Thunderbird at ASU faculty named among world’s top undergraduate business faculty

Euvin Naidoo, distinguished professor of practice for global accounting, risk and agility at the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University, has been named one of the Top 50 Best Undergraduate Business Professors by Poets & Quants.

Selected from more than 1,200 nominations worldwide, this global distinction recognizes professors who demonstrate exceptional teaching, meaningful research impact, and a deep commitment to student mentorship.

“Being included on this list is deeply humbling,” Naidoo said. “For me, this recognition is less about classroom performance and more about the work we do to develop leaders capable of thriving in a world of rapid change. At Thunderbird, and across ASU, we focus on building judgment, agility, and the ability to make disciplined decisions in the face of ambiguity.”

Thunderbird’s programs are designed around collaboration, interdisciplinary studies and practical, grounded learning. From executive immersions to undergraduate classrooms, students engage with faculty, industry leaders and peers in environments that simulate real-world complexity.

In particular, Naidoo’s courses such as AI, Chip Strategy and the Future of Work and From Agile to Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) in the Age of AI were developed through collaboration with executives, industry innovators, colleagues across disciplines and students.

Similarly, the Thunderbird Case Lab that he leads brings together faculty, instructional designers and corporate partners to recreate real business challenges and decision environments.

A hallmark of Naidoo’s work is his close connection to industry. His sessions consistently bridge theory and practice, bringing leading developments from the field directly into the classroom. Naidoo has participated in several World Economic Forum councils, including the United States Global Agenda Council focused on supporting competitiveness and the Global Future Council on the Future of Job Creation, where he engaged with global leaders on the latest thinking on the societal impact of frontier technologies.

These insights have informed practitioner-based immersions on AI and the future of work that have quickly become some of the most sought-after learning experiences at Thunderbird, with registration filling within seconds of opening.

"In the age of AI, knowledge is abundant but judgment is scarce," Naidoo said. "The role of the professor is to cultivate leaders who can navigate ambiguity, ask better questions, and translate insight into meaningful impact.

Furthermore, Naidoo’s approach to management education has been shaped by mentorship and transformative experiences that have allowed him to contribute to global conversations on leadership and development.

“Leadership development at Thunderbird is immersive, practice driven, and designed to accelerate judgment and resilience,” Naidoo said. “Our faculty are committed to creating environments where assumptions are stress tested, decisions are simulated under pressure, and learning builds durable skills.”

Earlier in his career, Naidoo played a pioneering role in banking and financial services, helping reshape the dialogue around how risk is understood and analyzed across African and emerging market financial systems. His seminal opening talk at TEDGlobal remains a notable moment in reframing the narrative from one centered on aid to one focused on trade and investment. The gathering included global leaders such as Larry Page, Jane Goodall and Bono. As the opening speaker, Naidoo set the tone for a conversation about emerging markets, banking and financial services, positioning Africa as one of the next great growth markets.

“Chris Anderson, the TED curator at the time, invited me to deliver the opening session and emphasized the responsibility that came with it,” Naidoo recalled. “If done well, it would help set the tone and energy for the entire gathering. Preparing for that moment reinforced an important lesson for me. Ideas only matter when they are translated into intentional design and practical action.”

Naidoo also credits John Whitehead, former chairman of Goldman Sachs, with providing critical mentorship during his time at Harvard University. At the time, Whitehead served as chairman of Harvard Business School’s Social Enterprise Initiative.

“I was elected student co-president of the Social Enterprise Club during my MBA, and in that role, I sat on the board alongside John,” Naidoo said. “At one meeting, he pulled me aside and reminded me that while his career had been forged in finance, he always kept one foot in public service and another in academia. He believed that bridging those worlds created the greatest impact. He asked me to promise that I would do the same by connecting business, education and public leadership.”

These experiences, and many others over the years, have reinforced several enduring principles that shape Naidoo’s teaching today and inform Thunderbird’s mission of educating global leaders.

“Ultimately, management is not about elegant strategy alone,” he said. “It is about strategy execution. It is the disciplined translation of insight into action, and action into measurable impact. That is the real work.”

He added that the recognition reflects a broader community of educators and students who share a commitment to learning and impact.

“It is a privilege to do this work alongside an incredible group of colleagues who wake up every day committed to making a positive difference,” Naidoo said.

“Being named among the Top 50 Best Undergraduate Business Professors is really a testament to the frontier learning environment created by our students, faculty and the entire Thunderbird community. I feel fortunate to be part of a place where everyone works to bring out the best in one another.”