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute.

Thomas will return to teaching and research.

“This appointment is an exciting opportunity for me, in part because of Johnson’s commitment to global perspectives, entrepreneurship and innovation, and business sustainability, but also because as an early adopter of approaches such as performance learning, the school itself exemplifies innovative thinking in business,” Dutta said in the release.