A new book has flagged potential conflicts of interest over Harvard Business School (HBS) Dean Nitin Nohria also being a member on Tata Sons board.

The book, The Golden Passport written by author and former journalist Duff McDonald, states ‘Nohria sits on the board of India’s Tata Sons, a clear finger in the eye to those who would suggest that a dean of a graduate school might want to avoid such potential conflicts of interest”.

HBS had received a donation of $50 million from Tata Trusts — Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and Tata Education and Development Trust — in October 2010.

Nohria was named the dean of HBS in July the same year. “It strains the imagination to see that those two things (Tatas donation and Nohria being the dean of HBS) are not related, it’s far easier to see how those two might be related,” McDonald told BusinessLine over phone from the US.

“I think that it’s quite clear that the man is in his role for his fund-raising expertise rather than his corporate governance expertise…. What is the dean of any business school doing on the board of a company,” McDonald asked.

While Nohria could not be reached for comments, in an affidavit filed before National Company Law Tribunal, he said: “My predecessor Dean Jay Light finalised this gift (donation by Tata Trusts) in March 2010, before I even knew I was going to be appointed dean. My appointment was announced in April 2010 and I began my term in July 2010”.

“Moreover, I only joined the board of Tata Sons on September 6, 2013, after Ratan N Tata had retired from the board,” he said, adding there is no truth in these allegations.

Nohria for President

McDonald in a chapter ‘Nitin Nohria for President’ also states that Nohria is eyeing the president’s post at Harvard University.

‘Nohria’s eyes may be focused elsewhere, though: toward the office of Drew Faust,’ the book said.

The Golden Passport , which had been released globally and is available online, will be available in India from June 20.

Nohria, who is the 10th and the current dean of HBS, is also the first Indian and first non-white to don the post.

McDonald, in his earlier book The Firm had pulled back the curtain on consulting firm McKinsey & Co.

In The Golden Passport , he dwells on the nexus of power, ambition and influence of HBS, publisher Harper Collins said on its website.

Apart from Nohria, the book also features HBS professor Krishna Palepu (who was fined ₹2.7 crore by an Indian court for Satyam scam) and Harvard College dean Rakesh Khurana and former Mckinsey CEO Rajat Gupta. Gupta was the last highest profiled dean to be associated with HBS.

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