Guru Mantra: Anjali Raina, ED, Harvard Business School India

Anjali Raina
Executive Director
Harvard Business School India Research Center (IRC)

Ms. Anjali Raina joined as the Executive Director of the Harvard Business School India Research Center (IRC), Mumbai in March 2008. In this leadership role she focuses on building and maintaining relationships with senior business leaders in the region to facilitate the expanding work of the Center in research, educational programs, and alumni endeavors.
The IRC seeks to understand and document the emerging trends that are shaping the future of India and the region. It seeks to play a proactive role in the social transformation of India. It engages HBS faculty, shares knowledge and best practices through research and case studies with leaders who are driving India’s growth and development. In short, the IRC works to bring the best of Harvard to India and take the best of India to Harvard.
To this end, to date , it has facilitated the writing of over 80 case studies on Indian Business Practice, supported half a dozen research projects , and run executive education programs for business leaders on subjects ranging from Globalizing Indian enterprises , to AgriBusiness. It has also supported the participation of 34 professors from premier Indian Business Schools in HBS’s Global Colloquium on Participant-Centered Learning which is a program that aims to help management educators improve their effectiveness through innovative teaching and course design.
Prior to joining Harvard Business School, Ms. Raina spent 15 years at Citigroup (India), most recently as Country Training Director. In that role, she was responsible for training, development, and change management for the consumer bank as well as for Citigroup's associates and affiliate companies in India. She was also on the bank's management committee and provided training resources throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Her unit ran more than 1,500 programs in 26 locations for more than 67,000 participants yearly. Among her many accomplishments was the creation of acorporate university with seven interlinked functional and business-specific training academies.
Prior to Citigroup (India), Ms. Raina worked for more than a decade at ANZ Grindlays Bank PLC. Holding positions in a variety of areas, including marketing, branch banking, and human resources, she rose to the rank of Senior Manager.
She earned an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, in 1981, and a bachelor's degree (Eng Hons) from Loreto College in the University of Calcutta in 1979.

RC - What excites you about your role as Executive Director of HBS India Research Center?
AR - India’s development context is unique; its economic agenda is deeply rooted in social issues. The long term growth and competitiveness of the country depends on how concerns such as climate change, energy and infrastructure, natural resources, education and healthcare, equity, ethics and sustainable livelihoods are addressed. The scale of the problem means that no one entity can tackle this independently.
The IRC is cognizant of these dynamics and seeks to understand and document the emerging trends that are shaping the future of India and the region. The IRC seeks to play a proactive role in the social transformation of India by engaging HBS faculty, sharing knowledge and best practices through research and case studies, encouraging talent and skills among students who are managers in the making and with leaders. The IRC works to bring the best of Harvard to India and take the best of India to Harvard.


RC - What are some of the major initiatives and projects you have undertaken since your assumed leadership of the center?
AR - There are 3 main initiatives (1) Research Cases (2) Lecture Series: Bringing the Best of Harvard to India, which is a platform to facilitate dialogue between HBS professors and leaders in India. (3) Working in Partnerships with 16 Indian Business Schools to develop faculty who are comfortable using the case method.


RC - What do you believe are some of the key competencies required to be a successful educational leader?
AR - The competency for an educational leader and a leader are similar and they depend on the context, the challenge and the results desired.


RC - What advice do you have for Indian B-schools who are aspiring to build world-class institutions?
AR - Be open to learning from the world and sharing with all and always remember and recognize the value of Indian wisdom and traditions.