Anand Padmanabhan will be joining Fordham as vice president and chief information officer (CIO) as of Sept. 25, University President Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., announced in a community-wide email at approximately 9:15 a.m. on Friday morning. 

Padmanabhan will join Fordham from Whittle Management where he served as chief technology officer. In his role, he led technology initiatives to develop K-12 online learning in the U.S. and around the world. 

He also has a vast array of experiences in higher education. Padmanabhan served as senior vice president and CIO at the New School from 2014 to 2019. In 2011, he worked as the CIO for Everonn Education’s higher education business in India. Other past experiences include working at the Shiv Nadar Foundation, the Stern School of Business, Hunter College of the City University of New York and Tennessee State University.

Padmanabhan holds an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business, an M.S. in Computer Science from Louisiana State University, and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Madras University. 

Fordham began looking for a vice president and CIO in February 2020. Martha K. Hirst, senior vice president and chief financial officer, chaired a search committee of 13 members of the faculty, staff and student body to identify suitable prospects for the position. Next Generation Leadership Partners, a higher education consulting agency, also assisted Fordham in the search. 

Padmanabhan will take over from Shaya Phillips, who served as the interim CIO. McShane thanked Phillips for his “capable, consultative, collaborative and tireless leadership, especially during these past seven months.”

“I believe that Mr. Padmanabhan’s creativity, collaborative leadership style and extensive experience in multiple industries, countries, and cultures are ideally suited for dealing with the many challenges presented to higher educational institutions by the COVID-19 pandemic,” McShane wrote in the email.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.