Ashok SOM

Professor
department: Management
Campus de Cergy
+33 (0)1 34 43 30 73
International Business – Management – Organizational Theory – Strategy
Biography

Ashok Som is full-Professor of the Management Department at ESSEC Business School. He is one of the pioneering thought leaders in designing organizations and an expert in global strategy. He is author of more than 110 cases, articles and books, such as The Road to Luxury: The New Frontiers in Luxury Brand Management (Wiley 2021, 2nd Edition;  translated in Mandarin in 2023), The Road to Luxury: The Evolution, Markets and Strategies of Luxury Brand Management (Wiley, 2015, translated in Mandarin in 2016), International Management: Managing the Global Corporation (McGraw Hill, 2009) and Organization Re-design and Innovative HRM (Oxford University Press, 2008). He holds a PhD in Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad and Habilation from CY University, Paris.

For updated details please refer to: www.linkedin.com/in/ashoksom

 

Diplomas

  • 2014: HDR (Université Cergy-Pontoise France)
  • 2002: Ph.D. in Business Management (Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad India)
  • 1995: Master of Technology (M.Tech, Applied Geology) (Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) India)
  • 1993: Master of Science (M.Sc, Applied Geology) (Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) India)
  • 1991: Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) (Presidency College India)
Career
Other Academic Appointments
    • 2020 – Now : Founding Director of ESSEC-Parsons Executive Masters in Luxury Management (ESSEC Business School France)
    • 2019 – 2020 : Hindustan Unilever Visiting Faculty at IIM Calcutta 2019 – 2020 (Indian Institute of Management Calcutta India)
    • 2017 – Now : Visiting Professor (Graduate School of Business Administration, Keio University Japan)
    • 2016 – 2020 : Founding Director of ESSEC-Bocconi Executive Masters in Luxury Management (ESSEC Business School France)
    • 2010 – 2015 : Visiting Professor (Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad India)
    • 2010 – Now : Visiting Professor (Mannheim Business School Germany)
    • 2009 – 2013 : Associate Dean and Director, Global MBA Program (ESSEC Business School France)
    • 2008 – 2010 : Director of ESSEC-IIMA Global Management Program on Luxury & Retail Management (Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad India)
    • 2005 : Visiting Professor (Graduate School of Business Administration, Keio University Japan)
    • 2004 : Visiting Professor, Department of Management Sciences and Decision Making (Tamkang University China)
    • 2003 : Visiting Professor (Graduate School of Business Administration, Keio University Japan)
    • 2001 – 2002 : Visiting Professor (ESSEC Business School France)
Full-time academic appointments
    • 2010 – Now : Professor (ESSEC Business School France)
    • 2005 – 2010 : Associate Professor (ESSEC Business School France)
    • 2002 – 2005 : Assistant Professor (ESSEC Business School France)
Professional appointments
    • 2000 – 2001 : Internship, in France with HR & Integration Department, Cement Division. (Lafarge France)
    • 1998 : Summer Placement. I was responsible for designing a Human Resource Information System (HRIS) for their offices at Mumbai and Delhi, India (STAR TV India India)
    • 1997 : Sr. Executive, New Business Development (Globsyn Technologies Ltd. India)
    • 1995 – 1996 : Executive, Program Co-ordination & Administration at ZEE Education, a subsidiary of ZEE Telefilms Ltd., Calcutta and Mumbai, India (ZEE Education India)

Awards

  • 2020 : https://www.thecasecentre.org/educators/casemethod/bestsellingauthors/2020/37-AshokSom
  • 2019 : https://www.thecasecentre.org/educators/casemethod/bestsellingauthors/2018/35-AshokSom (United Kingdom)
  • 2018 : https://www.thecasecentre.org/educators/casemethod/bestsellingauthors/2017/37-AshokSom (United Kingdom)
  • 2017 : https://www.thecasecentre.org/educators/casemethod/bestsellingauthors/2019/40-AshokSom (United Kingdom)
  • 2014 : Best Case Study Award for Entrepreneurship worldwide from The Case Center, for the study “Coach: To Be or not to be Luxury”
  • 2010 : Pride of HR Profession Award at the World HRD Congress 2010 (Taj Lands End, Mumbai, 11th-13th February, 2010), for his leadership and contribution to the field of Human Resources.
  • 2009 : Winner of EFMD 2008 Case Writing Competition for the Case (Belgium)
  • 2009 : Shortlisted within the top 10 articles in Prix Académique Syntec Conseil en Management (France)
  • 2007 : Nominated to be in the 2000 Outstanding Intellectuals of the 21st Century, International Bibliographical Centre, UK
  • 2004 : The Case “Carrefour: Conquer of Latin America” was judged the Second Best Case written by a writer from outside the United States in the North American Case Research Association Conference (United States of America)
  • 2003 : “Runner up” for Hendrik Casimir Award for his essay titled: “Increasing the Entrepreneurial Spirit of R&D”.The Hendrik Casimir Award is given every year by The European Industrial Research Management Association (EIRMA). Was invited to attend the Round Table Meeting on the topic: Strengthening the Entrepreneurial Spirit of R&D held in Paris
  • 1999 : Winner of 29th McKinsey Wings of Excellence Award at the International Management Symposium on ‘New Markets, New Technologies, New Skills” at University of St. Gallen, Switzerland for my essay on “The Power of Imagination – An Indian Scenario”.9 -10
  • 1999 : Was given the Best Research Proposal Award (INR 50,000), 1999 by Aditya Birla (India) Center at the London Business School, London, held at Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta. The topic of the research proposal was “Emerging Human Resource Strategies in Response to Organizational Restructuring”.
  • 1990 : Late Swapan Saha Memorial Prize, for securing first position in BSc. Ist Year Examination.

Other

  • 2007 : Marquis Who’s Who of the World, Twenty-Fourth Edition, US
  • 2003 : “LAFARGE: Evolution of a French Cement Company to a Global Leader” has been accepted for presentation at the Carnegie Bosch International Institute, to be held in Pittsburgh, USA, October 2-4. The article won an honorarium of $1000 and reimbursement for travel and hotel expenses.
  • 1997 : Was within the top 25 % of the Batch of MBA students at Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, India
  • 1991 : Secured second position in the All India Entrance Examination for the Indian Institutes of Technology for Post – Graduate Studies

Grants

  • 2000 : Selected for the prestigious IIM Ahmedabad Doctoral Institutional Exchange Program (one doctoral student per year) with ESSEC Business School, Paris for a period of six months on a cross-cultural study of two organizations in the automobile and cement industry in FranceSelected for the prestigious IIM Ahmedabad Doctoral Institutional Exchange Program (one doctoral student per year) with ESSEC Business School, Paris for a period of six months on a cross-cultural study of two organizations in the
  • 1993 : National Scholarship, Government of India, for higher education (MTech) in Applied Geology at IIT Kharagpur.
  • 1991 : Bourse d’études nationale, Gouvernement Indien, pour performances exceptionnelles à l’examen annuel B.Sc. III Year Examination.

Journal articles

Book chapters

Conference Proceedings

Presentations at an Academic or Professional conference

Published cases

Press article, video or other popular media

Research activities
  • Senior or Associate Editor
    • 2017 – 2019: Associate editor – Luxury Research Journal
  • Editorial Board Membership
    • 2014 – 2020: Editorial board membership – Luxury Research Journal
    • 2010 – 2010: Editorial board membership – Journal of Asia Entrepreneurship and Sustainability
    • 2005 – 2008: Editorial board membership – Journal of Asia Entrepreneurship and Sustainability
  • Member of an academic association
    • 2005 – 2015: International HRM Network
    • 2005 – 2013: Member of Australia-New Zealand Academy of Management ( Australia)
    • 2002 – 2010: Member of Asia Academy of Management
    • 2002 – 2012: Member of Academy of HRD
  • Function in an academic association
    • 2001 – 2005: Country Representative of France, International Management Division (Academy of Management United States of America)
Professional activities
  • Consulting
    • 2005 – Now: been involved with large corporations such as Caisses d’Epargne, Canal +, L’Oreal, Lafarge, LVMH, Renault, Vodafone, Philips, Faurecia, France Telecom on topics related to International Strategy, Organization Design, International HR, Post-Merger Integration, Cross-cultural management issues and doing business in emerging Asian markets