Prof. Ashok Kumar Dutta is a management educator and institution builder. A first-batch alumnus of IIM Calcutta, he is the founding Director of IIM Shillong, where he established the institute in 2008 and shaped its early development. He earlier served as Director of IISWBM, Kolkata, and was the founding Dean of VGSOM, IIT Kharagpur. He has also held senior leadership positions in industry and public service, including serving as a Member of the North Eastern Council with the rank of Union Minister of State. A founding member of Assam Don Bosco University, he has contributed extensively to management education and institution building.