A MULTIFACETED MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL
Dr. P V Desai brings with him a rare mix of experience & exposure in Management , Education, training, research and consultancy spread over more than 3 decades. The holder of Master in Commerce and degree in Law acquired Ph.D in Management that was followed by a UNDP Fellowship which was executed as a visiting scholar to University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, the USA.
During the initial years of the professional journey (mid 60s), Dr. Desai got the lifetime opportunity of working with the founder faculty team of IIMA, specifically Prof. S K Bhattachharya and Prof. S C Kuchal. During this period, he acquired exposure to several aspects of teaching, consulting, research and academic administration in a growing management institute. This was the time when the career objective of becoming a management consultant was crystallized.
The above experience played key role in Dr. Desai’s appointment as the founder director of B K School of Business Management. Building on this, Dr. Desai made invaluable contribution to today’s well-known management institutes during their initial years. This includes S P Jain Institute and National Institute of Construction Management & Research (NICMAR). Although a full-time management consultant since 1989, Dr. Desai also taught as visiting faculty to Nirma Institute of Management and MICA. Continuing his contribution to building management institutes, he has been the Academic Advisor to AMA and an Advisor to Ganpat University in Gujarat. He has also provided his advisory support to AkrutiCityGold Institute, Mumbai. Given the strength of this background, Dr. Desai feels that an institution to become centre of excellence must have a clear vision, competent leadership, committed faculty and an environment which would enable the faculty and students to give their best.
In May 2009, PLACON, the management consulting organization that Dr.Desai established; has completed 20 years. During this period, a large number of assignments have been carried out in a variety of managerial dimensions for national & international organizations. Some of these include ONGC, RCF, Cadila Group, Claris Life sciences, GIDC, Department of Urban Development (Gujarat), SEWA, UNDP, ILO, ADB, DFID, FNV etc.
Dr. Desai-AMA association is nearly three decades strong now. During this period Dr. Desai has contributed to more than 100 programs and projects in the form of design, coordination, implementation and monitoring. In 1993, he designed and coordinated AMA’s first 10-month duration Program for Diploma in Management Studies (PDMS). In 2007, Dr. Desai upgraded this program to the duration of 2 years with international focus and MBA equivalent inputs. Encouraged by the Program Design and the execution efficiency, IGNOU has approved it for its MBA degree. Dr. Desai has supported AMA in setting up several centers of activities like the SEWA-AMA Centre for Community Based Organizations and American Comer. Currently he is the Academic Adviser to AMA and in this capacity the overseas all the 12 diploma courses at AMA.
Dr. Desai is one of the sought after faculty. His methodical and logical approach to teaching is highly appreciated. Clarity in the subjects and the style of systematic presentation are his forte. He has coordinated and addressed several sector-specific conferences especially in the areas of Construction Management, Tourism Development, Education Management, Healthcare and Hospital Management.
As a seasoned Management professional, Dr. Desai reflects on the emerging times by highlighting the need to take a hard relook at the spectrum of Management Education in India. Hel feels that there is need to link Management concepts & techniques to the urban & rural grassroots of Indian Economy. He also feels that there is a greater need to ensure efficient utilization of resources; rather than just focusing on resource allocation. Technology should be used for welfare of the common man. Appreciating the capability and potential of the Indian youth, Dr. Desai says that they should be driven more by ethics & values. And this is where he says, educational institutions have a vital role to play in terms of management program designs, faculty development and appropriate institutional linkages.
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