News & Highlights

  • March 2025
  • Event

Doctoral workshop on Participant Centered Learning (DPCL) and the Case Method at HBS

A workshop focused on participant-centered learning - a hallmark of Harvard Business School - was held for the first time focused on doctoral students from business schools across India. Hosted in Mumbai on March 20-21, the one-and-a-half-day workshop was led by HBS Professors Rohit Deshpandé and Willis Emmons. Seventy-three doctoral students participated and described the experience as immersive, extensive, and insightful, especially in understanding how deep learning occurs when students are actively engaged in the classroom. Participants appreciated the opportunity to learn from HBS faculty.
  • February 2025
  • Event

Immersion for One on Corporate Governance and Women Leaders with Prof. Aiyesha Dey

In February 2025, Professor Aiyesha Dey traveled to India for an 'Immersion for One' organized by the HBS India Research Center. Events in Pune, Delhi, and Kolkata highlighted her research on “The CEO Factor” examining how CEO characteristics influence corporate behavior and governance. The sessions, attended by the alumni and business leaders, sparked discussions on CEO personality and its impact on leadership and decision-making. A special thanks to HBS alumni Ganesh Natarajan (AMP 169, 2005), Fariha Ansari Javed (PLDA 18, 2014), Nupur Arya (AMP 192, 2017), and Vinita Bajoria (GMP 10, 2011; AMP 183, 2012), who were wonderful hosts and ensured the success of these get-togethers.
  • January 2025
  • Immersive Field Course

Case Discussion on “Tata Power and India’s Energy Transition” with Prof. Vikram Gandhi for Immersive Field Course

Professor Vikram Gandhi led a visit to India as part of the Immersive Field Course on ‘Development while Decarbonizing: India’s Path to Net Zero,’ a full-credit elective course in the MBA curriculum. For the visit, 38 MBA students traveled to India. During the visit, Professor Gandhi taught the HBS case ‘Tata Power and India’s Energy Transition’, marking the first time an MBA class was taught in the HBS Classroom in the Taj Land’s End in Mumbai. The case discussion centered on Tata Power’s strategic commitment to achieving net zero by 2045.
  • January 2025
  • EVENT

Case Discussion on “Digital Transformation at Tata Steel” with Prof. Das Narayandas

Professor Das Narayandas led a case discussion in Mumbai in January 2025, bringing together around 100 alums and business leaders. The session focused on ‘Digital Transformation at Tata Steel,’ exploring the challenges faced by T.V. Narendran, CEO of Tata Steel, as he considered expanding the firm’s e-commerce platform, Aashiyana, into a one-stop shop for home construction products. The interactive discussion delved into critical questions about Aashiyana’s potential, Tata Steel’s digital transformation journey, and execution challenges. It sparked insightful perspectives on balancing innovation with core business strategy and was followed by networking over dinner.
  • NOVEMBER 2024
  • EVENT

Reskilling in the Age of AI with Prof. Raffaella Sadun

HBS Professor Raffaella Sadun conducted a virtual "Reskilling in the Age of AI" session on November 26, 2024, jointly hosted by the HBS India Research Center, Harvard Business Publishing, the HBS Club of India, and the Lakshmi Mittal Family South Asia Institute at Harvard University. The session explored AI's potentially transformative effects on the workforce and emphasized the importance of strategic, evidence-based reskilling initiatives for firms navigating this new environment. The event saw 185 participants, including alumni and industry leaders.
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New Research on the Region

  • March 2025
  • Case

Sarojini Naidu: Courage of the Nightingale

By: Ranjay Gulati, Malini Sen and Anjali Raina

Indian poet and freedom fighter and mother of four, Sarojini (Chattopadhyay) Naidu, could not hold back. As the protestors marched ahead without retaliating against the police’s blows, she stepped forward to join them. A British officer approached Naidu and touched her arm, saying, “You are under arrest.” Quick was her response, “I will come with you, but don’t touch me.” The crowd cheered as she followed the officer to the barbed-wire enclosure that served as a prison. They were participating in the Salt Satyagraha (also known as the Dandi March), a protest launched by Mahatma Gandhi in April 1930 as part of the civil disobedience movement against the British rule. Many leaders were imprisoned including Gandhi. In his absence, Gandhi had nominated Naidu to lead the march. A few senior leaders had reservations about women’s participation. Nevertheless, Naidu was undeterred, and “actively participated in the campaign for liberty,” similar to her male comrades. She realized the responsibility entrusted to her by Gandhi and the nation and said, “neither jail nor death shall hold any terror for me.” The first woman governor of an Indian state and the first Indian woman to serve as the president of the Indian National Congress (INC), Naidu, was an advocate for women’s rights and famed for her lyrical poetry, earning the title, ‘The Nightingale of India.’ She overcame ill health and personal tragedies, including the loss of her young son, to join India’s freedom movement. What inspired Naidu to act courageously, even in the face of violence? Was it her promise to Gandhi or her deep love for her country? How was she able to inspire large numbers in the absence of Gandhi and other Congress leaders? Was it her oratory skills, or was there something more? Why did people follow her—was it because they were following Gandhi, and she was simply the messenger, or did they see her as a leader in her own right?

  • March 2025
  • Case

Niramai: An AI Solution to Save Lives

By: Rembrand Koning, Maria P. Roche and Kairavi Dey

Founded in 2017, Niramai developed Thermalytix, a breast cancer screening tool. Thermalytix used a high-resolution thermal sensing device and machine learning algorithms to analyze thermal images and detect tumors. Its patented solution leveraged big data analytics, AI, and ML for reliable, early, and accurate breast cancer screening. Early clinical trials showed that the solution was equal to or, in some instances, more accurate than mammography available in India. The team was elated that they had developed an effective, low-cost, easier-to-use, non-invasive, and less painful solution for patients. As Manjunath considered the next phase of Niramai’s growth, she wondered if it was time to raise another round of funds and conduct a new, comprehensive clinical study. Should the trial be conducted in the U.S., where it would be significantly more expensive but with the possibility of an exponentially higher payout if the trials were successful? Or should they raise a smaller round now, do a larger trial in a populous developing country such as Indonesia, and focus on lower-to-middle-income countries?

  • March 2025
  • Case

No One Left Behind (A)

By: Lynn S. Paine, Herman B. "Dutch" Leonard, Max Hancock and David Lane

In September 2021, the board of directors for the nonprofit No One Left Behind (NOLB) faced a crucial decision. Since its 2013 founding, NOLB had helped resettle in the United States thousands of Afghans and Iraqis who had assisted U.S. forces as combat translators; its directors also had forged strong relationships with key members of Congress and government officials through advocacy for the U.S. Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program. As the organization expanded, the board had sought to professionalize NOLB’s governance, systematize its fundraising, and strengthen the accountability and reporting mechanisms that many donors expected. That effort was interrupted in August 2021 when the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan led to a surge in donations to—and requests for assistance from—NOLB. The heightened pressures created tensions and disagreements among NOLB board members over the scope of the organization’s mission and uses of funds. The result: a schism in the board and efforts to unseat five of its 13 members. This four-part case series examines how NOLB addressed this crisis, secured its future, and matured as a professionalized nonprofit.

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Mumbai Staff

Anjali Raina
Executive Director
→ Biography
Rohit Bhisikar
Research Associate
Rachna Chawla
Associate Director, Community Engagement
Anthea D’Souza
Associate Director, Financial and Business Administration
Kairavi Dey
Senior Researcher and Team Lead
Kanika Jain
Researcher
Tanisha Murdeshwar
Research and Educational Coordinator
Zarieus Namirian
Research Associate
Rashmi Patel
Manager, Operations
Malini Sen
Senior Researcher
Sanjivani Shedge
Manager, Administration
Aindrila Sinha
Research Associate