Saji Gopinath was the first Vice Chancellor of the newly formed Kerala University of Digital Sciences, Innovation and Technology (Digital University Kerala). Before assuming this position in 2020, he had served as Chief Executive Officer of Kerala Startup Mission for three years. He worked as Director of the Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management Kerala. He was associated with the Indian Institute of Management for over 17 years, serving as its Dean (Academics), Dean (Development), and Professor in Operations Management. He also served as the Director of TAPMI Manipal and the founding Dean of Bennett University, set up by Times of India. He served as a visiting faculty member to a few Universities in Europe and Australia.
A Gold Medalist in Mechanical Engineering (1988 batch) from Kerala University, he completed his PG and Ph.D. in Management Studies from the Indian Institute of Science. He had worked with L&T and ONGC before transitioning to academics. As a faculty member associated with IIM Kozhikode since its inception in 1997, he played a pivotal role in making it one of the top five management schools in the country. Under his leadership, Kerala Startup Mission was consistently ranked as a Top Performer Ecosystem in the country by the Government of India and as the World’s #1 Public Business Accelerator by the World Incubation Summit in 2019. He was instrumental in converting IIITMK into a University of Digital Sciences, Innovation, and Technology, focusing on addressing the research and talent issues of Industry 4.0.
He authored several research papers in reputed journals and consulted leading corporations and national organizations. He served on several National committees on Education and Technology. He was the recipient of numerous awards from National and International Bodies, including the British Council Knowledge Economy Fellowship, TiE Ecosystem Enabler Award, ISTD Transformation Guru Award, Educational Leadership Award, KMA Technology Leadership Award, CMA Management Leadership Award, and Future Kerala Best CEO Award.
