Hyderabad: Dr A. Vinay Kumar took charge as IFHE Vice-Chancellor, bringing more than 27 years of higher education experience to the Hyderabad-based institution. His appointment took effect on August 3, 2026.
Dr Kumar joined the ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education with extensive experience in finance, academic administration and institutional development. He had spent more than two decades at IIM Lucknow. During his tenure, he served as Professor and Associate Professor of Finance.
Moreover, Dr Kumar handled responsibilities covering academic administration, research, accreditation and institutional development. At IIM Lucknow, Dr Kumar worked across accreditation, rankings, doctoral education and executive education.
His responsibilities also covered research and financial management. In addition, he served as Chairman of the Doctoral Programme. Dr Kumar held leadership responsibilities in the Audit Committee and Employee Provident Fund.
He also contributed to institutional initiatives involving the National Institutional Ranking Framework. Furthermore, his accreditation experience included international frameworks such as AACSB, AMBA and SAQS.
His academic work extended to curriculum redesign and programmes aligned with the National Education Policy. Dr Kumar also worked on artificial intelligence integration in higher education. Additionally, his experience covered entrepreneurship and research development.
IFHE Vice-Chancellor holds PhD from Osmania University
The new IFHE Vice-Chancellor held a Ph.D. in Business Management with a specialisation in Finance from Osmania University. He also underwent executive pedagogy training at Harvard Business School.
Dr Kumar’s research interests covered several areas of finance. These included venture capital, market microstructure and derivatives. His research also focused on financial-market sentiment and corporate governance.
With more than 27 years in higher education, Dr Kumar brought experience across teaching, research and institutional administration to IFHE. His background also covered doctoral programmes, executive education, accreditation and financial management.
Dr Kumar assumed charge at the ICFAI Foundation for Higher Education in Hyderabad with effect from August 3.