Krishna Tanuku

Dr Krishna Tanuku became the Executive Director of the Wadhwani Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (WCED) in July 2008. He has been associated with the ISB as Executive Advisor and Mentor since 2005.

Over 25 years, Tanuku has built an illustrious career, spanning the US, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. His expertise lies in global business creation and execution, from R&D to executive business management, to establishing international joint ventures. Some of his career highlights include:  

• With Bell Labs in 1985, he established the company’s first customer support centre in China, and an offshore development centre in Bombay.
• In 1989, he set up AT&T in India, and played a key role in shaping both the telecom industry, and offshore software development in India.
• Tanuku helped create and served as Co-Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in India, an organisation which represents US business interests.
• In 1994, Tanuku was named the Wisitex Foundation "Man of the Year - Management and Business Vision." This international award was conferred upon him for his outstanding work in technology globalization.
• He returned to the US as Global Operations Director for AT&T Online Services. He greatly expanded the Bell Labs R&D footprint across the globe, and in 1997 established the India R&D Program for Lucent's wireless business.
• As Managing Director of Bell Labs, India, he was responsible for R&D centres in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Egypt, as well as satellite centres in Ireland, the UK and Germany.

As Executive Director of the WCED, Tanuku is squarely focussed on the practical nuances of business-building, and bringing knowledge to a broad range of people. His passion is to help build next-generation global enterprises based on innovative business and customer models. He is also a strong advocate of social equity and innovation for sustainable societies, both in principle and spirit.

Tanuku has an MS in Computer Science and a PhD in Electrical Engineering Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley. He has an MBA in Finance and International Business from the University of Chicago, and has received advanced executive management training from INSEAD, France.