Bhagwan Chowdhry

Bhagwan Chowdhry is a Professor of Finance at the Indian School of Business (ISB). He began his teaching career at UCLA Anderson in 1988 where he found an opportunity to work with and learn from outstanding faculty colleagues and an ability to work with students on projects that will make a difference in the world. During his tenure, he has also been a visiting professor and lecturer at a variety of institutions, including the University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and the Indian School of Business. He is a current visiting scholar at the Stellar Development Foundation.

His research interests lie in international finance, corporate finance and strategy. He has served on the editorial boards of a number of leading publications, including the Journal of Finance, Review of Financial Studies, American Economic Review, and Journal of Political Economy. He has also organised and taught executive education programmes on financial derivatives, corporate risk management and valuation in Los Angeles, Singapore, Hong Kong, Mumbai, and Hyderabad.

Microfinance, financial technology, and impact investing are his recent teaching, research, and applied interests. He has supervised several MBA student projects in microfinance and FinTech in recent years and has taught undergraduate seminars and an MBA elective on these subjects. He believes that one of his greatest joys comes from working with smart people who strive to make this world a better place, especially for people with limited resources and opportunities. He is constantly thinking about, doing research on, and getting involved in projects that will make a difference in the world.

That commitment may be best illustrated with his proposed ‘Financial Access at Birth (FAB)’ initiative, in which every child born in the world is given an initial deposit of $100 in an online bank account, ensuring that everyone in the world will have access to financial services within a few decades.

Professor Chowdhry is a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post and is the co-founder (with Professor Ivo Welch) and executive editor of a new publication, Finance & Accounting Memos (FAMe),which makes academic research more accessible for MBA and PhD students, journalists, policy makers, and other academics.

• MBA in Economics, Graduate School of Business, The University of Chicago, 1989
• PhD, Graduate School of Business, The University of Chicago, 1989
• MBA in Finance, The University of Iowa, 1983
• B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, 1981

Academic positions

• 2021 - Present: Faculty Director, I-Venture @ ISB, Indian School of Business
• 2019 - Present: Professor, Indian School of Business
• 2019 - Present: Research Professor, UCLA Anderson School
• 2002 - Present: Professor of Finance, The Anderson School at UCLA
• 2020 - 2021: Faculty & Executive Director, CIE, Indian School of Business
• 2019 - 2021: Area Leader of Finance, Indian School of Business
• 2001 - 2019: Visiting Professor, Indian School of Business
• 2015 - 2018: Faculty Director, Impact@Anderson
• 2001 - 2017: Director, Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER)
• 2013 - 2014: Visiting Professor, Fudan University, School of Management
• 2009 - 2012: Faculty Director, UCLA Anderson Master of Financial Engineering (MFE) program
• 1997 - 2002: Associate Professor of Finance, UCLA Anderson School
• 1995 - 1997: Associate Professor and Area Head of Finance, UCLA Anderson School
• 1988 - 1995: Assistant Professor of Finance, UCLA Anderson School
• 1988 - 1995: Assistant Professor of Finance, The Anderson School at UCLA
• 1992 - 1993: Visiting Lecturer, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• 1987 - 1988: Lecturer in Finance, Graduate School of Business, The University of chicago
• 1986 - 1987: Visiting Lecturer, University of Illinois
• 1986 - 1986: Lecturer in Management Science, Graduate School of Business, The University of chicago
• 1986 - 1986: Visiting Lecturer, University of illinois

Professional Positions

• 2019 - Present: Executive Director - DIRI, Indian School of Business
• 2019 - 2020: Academic Director, Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE)
• 2001 - 2007: Director, Center for International Business Education and Research

• December 17, 2023: Raghuram Rajan at ISB: On India's assets, challenges, and idea of 'developed, rich India by 2047', ISB Youtube Channel.
• November 4, 2023: Making it SHUb: Fintech for Billions, TEDx.
• November 1, 2023: The Peril of Prioritising Start-Up Expansion over Positive Cash Flow, Outlook Business.
• October 23, 2023: What Is Central Bank Digital Currency, Outlook India.
• October 23, 2023: We should and can improve Aadhaar, The Times of India.
• 2021: Atrium talks with Prof. Deepa Mani, ISB Talks.
• June 1, 2021: Do a "Good Buy before you Waive" a Patent, The Economic Times.
• May 6, 2021: Save lives, and jobs: Vaccinate the young, mobile, wage-earners first. Focus on the worst-hit states and districts, The Times of India.
• April 14, 2021: Exponential truth trumps linear lies, The New Indian Express.
• April 13, 2021: For high quality Universities: Academics value academic freedom. They must have a central role in university governance, The Times of India.
• April 3, 2021: An Infectious Model of Learning, Times of India- Hyderabad Times.
• January 19, 2021: Bank on postmen and bank mitras for vaccine delivery, because health inclusion intersects financial inclusion, The Times of India.
• December 10, 2020: Lend an Ear about Cut-throat Lending, The Economic Times.
• November 21, 2020: Lending, More than just a Hand, The Economic Times.
• November 20, 2020: Sharing risks: Local institutions like SHGs and temples should buy formal insurance for the communities they serve, The Times of India.
• September , 2020: Doing Good by Being Profitable, The Economic Times.
• September 11, 2020: Digital Didis, The Indian Express.
• August 25, 2020: How to Reform The IAS, Op-ED.
• August 17, 2020: Embrace the national digital health mission, but with care and safeguards, Hindustan Times.
• May 21, 2020: Power of Now in privatisations: Attempts to time the market to realise best price create more welfare loss than gain, The Times of India.
• March 31, 2020: As the world goes into battle against Covid-19, there are reasons for optimism that we will win, The Times of India.
• March , 2020: Bhagwan Ke Liye, Video Series.
• September 6, 2019: If it's simple, it will be fair, The Economic Times.
• July , 2019: "Big Mandate For BJP Should Mean Bold Budget," What Young India Wants,, NDTV.
• July 25, 2019: How borrowing substantial amounts in foreign currency can keep inflation low and create a stable investment climate, The Times of India.
• July 12, 2018: Investing for Impact, The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance.