Rajiv Dutta Named Distinguished Executive-in-Residence at the Drucker School and Drucker Institute

CLAREMONT, Calif.—The Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management, along with the Drucker Institute, have announced that Rajiv Dutta, who recently stepped down as president of eBay Marketplaces, will serve as their first Distinguished Drucker Executive-in-Residence.

Dutta will use his time at the Drucker School and the Drucker Institute to interact with students and faculty, as well as to engage in a series of public conversations-to be held in Claremont with other leading executives-that explore critical management issues of the 21st Century. Among them: How does a company reach beyond its traditional boundaries to tap the best ideas of people on the outside? How do you take a mobile, diverse, knowledge-driven workforce and align its thinking around a common purpose?

Dutta earned his MBA from the Drucker School, which is part of Claremont Graduate University, in 1982. Before running eBay Marketplaces, he served as president of PayPal, president of Skype, and eBay’s chief financial officer. Prior to joining eBay, Dutta held positions at KLA-Tencor, a manufacturer of semiconductor equipment, and Bio-Rad Laboratories, a manufacturer and distributor of life science and diagnostic products. In addition to his Drucker School degree, he holds a B.A. in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University in India.

“Rajiv represents the best of business leadership: a strong set of values linked to an innovative approach to technology and customer service and a proven track record of financial performance,” said Ira Jackson, dean of the Drucker School. “He was the youngest student to ever graduate from the Drucker School and his spectacular career embodies the essence of what we call the Drucker Difference: purpose tied to profits, discipline linked with caring, and character matched with results. At PayPal, at Skype and at eBay, Rajiv has walked the talk and offered a great example of the kind of capitalism we so desperately need.”

Dutta’s appointment follows those of two Distinguished Drucker Scholars-in-Residence, who spent time at CGU in 2007 and 2008: Professor Jiro Nonaka, of UC Berkeley and Hitotsubashi University, and British author and social philosopher Charles Handy.

“As we seek to fulfill our mission-stimulating effective management and ethical leadership across all sectors of society-it’s essential that we not only advance the timeless work of Peter Drucker but that we also engage with Drucker-like thinkers and practitioners who are helping organizations tackle the biggest challenges of today and tomorrow,” said Rick Wartzman, director of the Drucker Institute, a campus-wide resource of CGU. “Rajiv absolutely fills the bill. Besides enjoying tremendous success in the corporate world, he is one of the most thoughtful and insightful executives I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet.”