Pune, August 4, 2026: FLAME University has named Professor Raunaq S. Pungaliya as Dean of the FLAME School of Business and ENAM Professor of Finance, the university announced on Monday. Professor Pungaliya, a financial economist with a Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Iowa, brings global experience across corporate finance, asset management, analytics, and artificial intelligence.
In his new role, Professor Pungaliya will lead the FLAME School of Business, aiming to strengthen the university’s interdisciplinary and globally engaged approach to management education.
Global academic and leadership background
Professor Pungaliya previously served as Vice Dean, Professor of Finance, and Director of the AI in Business Innovation Lab at SKK Graduate School of Business (SKK GSB) in Seoul. There, he led the design and launch of several degree programs, including the Master of Science in Business Analytics, the Business Analytics MBA, and the AI MBA.
His academic career also includes positions as Senior Visiting Scholar at the Reserve Bank of India’s Center for Advanced Financial Research and Learning (CAFRAL) and as International Faculty Fellow at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Professor Pungaliya’s research has been published in journals such as the Accounting Review, Management Science, and the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis. He has received more than a dozen teaching awards.
Leadership comments on appointment
Vice-Chancellor Dishan Kamdar said Professor Pungaliya’s appointment is a significant addition to the university’s academic leadership. “His distinguished experience in building academic programmes, advancing research, and fostering collaborations across global institutions aligns strongly with our vision of delivering a rigorous, interdisciplinary, and globally relevant education,” Kamdar said.
Professor Pungaliya stated, “Great business schools are built at the intersection of rigor and relevance. As data and artificial intelligence reshape how companies lead, market, and create value, the leaders who matter will be the ones who can see the whole board. That is what excites me about FLAME. Its interdisciplinary foundation is built for exactly this moment, and my ambition is to grow a school whose graduates have the depth to master a field and the breadth to lead across all of them.”
Focus on interdisciplinary management education
FLAME University said the appointment reflects its ongoing commitment to interdisciplinary and globally engaged management education, with a focus on preparing future business leaders for an evolving world.
FLAME University, based in Pune, is a state-private university recognized by the University Grants Commission and holds the highest NAAC accreditation, A++.
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