XLRI, Xavier School of Management, one of India’s top B-schools, has a new Director in Fr. Paul Fernandes, SJ. He takes over from Fr P Christie, SJ, who was also a former director of LIBA, Chennai.
An alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur Fr Paul (BM ’86 Batch) had worked at XLRI for many years in various capacities. Besides being a faculty member, he was the financial controller. Fr Paul earned his PhD in economics and ethics from KU, WWF Ingolstadt, Germany; an MSc in economics and MA Licentiate in applied ethics from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. Fr Paul was earlier the Director of Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar and also the first Vice-Chancellor of Xavier University, Bhubaneswar (XUB).
Besides being an educationist and administrator, Fr Paul has been an accomplished researcher and writer. His books include: Economic Ethics and the Moral Perspective of the Golden Rule; Business Ethics and Corporate Governance . He has also co-authored other books including Ethics of Marketing Research, Ethics of Supply Chain Management – empirical research on Indian Supply Chains; International Ethics (a unit written for IGNOU programme on MA in Philosophy).“One of the goals of XLRI is to nurture global responsible leaders who are conscious and sensitive towards the needs of lesser privileged sections of society and inspire them to work for the greater common good. We will continue to place a strong emphasis on our ethos,” said Fr Paul.
Commenting on the leadership transition, TV Narendran, Chairman, Board of Governors at XLRI & MD, Tata Steel India and Southeast Asia, said, “Fr Christie effectively led the Institute during the time of the Covid crisis. The sound health and safety of every stakeholder were his priority. His calm and dedicated efforts to uphold XLRI’s legacy amidst unavoidable challenges speak volumes about Fr. Christie’s leadership skills and commitment. As we bid farewell to Fr. Christie, we are equally proud to be associated with another stalwart, Fr Paul Fernandes and welcome him to the XL family. I am confident that XLRI will achieve newer heights of success and reputation under his able leadership and guidance in the years ahead.”