Last Updated on September 15, 2025
MBAUniverse.com News Desk
RV University (RVU), Bengaluru, has appointed well known management education leader Prof. Ram Kumar Kakani as its new Vice Chancellor. Prof. Kakani brings with him over 25 years of wide-ranging experience in academia, governance and leadership development. He served as Director of the IIM Raipur from 2022 to 2025, where he strengthened academic programs, expanded global collaborations, and led the institute through a period of growth. Established in 2021, RV University Bengaluru is a multidisciplinary institution established by the Rashtreeya Sikshana Samithi Trust (RSST), an educational body with over eighty years of experience in higher education with a network of 21 institutions.
Prof. Kakani began his career as a technocrat before transitioning into higher education, building a distinguished academic and administrative portfolio across India’s top management institutions. He has taught and served in senior roles at XLRI Jamshedpur, IIM Kozhikode, and IIM Raipur. His teaching career also includes a significant stint at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie. Internationally, he has taught and collaborated with institutions in Denmark, Nigeria, Singapore and the UAE, giving him a distinctive global outlook.
Prof. Kakani is also a prolific author with published works across Cambridge, Sage, Routledge, and McGraw-Hill, and has bridged management education with public governance and policy. His academic journey began with a B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from Andhra University in 1992, followed by a Doctorate in Management (FPM) with a specialization in Finance and Control from IIM Calcutta in 2002.
Welcoming Prof. Kakani, Dr. A.V.S. Murthy, Chancellor of RV University, noted that Prof. Kakani is an academic leader with a rare blend of global experience and deep-rooted understanding of Indian institutions. He said that Prof. Kakani’s commitment to values-driven education, combined with his cross-sectoral perspective, will guide RVU into its next chapter of excellence and impact. Sri D.P. Nagaraj, Pro Chancellor of RV University, added that his distinguished track record across academia, governance and leadership development makes him ideally suited to lead RV University.
On his appointment, Prof. Kakani said, “It is a privilege to be entrusted with the leadership of RV University at such a pivotal time. This institution has quickly emerged as a benchmark in multidisciplinary, liberal, and technology-driven education. I believe RVU has the right foundation to shape not just careers, but meaningful contributors to India’s future.”
RV University, established in 2021 under the Rashtreeya Sikshana Samithi Trust (RSST), is a new-age, multidisciplinary institution based in Bengaluru. The Trust itself has more than eight decades of experience in higher education and runs over 21 institutions across Bengaluru. RVU offers undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programs across nine academic schools including Business, Computer Science and Engineering, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Law, Design and Innovation, Film, Media and Creative Arts, Economics and Public Policy, Allied and Healthcare Professions, and Continuing Education. The university is recognized by the UGC and its programs are approved by relevant statutory bodies.
With Prof. Kakani’s appointment, RV University will look to further strengthen its programs and research output, and expand its global engagements. His expertise is expected to bring greater dynamism and depth to the management programs offered by the university.
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