SOBHESH KUMAR AGARWALLA
Hari Mundra Research Chair Professor in Applied Business Finance
Professor, Finance and Accounting Area, IIM Ahmedabad.
Fellow (IIMA), FCA, ACMA, AC S.
Sobhesh Kumar Agarwalla is a professor in the Finance and Accounting area and the Hari Mundra Research Chair Professor in Applied Business Finance at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA). He has a doctorate in management with a Finance and accounting specialization from IIMA. He is also a qualified chartered accountant, cost accountant and company secretary. Prof. Agarwalla has been recognized for his academic excellence. He has received the prestigious Chaudhary-Padmanabhan-Pant Award for academic excellence at IIMA, the Institute Gold Medal (AIR 1) in the ICMAI final examination, and a top rank in the ICAI examination.
His research interests include market microstructure, capital markets, corporate finance, financial reporting, and corporate governance. His scholarly work has been published in leading journals like Journal of Futures Markets, Economics Letters, Accounting Horizons, Meditari Accountancy Research, World Development, and International Review of Financial Analysis. He has also authored numerous case studies on investments, market manipulation, capital markets, corporate finance, infrastructure investment trusts, managerial accounting, corporate governance, CSR initiatives, and financial reporting.
At IIM Ahmedabad, Prof. Agarwalla teaches courses on Mergers & Acquisitions, financial markets, investment and portfolio management, firm valuation and financial reporting, strategic cost management, and corporate finance.
Sobhesh has consulted for many prominent organizations, such as the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the oil marketing companies (IOC, BPCL and HPCL), the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, the Government of Gujarat, and the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY). He co-led a review of the NSE’s surveillance systems and processes and has provided expert opinions on legal cases for top law firms. He also coordinated research projects and organized symposiums on financial literacy, financial inclusion, and chit-fund participation in India.
Sobhesh is an Independent Director on the Boards of Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited, NSE-IX Limited, and Loxim Industries Limited. At IIMA, he has handled numerous administrative roles, such as Chairperson of the Finance and Accounting Area, the IIMA Case Centre and the IIMA-VSL Library Committee. Additionally, he has been a member of the Finance Committee of National Law University Odisha, the Accounting Standards Board of ICAI, the Auditing and Assurance Standards Board, and the Appellate Tribunal of ICAI-RVO.
For more information, please visit https://sites.google.com/iima.ac.in/prof-sobhesh-kumar-agarwalla/
Primary Area : Finance and Accounting
Email : sobhesh@Iima.ac.in
Phone : +91-79-7152 4865
Office : 805, Forum Tower, IIMA New Campus
Secretary : Priyal Patel
Phone : +91-79-7152 7926
Website : Personal Website
Ph.D., IIM Ahmedabad, 2004-2009
FCA, The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India - (Rankholder)
ACS, The Institute of Company Secretaries of India
ACMA, The Institute of Cost Accountants of India - (Gold Medalist)
MBA Level Courses
Electives: (MBA and 1-year MBA Programs)
Doctoral Level Courses
Executive Education
Chair/Co-chair
Workshops for corporate executives
Mergers and Acquisitions, Developing business acumen, analysis of financial statements, valuation, etc.
Independent Director, NSE-IX Limited
Independent Director, GUVNL
Independent Director, Loxim Industries Limited
Chairperson, IIMA case centre, 2019- Present
Chairperson, Financial aids and awards committee, IIMA, 2018-2020
Special Invitee, ICAI Valuation standard board, 2018
Chairperson, Finance and Accounting Area, IIMA, 2016-2018
Warden, IIMA, 2015-2017
Member, Library committee, 2010-12, 2014-16
Member, Research and publication committee, IIMA, 2015-2016
Special Invitee, ICAI Accounting standard board, 2014
Chairperson, Library committee, 2013-14
Program coordinator, IIMA-Citi Financial Literacy symposium, 2012
IIMA Member, Library Committee, 2010-2016
Member, Finance Committee, National Law University of Odisha, 2010-2012
De-Novo Study for LPG Distributors Commission (with Prof. Ajay Pandey), 2024
Enhancing Environmental Sustainability for the K-Rail SilverLine Project (with Amit Garg), 2022
Revie of Pre-trade Risk Control in Equity Options (with Vineet Virmani), 2022
Review of Surveillance Activities at NSE (with Prof. Jayanth R. Varma), 2018
Impact of the proposed GST on the Consumer Price Index in India (with Sebastian Morris, Ajay Pandey and Astha Agarwalla), 2017
Estimating the Consumption Based Tax-base of Gujarat: A Comparative Study of Select States (with Sebastian Morris, Ajay Pandey and Astha Agarwalla), 2016
Independent Evaluation of Media Lab Asia (with Profs. Sebastian Morris, Rakesh Basant, Rekha Jain and Ajay Pandey), 2015
Impact of Changes in Policy Framework on Prices of Fertilizers and Fertilizer Inputs and on Subsidy/Concession (with Ajay Pandey and Sebastian Morris), 2012
Impact Assessment of the Jyotigram Programme of the Government of Gujarat (with Sebastian Morris, Ajay Pandey and M. S. Sriram), 2010
2024 - IIMA Endowment Fund Case Award
2022 - CFA Institute Investment Management Award (first prize) at India Finance Conference, IIM Calcutta, December 2022 Best Paper Award (third position) at Research Symposium on Finance and Economics, KREA University
2021 - Best Paper Award in Second Annual Capital Markets Conference
2008 - Best Thesis Proposal Award in Doctoral Colloquium IIM Ahmedabad
2008 - Outstanding Research Paper Award at International Academy of Business and Economics at Stockholm Conference, Sweden
2006 - Chaudhary Padmanabhan Pant Award for Scholastic Excellence IIM Ahmedabad
2005 - Gold Medalist (AIR 1) in the Final Examination of the Institute of Costs and Works Accountants of India
2005 - Highest Marks (all India) in two courses in the Final Examination of the Institute of Costs and Works Accountants of India
2002 - All India Rankholder in the Intermediate Examination of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
2000 - University Rankholder in B.Com (Hons) of Utkal University
1997 - Rankholder in higher secondary examination (CHSE)
The Open Magazine, 2022
Hindu Businessline, 2020
Livemint, 2017
Livemint, 2015
The Indian Express, 2013
