Jenn Lim
Founder & CEO, Delivering Happiness. Culture Book Creator and Consultant at Zappos
Soumitra Dutta
Founder, Global Innovation Index (WIPO) | Former Dean, Cornell SC Johnson & Oxford Saïd | President, Portulans Institute | Board Member, Dassault Systèmes
Soumitra Dutta created the Global Innovation Index — WIPO's benchmark covering 139 economies — and led two of the world's top business schools at Cornell and Oxford. Founder of the Portulans Institute and board member of Dassault Systèmes, he connects innovation policy, digital transformation, and global competitiveness in a way few academics can. His keynotes equip senior leaders to build organizations that out-innovate the competition.
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Soumitra Dutta biography
Soumitra Dutta is one of the world’s foremost authorities on innovation, digital transformation, and global competitiveness — the academic who created the Global Innovation Index (GII), the definitive annual benchmark for national innovation performance published by the World Intellectual Property Organization. Now in its 18th edition and covering 139 economies, the GII has shaped the innovation strategies of governments, multilateral institutions, and corporations across every continent. It is among the most cited policy tools in the world.
Innovation speaker Soumitra Dutta built his academic career across three of the world’s leading institutions. At INSEAD, where he spent over two decades, he rose to senior leadership as Dean of Technology and E-learning and Dean of Executive Education, while founding eLab — the school’s research center on digital economy analytics. In 2012 he joined Cornell University, becoming the Founding Dean of the SC Johnson College of Business, where he led one of the largest business school integrations in the United States and secured a landmark $150 million naming gift. From 2022 to 2025 he served as the Peter Moores Dean of Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford. He earned his B.Tech. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from IIT Delhi, and his M.S. degrees and Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley.
Architect of Global Innovation Policy
Beyond academia, Dutta has spent decades at the intersection of research, policy, and entrepreneurship. He is the co-founder and President of the Portulans Institute, a non-partisan research organization based in Washington, D.C., that produces the GII and the Network Readiness Index in partnership with WIPO and the World Economic Forum. He is a board member of Dassault Systèmes, one of the world’s leading software and technology companies, and a member of the Shareholder Council of ZS Associates. He co-founded Green Frontier Capital, a climate-tech venture fund focused on breakthrough technologies, and chairs the Global Business School Network. A member of the Davos Circle, he has participated in the World Economic Forum’s annual meetings for more than a decade.
As a speaker, Soumitra Dutta brings a genuinely rare vantage point: the architect of the world’s most widely used innovation measurement framework, a leader who has run institutions that train tomorrow’s executives, and an entrepreneur who has co-founded and exited technology ventures. His keynotes translate the GII’s data and methodology into strategic insight for senior leaders — examining where national and corporate innovation ecosystems are heading, what AI means for competitiveness, and how organizations can build the institutional conditions for sustained, measurable innovation.
Soumitra Dutta Speaking Videos
Professor Soumitra Dutta - Innovating at the Top
Soumitra Dutta - The world after covid-19
Soumitra Dutta Keynote Topics
As the creator and co-editor of the Global Innovation Index — the world's most authoritative annual ranking of 139 national innovation ecosystems — Dutta unpacks what the data reveals about where competitive advantage is shifting, which economies and sectors are pulling ahead, and what the structural drivers of innovation performance look like in practice. A rare opportunity for senior leaders to hear the architect of the world's most influential innovation benchmark interpret its findings for strategic decision-making.
Drawing on decades of research and institutional leadership across INSEAD, Cornell, and Oxford, Dutta translates the frameworks of national innovation ecosystems into actionable corporate strategy. He examines the organizational conditions — talent systems, culture, capital allocation, and governance — that consistently produce innovation at scale, and offers a diagnostic for leaders who want an honest assessment of where their organization stands and how to close the gap.
As co-editor of the World Economic Forum's Global Information Technology Report and a longtime member of the Davos Circle, Dutta has tracked digital transformation across economies for over twenty years. In this keynote he examines what the AI era demands of organizations: how to move from experimentation to systemic capability, how to build the talent and governance structures that AI-powered competition requires, and how the winners of the next decade will differ from those who merely adopted technology without transforming around it.
As co-founder of Green Frontier Capital and a long-standing expert on innovation in Asia, Latin America, and Africa, Dutta offers a data-driven map of where the next wave of innovation-led growth is forming. This keynote is designed for multinational executives, investors, and policymakers who need to understand how emerging market innovation ecosystems are maturing — and what that means for global strategy, supply chains, and investment positioning in the decade ahead.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Soumitra Dutta
Why Soumitra Dutta?
Booking Soumitra Dutta means securing one of the world's most credentialed voices on innovation strategy and global competitiveness. As the creator of the Global Innovation Index — the benchmark used by governments, central banks, and multinationals to understand where innovation is flourishing and why — he brings a data depth that no other speaker in this space can match. He has led business schools at Cornell and Oxford, co-founded ventures that have been acquired by global firms, and sat on the boards of companies including Dassault Systèmes. His keynotes do not deal in generalities: they offer leaders specific, evidence-based frameworks drawn from the most comprehensive innovation dataset ever assembled. For boards, strategy teams, and C-suite audiences that need more than inspiration, Dutta is the speaker to call. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to check his availability for your next event.
What is the Global Innovation Index?
The Global Innovation Index (GII) is the world's leading annual assessment of national innovation performance, published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in partnership with the Portulans Institute. Created by Soumitra Dutta in 2007 while at INSEAD, it ranks 139 economies across 78 indicators organized into seven pillars — from institutions and human capital to knowledge outputs and creative industries. Now in its 18th edition, the GII is used by governments to benchmark their innovation ecosystems, by corporations to assess market readiness, and by international institutions including the World Bank, OECD, and UN to shape development strategy. It is one of the most cited economic policy tools in the world.
What is the Portulans Institute?
The Portulans Institute is a non-partisan, non-profit research and education organization based in Washington, D.C., co-founded and led by Soumitra Dutta. It serves as the academic partner to WIPO for the production of the Global Innovation Index and also publishes the Network Readiness Index, which benchmarks the digital competitiveness of over 130 economies in partnership with the World Economic Forum. The Institute's mission is to produce rigorous, independent research that helps governments, companies, and institutions make better decisions about technology, innovation, and digital transformation.
What topics does innovation speaker Soumitra Dutta cover?
Soumitra Dutta covers global innovation ecosystems and national competitiveness, digital transformation and AI strategy, building high-performing innovative organizations, emerging market innovation and investment, technology policy and governance, and the data-driven future of business. His talks are particularly suited to C-suite audiences, strategy and innovation teams, boards of directors, and policy forums where rigorous, empirically grounded insight is the standard. To check availability and speaking fees, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau.
How to book Soumitra Dutta as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Soumitra Dutta as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Soumitra Dutta's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Soumitra Dutta or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Soumitra Dutta speaking fee?
Soumitra Dutta speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Soumitra Dutta to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Soumitra Dutta.
How can I contact Soumitra Dutta?
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Can I book Soumitra Dutta for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Soumitra Dutta is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Soumitra Dutta for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
