Devi Shetty appointed IIM Bangalore BoG Chairperson

NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 23: Renown cardiac surgeon Dr Devi Prasad Shetty has been appointed as the Chairperson of the Board of Governors of the India Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore.

Dr Shetty is the Chairman and Senior Consultant Cardiac Surgeon of Narayana Group of Hospitals, Bengaluru. The decision of his appointment was taken by the IIM Bangalore BoG, at its 167th meeting. He has been appointed for a period of four years.

“It is a matter of immense happiness that one of the most well-known and respected persons in the field of medicine and in the business of hospital management, Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, is IIMB’s Chairperson,” said Prof G. Raghuram, Director, IIM Bangalore.

Sharing his thoughts about how he is looking forward to contributing towards taking IIMB to greater success, Dr Devi Shetty said, “It is a great privilege and an honour to serve as Chairperson of the Board of Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. Over the years, IIMB has grown to become India’s leading management institute that attracts the best and brightest students from across the country. The alumni of this institution are sought after by leading companies from across the world, including my own.

“Surgeons are like artists and we approach the world through feel, touch and instinct. However, the world of business is more complicated than an open chest, and only the devotees of technology who can synthesize multiple data points will be able to make good decisions. The companies of the future will invest more into digital assets than bricks or mortar and their managers will have to supervise bots, not humans. So, the management curriculum must evolve to cope with a rapidly evolving digital landscape,” he added.

He created world’s first micro-health insurance called ‘Yeshaswini’ with a premium of INR 5 a month. Millions of farmers across Karnataka had access to major surgeries at no additional cost. Yeshaswini eventually became the model for many state governments’ health reimbursement schemes.

Dr Shetty launched India’s first telemedicine program, in partnership with ISRO, to offer cardiac care across remote locations in India and Africa. This program treated over 53,000 patients, free of cost.

Proficient in several languages, Dr Shetty has also been the recipient of several prestigious awards such as the Padma Shri, 2003, Padma Bhushan, 2012, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, 2003, Medical Council of India Dr. B C Roy Award 2003, World Economic Forum Social Entrepreneurship Award, 2005, The Economist Innovation Award, 2011, Nikkei Innovation Award, 2014, etc.