Isabelle Bajeux-Besnainou, dean of the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University
Tepper School of Business Dean Isabelle Bajeux-Besnainou is stepping down from her job at the end of her first term on July 1 of next year. She expects to return to the faculty full-time as a professor of finance.
Carnegie Mellon University has yet to name a search committee or search firm to identify and hire her successor. In bringing Dean Bajeux-Besnainou to Tepper, the university hired search firm Heidrick & Struggles and looked at some 400 candidates for the job. Prior to Tepper, she served as dean of the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University in Canada for five years from 2015 to 2020.
Among the most highly compensated officials at Carnegie Mellon, Dean Bajeux-Besnainou’s decision was announced by Provost James H. Garrett Jr. In fiscal 2023, the latest year for which figures are available, Dean Bajeux-Besnainou’s compensation was $687,473, making her the seventh most highly paid academics at the university.
‘INSTRUMENTAL IN ADVANCING TEPPER’S STRATEGIC PRIORITIES’
During her deanship, Bajeux-Besnainou lifted Carnegie Mellon’s full-time MBA program by two places in Poets&Quants‘ annual composite ranking, to 15th in the U.S. last year from 17th in 2020. The school also improved its standing on U.S. News‘ list, moving up three places to 16th from 19th. Among U.S. MBA programs in the Financial Times‘ ranking, Tepper held its ground, placing 18th over the same timeframe.
“Dean Bajeux-Besnainou’s leadership has been instrumental in advancing the Tepper School’s strategic priorities, teaching and research mission,” said Garrett in a statement. “During her tenure, she successfully completed re-accreditation through 2030, expanded classroom and office spaces and grew executive education offerings. Her accomplishments also include evolving the master’s program portfolio to adapt to a changing business environment and launching the Tepperspectives leadership platform.”
He also noted that she “guided the development of the Tepper School of Business’ 2024-2030 Strategic Plan, “Building the Intelligent Future”, which aims to elevate the school to new heights of excellence and innovation in business research and education. This plan, now in full motion, serves as a roadmap for the future, ensuring that the Tepper School is uniquely positioned to empower the next generation of business leaders to harness the potential of artificial intelligence, in particular large language models and other emerging technology.”
Bajeux-Besnainou began her academic career in 1989 as an assistant professor of finance at ESSEC Business School in France. In 1994, she joined George Washington University’s business school for a lengthy 21-year stint with a three-year part as associate dean for undergraduate programs before moving to McGill University as dean of its business school in 2015. Bajeux-Besnainou earned her doctorate degree in mathematics from the Université Paris Dauphine-PSL.
DON’T MISS: MEET CARNEGIE MELLON TEPPER’S MBA CLASS OF 2026 or THE P&Q INTERVIEW: CARNEGIE MELLON DEAN ISABELLE BAJEUX-BESNAINOU ON AI
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