Carnegie Mellon names new business school dean

Isabelle Bajeux-Besnainou, dean of the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University in Montreal, was named the 10th dean of Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business on Monday.

Officials at CMU said Bajeux-Besnainou’s appointment follows an international search. She will assume her new role at CMU Oct. 15. She will also hold a faculty appointment as a professor of finance.

“Throughout her career, Dr. Isabelle Bajeux-Besnainou has demonstrated extraordinary leadership in the areas that are defining the future of business schools and which have long been at the heart of the Tepper School’s distinct approach, including a focus on technology, analytics, interdisciplinary collaboration and entrepreneurship. Especially as artificial intelligence and the digital revolution transform every sector of our economy, Isabelle’s vision and expertise will accelerate the momentum of the Tepper School, encourage even greater collaboration across the university, and, ultimately, grow CMU’s leadership at the intersection of technology and society,” CMU President Farnam Jahanian said, announcing the appointment.

Officials said Bajeux-Besnainou, who has led Desautels since 2015, oversaw the the launch of several master of management programs at McGill, including masters in retailing, finance and analytics. Additionally, she led the establishment of the Bensadoun School of Retail Management at McGill, which is dedicated to “educating and empowering a global network of interdisciplinary thinkers and practitioners who research, envision and develop a dynamic and successful world of retail.”

Before joining McGill, Bajeux-Besnainou worked for two decades at George Washington University School of Business in Washington, D.C., as a professor and administrator. She is a native of Paris, where she earned her doctorate.