About
Prof Rajesh Pillania
India's Happiness Professor
Reimagining Happiness, Strategy and Innovation for Life, Work and Leadership
Rooted in Indian wisdom. Backed by science.
Helping leaders and institutions convert happiness, strategic clarity and innovation capability into high performance and meaningful impact.
Philosophy: Happiness Nourishes. Strategy Guides. Innovation Transforms.
Prof Rajesh Pillania is India’s leading voice at the intersection of happiness, strategy, and innovation. He works with CEOs, CXOs, CHROs, policymakers, institutions, and senior leaders to make powerful ideas simple, practical, and useful for leadership, performance, and impact. In a world of disruption, pressure and reinvention, leaders need more than knowledge. They need clarity, judgement, energy, perspective and actionable frameworks. Prof Pillania helps leaders move from complexity to clarity, from intent to execution and from success to significance.
Signature Ideas
Happiness Strategy
HARMONY of Happiness
Strategic Humour
Strategic Intuition
Strategic Impact
Democratising Happiness, Strategy and Innovation
Research
Prof. Pillania’s research focuses on happiness, strategy, and innovation. His work advances two connected agendas: expanding the frontiers of knowledge and democratising powerful ideas for wider impact. Prof Pillania is a multiple award-winning and globally recognised researcher. He has been ranked jointly number one in average research productivity among management faculty in India, including IIMs and IITs, for research output from 1968 to 2014, and globally number three for research publications on India in business management from 1960 to 2010. He has authored several books and reports on happiness, strategy and innovation and has written research papers and popular articles. His research work is endorsed by global icons, management legends and industry leaders including HH Dalai Lama, Prof. Philip Kotler, Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, Dr. Ruut Veenhoven, Prof. Sir Cary Cooper, Dr. Jaideep Prabhu, Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, Dr. Dasho Karma Ura, Héctor García, Harsh Goenka, Harsh Mariwala, Ashok Soota, Padma Bhushan Prof. Jagdish N. Sheth, Padma Bhushan Dr. M. B. Athreya and Padma Bhushan Ajai Chowdhry, among others. He has shared insights with millions on television and radio in India and internationally, including in Asia, North America, South America, Africa and the Middle East. His ideas have been covered by international, national and regional media, including Travel + Leisure, Yahoo News, MSN, Perfil, LA NACION, Daily Financial Times, The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Economic Times, Mint, Business Standard, India Today, NDTV, Moneycontrol, Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar, Manorama and Ananda Bazaar Patrika.
Training
Prof. Pillania’s teaching and executive education focus on happiness, strategy, innovation, and strategic humour. His teaching philosophy is built on three principles: simplicity, humour, and experiential, application-oriented learning. He has conducted executive programmes on Strategic Management, Disruptive Strategy, Innovation Strategy, Happiness Strategy, Strategic Impact, and Strategy for High Performance for middle- and senior-level executives in India and abroad. His first-of-their-kind courses and learning formats, including Happiness Strategy, Strategic Intuition, Strategic Impact, Gandhi & Strategy and Strategic Humour, reflect his ability to create fresh, memorable and high-impact learning experiences. His sessions are designed to help leaders move from insight to action. They combine academic depth, executive relevance, practical frameworks, strategic clarity, innovative thinking, humour and experiential exercises. For CEOs, CXOs, CHROs, training heads, and policymakers, his programmes help translate happiness, strategy, and innovation into leadership capability, high performance, future-readiness, and measurable impact.
Coaching
For CXOs on happiness, innovation and strategy.
Happiness, innovation and strategy are made to appear very complex, challenging, and ivory tower subjects. Happiness, innovation and strategy can be applied in a simple and fun way in various parts of life and life itself. That is what this coaching is all about!
Fun Facts!
He practices what he teaches, i.e. life needs to be lived! He enjoys his work as well as other things in life such as sports, cycling, juggling, adventure sports, traveling, music, movies, meditation and humour in life!
