Vijay Khatri poses with his dog, Max.

Greetings Leeds Community,

Serving as the inaugural Tandean Rustandy Endowed Dean for the Leeds School of Business is truly the honor of a lifetime. I use the word “serve” intentionally because I believe in the power of servant leadership and that leadership is much more than a position or title.

Leadership is driven by genuine respect and compassion for people—leadership seeks to listen first, to earn the trust of others—and leadership seeks input and expertise from others before establishing a course of action. This is the kind of leader- ship I aim to bring to Leeds: leadership that reflects the impact of our alumni, students, faculty and partners who are striving to lead, inspire and influence others to reach a common goal.

In this issue of Business at Leeds, you’ll meet a founder CEO who rose to success by empowering others to be better; a student who stood up to Congress and, later, to his own fear of failure; and a young alumna who learned she could lead without a formal leadership title.

They each found that good leadership is about self-awareness, listening and being responsive to other people’s concerns—the basis of any relationship.

I feel fortunate to stand on the shoulders of the remarkable leaders whose work has helped our school rise to one of the top business schools in the world. We’re a school known for strong values, academic excellence and continued innovation—not to mention a history of leaders making a difference in business each and every day.

Sincerely,

Vijay Khatri's signature

Vijay Khatri
Tandean Rustandy Endowed Dean Leeds School of Business Ƶ