Dr. Ajit Keshav Ranade is a B.Tech. (1982 passout) from the Dept. of Electrical Engineering. He holds a Ph.D. from Harvard Business School.

Dr. Ajit Ranade is Group Chief Economist and President in the Aditya Birla Group, a diversified multinational conglomerate, with businesses spanning from metals, cement and textiles to insurance and telecom. His professional career has spanned academic and corporate assignments, including teaching in Universities In India and U.S., and as Chief Economist and Head of Microfinance Business at ABN AMRO Bank, India.

He is currently a Member of the Western Region Council of the Cll and of the Economic Affairs Committee of FICCI. He is Chair of the Research Advisory Committee of the Indian Institute of Banking and Finance. He has served on various committees of the Reserve Bank of India. He is a Member on the Board of India Today Economists. He is a Member of the Senate and of the Advisory Council of Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.

He has been actively involved in ITB alumni activities, and has served on the Board of the IIT Bombay Alumni Association for more than three years, and currently is the Chairman of ITBAA. He was part of the organising team for Pan-IIT 2006 and co-chaired the Sponsorship Committee. As Chair & Representative of IITBAA, he is a Member of the Global Board of Pan-IIT and also of the Executive Committee of Pan-IIT India.