Uday Salunkhe

Dr. Uday Salunkhe, Group Director - Welingkar Institute of Management

Prof. Dr. Uday Salunkhe is often referred to as a leader and a visionary. He is the group Director of Welingkar Institute of Management and Research (WeSchool), in Mumbai and Bangalore. Before starting at WeSchool, he was associated with well known corporate organizations such as Mahindra & Mahindra, ISPL to name a few. A mechanical engineer with a management degree in Operations and a Doctorate in Turnaround Strategies, Dr.Uday Salunkhe enjoys over 20 years of experience in academics. He earned his doctorate in 'Turnaround Strategies for Sick Companies', an achievement that helped him lead WeSchool, run by Shikshana Prasaraka Mandali (SP Mandali), one of the top B-schools in the country. Since his appointment as Director in the year 2000, he has brought more to the table at WeSchool than expected within 5 years of his appointment. His constant hard-work, persistence and commitment towards the institute earned him the position of the Group Director of WeSchool and there has been no looking back since then. He strives hard to continuously find new and innovative methods to mentor students at WeSchool to grow and be equipped with the required tools that not only make them competitive on a global playing field but also helps them succeed through imparting quality education.

At WeSchool, Dr. Uday Salunkhe is famously known for successful launches of first of its kind Post Graduate Management Programs like E-Biz, Business Design, Retail, Media and Entertainment, Healthcare and Rural Management, in addition to the launch of Innovation Lab (InnoWe) and innovative initiatives such as the Global Citizen Leader Program.

Prof. Dr. Uday Salunkhe has a great reputation in India and abroad. He has been invited as a guest faculty to prestigious institutes like the Harvard Business School and the European University in Germany. He has also conducted seminars at the Asian Institute of Management in Manila. In recognition to these efforts and rich contribution to management education, he was awarded the 'Professor Dharni Sinha Memorial Award' for Excellence in Management Education by the 12th Annual Convention on Leadership. His outstanding work has also earned him 'The Young Achievers Award' in the field of Academics by the Indo-American Society. The teachings of Jack Welch and Arya Chanakya are major influencers in Dr. Uday Salunkhe's life and all his work reflects the preaching of his gurus.

Currently serving as the Chairman of the Ad-hoc board of studies in Management Courses of the University of Mumbai, Dr. Uday Salunkhe has also been the Chairman of the Local Management Committee of the Association of Management Development Institutions in South Asia (AMDISA) which is an initiative of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC). He became the President of Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS), the 2nd largest body of management schools in the world that boasts of over 500 members for the year 2007 - 2008.

With the help of excellent leadership by Prof. Dr. Uday Salunkhe, WeSchool was ranked 10th in India by the Times of India B-School survey in 2015.

Before this, WeSchool was ranked 7th in West India and 16th overall in India's top 50 Business Schools by Hindustan Times Best B-schools in India Survey in 2010. Under Dr. Uday Salunkhe's remarkable leadership, Welingkar Institute enjoyed the 8th Spot in the private B-School category by Outlook in the B-School survey in 2008, 3rd in Student Exchange Program category and 7th in Faculty Exchange Program category.

It is only because of Prof. Dr. Uday Salunkhe's remarkable vision and result oriented thought process that WeSchool is a renowned institute and a name to reckon with not only in India but also at a global level. His efforts have helped Welingkar elevate to new heights and reach great milestones that have resulted in Welingkar being nominated for and also winning various awards due to Dr. Uday Salunkhe's valuable contributions in the field of education. A thought leader and motivator to students, he constantly imparts great knowledge to students all over. His articles on leadership, career management and skills have been published by various business dailies.