Raghuram Rajan

Recognized for his significant contributions to finance, Raghuram Rajan was awarded the inaugural Fischer Black Prize by the American Finance Association in 2003. He commenced his academic career in 1991 as an assistant professor of finance at the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago, having earned his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology the same year. By 1995, he achieved full professorship. Rajan gained notable acclaim for his prescient warnings regarding financial system risks at the Jackson Hole conference in 2005, well in advance of the 2008 global financial crisis.

He further solidified his reputation as a prolific author with ‘I Do What I Do’ in 2017. His insights have been recognized with honorary doctorate degrees from the London Business School (2012), and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (2015). He also received the Yashwantrao Chavan National Award 2018 in 2019 for his contributions to public life. Rajan continued his distinguished literary output with ‘The Third Pillar: How the State and Markets are leaving Communities Behind’ (2019), and ‘What the Economy Needs Now’ (2019).

His most recent publication, ‘Breaking the Mould: Reimagining India’s Economic Future,’ was released in 2023. Further academic accolades include an honorary doctorate degree from the Catholic University of Louvain (2019), and from the London School of Economics (2023). He remains a central figure in economic discourse, contributing research and insights from his position at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.