Nirmalya Kumar

Lee Kong Chian Professor of Marketing – Singapore Management University

Nirmalya Kumar is Lee Kong Chian Professor of Marketing at Singapore Management University. Prior to this, heading strategy at Tata Sons, he reported to the Chairman of the $100 billion Tata group. He has lectured at Columbia University, Harvard Business School, IMD (Switzerland), INSEAD, London Business School, and Northwestern University (Kellogg School of Management).

Nirmalya Kumar

Lee Kong Chian Professor of Marketing – Singapore Management University

Nirmalya Kumar is Lee Kong Chian Professor of Marketing at Singapore Management University. Prior to this, heading strategy at Tata Sons, he reported to the Chairman of the $100 billion Tata group. He has lectured at Columbia University, Harvard Business School, IMD (Switzerland), INSEAD, London Business School, and Northwestern University (Kellogg School of Management).

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Languages
English
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Biography

Nirmalya is considered one of the world’s leading thinkers on strategy and marketing. As a consultant and speaker, he has worked with over 50 Fortune 500 companies in 60 countries. He has served on 12 boards of directors including ACC, Ambuja Cement, Bata India, Tata Chemicals, Ultratech, and Zensar, each with billion dollars plus in capitalization. Thrice included in Thinkers50 (the biannual listing of the top 50 management thinkers in the world), he received their “Global Village Award” for his contributions to the business community’s understanding of globalization and emerging markets before being inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2017.

Nirmalya has written 9 books, including Marketing as Strategy, Brand Breakout and Private Label Strategy. His publications, including six in Journal of Marketing Research and ten in Harvard Business Review, have attracted 27,000+ Google Scholar citations. The 2006 Academy of Management Journal article was quoted from in Oliver Williamson’s 2009 Economics Nobel Prize acceptance speech. He is recipient of two American Marketing Association awards for lifetime research contributions to marketing strategy and Interorganizational relationships.

Winner of six Case Centre adoption awards and the lifetime award for Outstanding Contribution to the Case Method. Of 73,300 cases published by the Case Centre over 50 years, his cases rank 1, 14 and 28. His TED Talk on Indian innovation has 1,000,000+ views. Recognised for teaching excellence at Harvard, IMD, Kellogg, London Business School and SMU, he was included in the 50 Best B-School professors in the world (Poets & Quants) and 50 most influential Business School professors (mbarankings.com).

Passionate about art, Nirmalya has supported exhibitions at Bauhaus Germany, Leicester Museum, Kimbell Art Museum, Museo Della Culture Lugano, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, National Gallery Singapore and Tate Britain through his Bengal School 1875-1950 art collection and served on the South Asian Acquisition Committee of Tate Modern. In recognition of his patronage and promotion of South Asian Art, he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.

Topics

  • Creating Customer Value
  • Manufacturing
  • Manufacturer-Retailer Relationships
  • Romancing the Brand
  • From Market Driven to Market Driving

Publications

  • Thinking Smart: How to Master Work, Life and Everything In-Between (2018)
  • Brand Breakout: How Emerging Market Brands Will Go Global (2013)
  • India Inside (2012)
  • India’s Global Powerhouses (2009)
  • Private Label Strategy (2007)
  • Value Merchants (2007)
  • Marketing as Strategy: Understanding the CEO’s agenda for driving growth and innovation (2004)

Awards

  • In 2012, SOAS (the School of Oriental and African Studies of University of London) Awarded Him an Honorary Fellowship
  • In 2011, he was included in Thinkers50 and received their “Global Village Award” (for the person who contributed most to the business community’s understanding of globalization and the new frontiers established by the emerging markets)
  • In 2010, Speaking.com Voted Nirmalya Amongst the Top 5 Marketing Speakers Worldwide
  • In 2010, Economic Times Placed Him 6th on the List of Global Indian Thought Leaders
  • In 2010, Economist Referred to Him as a “Rising Superstar” in Their Cover Story “The New Masters of Management”
  • Marketing Science Institute’s Alden G. Clayton Award for his PhD Dissertation
  • Included in 50 Best B-school Professors (Poets&Quants)
  • Included in 50 Most Influential Business School Professors (mbarankings.com)

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