Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, September 2025 – RV University (RVU), a new-age global university for liberal education, today announced the appointment of Prof. Ram Kumar Kakani as its new Vice Chancellor with immediate effect. He brings over 25 years of wide-ranging experience across academia, governance, and leadership development.
Prof. Kakani, former Director at IIM Raipur, started his career as a technocrat, then transitioned into higher education to rise into senior positions at some of India’s most respected institutions. He has held senior faculty and administrative roles at premier institutions such as XLRI Jamshedpur, IIM Kozhikode, and IIM Raipur, where he served as Director from 2022 to 2025. His teaching portfolio also includes a distinguished stint at LBSNAA Mussoorie, where he groomed future civil servants of India. Internationally, Prof. Kakani has taught and collaborated with institutions in Denmark, Nigeria, Singapore, and the UAE.
Dr. (h.c.) A.V.S. Murthy, Chancellor of RV University said, “Prof. Ram Kakani is a remarkable academic leader with a rare combination of global experience and deep-rooted understanding of Indian institutions. His commitment to values-driven education, and his cross-sectoral perspective, will guide RVU into its next chapter of excellence and impact. His mantra — competence without action is unrealized potential — defines his approach to institutional building.”
Sri D.P. Nagaraj, Pro Chancellor of RV University, added, “We are delighted to welcome Prof. Kakani to the RV family. His distinguished track record in higher education, governance, and capacity building across public and private domains makes him ideally suited to lead RV University. His blend of academic rigour, governance exposure, and strategic leadership makes him uniquely equipped to steer RV University into its next phase of growth. We are confident he will catalyse new directions in research, collaboration, and student success.”
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. I look forward to working alongside an exceptional team of faculty, staff, and students to co-create a purpose-driven academic environment.”
A prolific author with publications across Cambridge, Sage, Routledge, and McGraw-Hill, Prof. Kakani is widely respected for bridging management education with public governance and policy. Prof. Kakani holds a distinguished academic pedigree grounded in technical and management education. He earned his Bachelor of Technology in Chemical Engineering from the AU College of Engineering, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, in 1992. He then pursued a rigorous doctoral path, completing his Doctorate in Management (FPM) in Finance & Control from IIM Calcutta, in 2002.
This unique combination of engineering and high-calibre management training underpins his expertise in cross-functional domains — from strategy and financial analysis to public governance and leadership development.
About RV University
Backed by the 85-year-rich legacy of RV Educational Institutions, RV University, which commenced operations in 2021, is a new-age, tech-driven, global university that imparts high-quality liberal education with an interdisciplinary curriculum. The university offers 27 undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD programmes in nine academic disciplines: liberal arts and science, design and innovation, film, media and creative arts, business, economics, computer science, engineering, law, executive education, and allied healthcare studies. It has partnerships and collaborations with over 180 reputed foreign universities, institutions, and companies.
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