Sudhakar V. Balachandran

Clinical Faculty
University of Illinois at Chicago, IL, USA

Area of Expertise: Finance

Professor Balachandran brings a rich mix of business experience and academic rigor to his research. He has more than 10 years of business experience as a management consultant and corporate executive. As a management consultant he worked in information technology with Andersen Consulting which became Accenture, and with Ernst & Young which is now part of Cap Gemini. Professor Balachandran was also a corporate executive at Baxter Healthcare Corporation. He has worked in a diverse set of industries including durable goods, telecommunications, airlines, industrial manufacturing, consumer packaged goods, financial services and healthcare.Professor Balachandran is a Tenured Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he serves as the Academic Director of the MBA Program. In addition Professor Balachandran also has over 12 years of academic experience as a Professor at the Columbia Business School. In his final 2 years at Columbia he served as Assistant Dean of Teaching Excellence at the Business School. He conducts research in cost management, performance measurement, incentives and valuation. These subjects are sometimes referred to collectively as “shareholder value management.” Specifically, he studies how firms use performance measurement to align the interests of managers and shareholders and create shareholder value. Professor Balachandran’s research has been published in leading academic journals and he is often quoted in the business press. In addition, he has published numerous case studies as well as articles in the popular press including outlets such as Forbes Magazine and The Financial Times. Professor Balachandran is passionate about teaching. In his role as Assistant Dean he focused on delivering excellence in both the content and execution of the Columbia Business School Curriculum. He led the Samberg Institute for Teaching Excellence in integrating content across disciplines to prepare students and executives for successful careers leading their organizations. He also collaborated with faculty members in the development and execute of course materials that united academic rigor with its real-world applications. He was also the program director for Columbia Business School’s executive certificate program and Finance and Accounting for Non-Financial Executives. He founded and directed Columbia Business School integrated business management program “Mastering Management.” Professor Balachandran educational background includes a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering, and an MBA with Highest Distinction at the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management. Professor Balachandran completed his Doctorate in the subject of Accounting at the Harvard Business School where he was mentored by his Thesis Chairman Dr. Srikant Datar.