New Leadership Announced for WDI: Jagadeesh Sivadasan Appointed as Interim President
In a significant leadership shift, the WDI Board of Directors has appointed Jagadeesh Sivadasan as the interim President. Sivadasan, who is a professor of business economics and public policy at the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business, will be taking over from Wendy Taylor, who recently announced her departure. The search for a permanent president is expected to commence soon.
Sivadasan holds the position of Buzz and Judy Newton Professor of Business Administration within the Business Economics and Public Policy group at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business. He is also a faculty associate at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. His academic pursuits primarily aim to unravel the factors that influence entry, growth, and productivity along with worker performance and mobility in various businesses. At Michigan Ross, he teaches applied microeconomics across multiple MBA programs and the PhD program, while having previously held roles such as director of the full-time MBA program and chair of the Business Economics and Public Policy group.
“My research has spent years asking what allows firms and workers in developing economies to grow, adapt and compete,” Sivadasan remarked. “WDI has spent more than three decades turning that same question into action. I’m honored to help lead the Institute through this transition, and to keep that work moving forward with the entrepreneurs and businesses we serve in low- and middle-income countries.”
WDI Board Chair and Michigan Ross Dean Sharon Matusik expressed her confidence in Sivadasan’s capabilities, noting, “Jagadeesh brings a rare combination to this role: deep scholarly expertise in what actually drives firm growth and entrepreneurship in emerging markets, and years of proven leadership within our own community at Ross.” She also expressed gratitude to Wendy Taylor for her energetic and devoted service to WDI’s mission.
Sivadasan’s educational journey includes a PGDM from IIM Bangalore following a BTech from IIT Madras. Before pursuing a PhD at the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago, he gained experience as a Senior Consultant at Arthur Andersen. His teaching excellence has been recognized with awards such as the 2018 Victor L. Bernard Teaching Leadership Award and the 2019 Ross School of Business Neary Teaching Excellence Award, presented by the full-time MBA class of 2019.
