Dr David Jawahar graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Corporate Secretaryship from the University of Madras. He went on to do his MBA from the prestigious Bharathidasan Institute of Management, Trichy and passed out in 1988. Immediately after his graduation, he went into the industry and served as the Executive Assistant to the Managing Director of Telematics Systems Ltd, a push button telephone manufacturing company.

Understanding his real calling was academics, he joined the PhD programme at the Department of Management Studies at the University of Madras. He was awarded the PhD in Organizational Behaviour in 1999.

His academic career started with the Department of Management Studies, Regional Engineering College, Trichy (later to become the National Institute of Technology). He then joined his alma mater Bharathidasan Institute of Management as an Associate Professor. He was soon promoted to Full Professor and made Head of the Centre for Contemporary Management Research. As Centre Head, he conducted and chaired 6 international management conferences. He also started the first international journal of the institute and served as the Chief Editor of the Journal of Contemporary Management Research.

In 2014, he took a break from his academic duties at Bharathidasan Institute of Management and served as the Registrar of the prestigious University of Madras. He is credited with several administrative reforms during his tenure. After the tenure as Registrar, he returned to academics.

He then joined the Xavier Institute of Management, Chennai as Dean – Research. He quickly climbed up the hierarchy as Dean – academics and then the Director of the Institute.

He also served briefly as the Director of Rajalakshmi School of Business and contributed to its quick growth.

In 2000 he was chosen by the Rotary International as a GSE member to visit Osaka, Japan.

In 2005 he was invited to attend the Winter Institute on Bounded Rationality in Psychology and Management conducted by the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.

In 2009 he was awarded the prestigious Dewang Mehta Award for the Best HR Teacher.

In 2015 he designed and delivered an International Seminar on Improving Interpersonal Effectiveness through Games at AIX – Marseille Graduate School of Management, France.

He is a Certified Transaction Analyst. He is also a Certified Life Coach. He is a certified storyteller, too.

He has ample experience in conducting Management Development Programmes and his client list includes Cap Gemini, HLL Healthcare, BHEL, Thirumalai Chemicals, TAFE, India Post, Apollo Tyres, Southern Railways, MRF Tyres, NLC and others.   

He is an avid researcher and has published numerous research articles in national and international Management Journals. He has also served as a PhD guide and has successfully guided 8 PhD candidates. He has edited and published 5 books – one of which was recommended by Anna University as reading material for MBA students.

He has travelled widely and has visited Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and France.

His passion is human development and politics – both national and international.