Sanjeev Khagram
Biography
Dr. Sanjeev Khagram is the Foundation Professor of Global Leadership and Global Futures at Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University. He also previously served as Director General and Dean of Thunderbird from 2018 to 2024. He is a world-renowned scholar and practitioner in the areas of globalization, transnationalism, leadership, strategic management, entrepreneurship, social enterprise, cross-sector innovation, public-private partnerships, inter-organizational networks, good governance, transparency, the global political economy, sustainable development, human security, and the data revolution. He holds a bachelor's degree in development studies and engineering, a master's degree and doctoral degree minor in economics and a doctoral degree in political economy, all from Stanford University.
Dr. Khagram led the establishment of the cross-sectoral Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data and International Open Data Charter. He also previously founded, and was the architect of, the multi-stakeholder Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency (GIFT). Dr. Khagram was selected as a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum and authored UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s report on the Impacts of the Global Economic Crisis in 2009. He was Dean of the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre, Foundation and Trust (DTPC) from 2003–2005, and he was Senior Policy and Strategy Director at the World Commission on Dams, where he was the lead writer of the Commission's widely acclaimed Final Report from 1998–2000. Dr. Khagram also founded and led Innovations for Scaling Impact, a global enterprise from 2007–2012.
Dr. Khagram was the John Parke Young Professor of Global Political Economy, Diplomacy and World Affairs at Occidental College from 2012–2018. He was previously Professor and the Founding Director of the Center for International Development at the University of Washington. From 2008–2010, he held the Wyss Visiting Professorship at Harvard Business School. Dr. Khagram was Associate Professor at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and Visiting Professor at Stanford University's Institute of International Studies from 1998–2005. He has also taught in numerous universities around the world including the Monterrey Institute of Technology (Mexico), Tata Institute of Social Sciences (India), Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (Singapore), University of Cape Town (South Africa), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and Central European University (Hungary).
Dr. Khagram has published widely, including: "Dams and Development: Transnational Struggles for Water and Power" (Cornell University Press); "Restructuring World Politics: Transnational Social Movements, Networks and Norms" (University of Minnesota Press); "The Transnational Studies Reader: Intersections and Innovations" (Routledge Press); and "Open Budgets: The Political Economy of Transparency, Participation and Accountability" (Brookings Institution Press). In addition, he's authored "Inequality and Corruption" in the American Journal of Sociology; "Possible Future Architectures of Global Governance: A Transnational Perspective/Prospective" in Global Governance; "Environment and Security" in the Annual Review of Environment and Resources; “Social Balance Sheets” in Harvard Business Review; “Evidence for Development Effectiveness” in the Journal of Development Effectiveness; and “Towards a Platinum Standard for Evidence-Based Assessment” in Public Administration Review.
Dr. Khagram has worked extensively with global start-ups, corporations, governments, civil society groups, multilateral organizations, cross-sectoral action networks, public-private partnerships, foundations, professional associations and universities all over the world, from the local to the international levels. He has lived and worked for extended periods in Brazil, India, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, Thailand, Germany and the United Kingdom. Khagram is of Asian Indian heritage, a Hindu, and a refugee of Idi Amin's Uganda, which brought him to the United States in 1973 via refugee camps in Italy. He is the proud father of two sons.
Education
- Ph.D. Global Political Economy, Stanford University 1999
- Ph.D. (Minor in) Economics, Food Research Institute, Stanford University 1998
- M.A. Economics and Policy, Food Research Institute, Stanford University 1993
- B.A. Development Studies and Engineering, Self-Designed Major, Stanford University 1990
Public Work
SELECTED PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
Dean and Director-General, Thunderbird School of Global Management - July 2018
- Foundation Professor of Global Leadership
- Chair ASU Global Leadership Council
- Board Member Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability
John Parke Young Professor of Global Political Economy, Occidental College - 2012 2018
Inaugural holder of this prestigious endowed chair with the goal of establishing Occidental College as the premier liberal arts college for interdisciplinary global affairs teaching, research, and programming. Director of major initiatives on the future of the global economy and development, entrepreneurship and innovation. Faculty Director of the Young Initiative on the Global Economy and Entrepreneurship.
Architect and Coordinator, Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data - 2015 2016
Envisioned, created and coordinated a major global multi-stakeholder initiative to harness the data revolution for sustainable development and particular support the achievement of the 2030 Global Sustainable Development Goals. Led the development and implementation of the overall strategy; facilitated interactions among governments, international organizations, civil society groups, statistics and data communities, and other stakeholders; and mobilized millions of dollars in contributions. Simultaneously led the effort to develop and advance an International Open Data Charter Initiative.
Architect and Coordinator, Global Initiative for Fiscal Transparency (GIFT) - 2010 2013
Envisioned, created and coordinated a major global multi-stakeholder initiative to advance more transparent and inclusive public financial management/government budgeting around the world. Developed and implemented the overall strategy; facilitated interactions among governments, international organizations, civil society groups and other stakeholders; mobilized millions of dollars in contributions; presented to the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group; led the adoption of a UN General Assembly Resolution; and formed a joint working group on fiscal openness with the Open Government Partnership.
Professor of Public Affairs and International Studies, University of Washington - 2005 2012
(on leave 2008-2010 as the Wyss Professor at the Harvard Business School and Founder/CEO of I-Scale)
Faculty member in the Evans School of Public Affairs and Jackson School of International Studies with Adjunct appointments in the Foster School of Business, Departments of Political Science and Sociology. Led several major university-wide research, teaching and training initiatives as well as degree and certificate programs at the divisional and departmental levels.
- Founding Director, Marc Lindenberg Center for Humanitarian Action, International Development, and Global Citizenship (2005 2008)
- Faculty Chair of the Hubert Humphrey Leaders Program (2005 2008)
- Faculty Chair of the International Development Certificate Program (2005 2008)Faculty Chair of the Executive Program for Afghan Leaders (2006 2008)
- Organized applied research projects on business in global development, social network mapping, disaster risk reduction, transparency and accountability, advocacy innovations, monitoring and evaluation of complicated and complex social change efforts, among others.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Innovations for Scaling Impact (iScale) - 2008 2012
Initiated and led Innovations for Scaling Impact (iScale) - a global social enterprise network of individuals and organizations committed to developing, implementing and promoting innovations to scale the impact of efforts to address the worlds most pressing challenges. Innovation areas included cross-sectoral collaborations and multi-stakeholder partnerships, networks and networking, communities of practice, monitoring and evaluation methods for complicated and complex social change efforts, transnational policy advocacy, information, communication and social media technologies, among others.
Wyss Visiting Professor, Harvard Business School - 2008 2010
Focused on facilitating knowledge sharing and innovation in communities of practice composed of global social entrepreneurs, leaders in the field of corporate citizenship and new forms of market regulation, and global cross-sectoral problem solving. Launched Innovations for Scaling Impact (iScale) as a social enterprise during this time.
Director, Transnational Studies Initiative, Harvard University - 1998 2005
(on leave 1998-2000 at the World Commission on Dams and 2003-05 at the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre)
A major initiative to build the interdisciplinary field of transnational studies. Lead responsibilities for conceptualizing the initiative and promoting its institutionalization across various organizational and geographical contexts.
- Assistant to Associate Professor of Public Policy, John F. Kennedy School of Government
- Faculty Fellow at Centers on: Government and International Affairs, International Development, Innovations in Government, Non-Profit Organizations, Business and Government
- Co-founder of the International Advocacy NGO InitiativeCo-founder of the Collaborative Governance Program
- Co-founder of the Corporate Social Responsibility Program
- Co-organized major academic workshops and teaching/training programs on topics such as transparency and good governance, corporate citizenship, democratic innovations, and transnational studies.
Dean, Desmond Tutu Peace Center, Trust, and Foundation - 2003 2005
An organization committed to creating a world of peace by promoting good governance, human security and sustainable development.
- Lead responsibilities for a massive organizational turnaround and establishing the foundations for future success
- Crafted new institutional relationships among the Tutu Center, Trust and Foundation
- Developed an programmatic strategy consisting of public engagement, training and research
- Facilitated the acquiring of land and designing the Centers new building
- Initiated a multi-million dollar capital campaign targeting diversified sources of revenues
- Established partnerships with key stakeholders in the public, private and non-profit sectors
- Executed a major overhaul in financial and human resource systems, management, personnel
Co-Founder and Senior Strategy Director, World Commission on Dams - 1998 2000
An innovative, independent, multi-stakeholder global initiative mandated to conduct the first ever worldwide review of the development effectiveness of large dams; to formulate international guidelines and criteria for sustainable water and energy resource management; and to identify good practices for governance, options assessment and decision-making in these areas.
- Team leader in developing the $7 million dollar work program of the Commission
- Team leader of the largest ever cross-country survey research on the performance of large dams
- Team leader and primary author of the Commissions internationally acclaimed Final Report
- Co-led overall strategy, stakeholder engagement, policy research and international advocacy