Dr. Shameen Prashantham is a Professor of International Business and Strategy and Associate Dean (Africa) at CEIBS. He served as Associate Dean and MBA Director from October 2020 to September 2024. Prior to joining CEIBS, he taught at Nottingham University Business School (NUBS) China and the University of Glasgow. He pursued doctoral and post-doctoral research at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland. He served as Associate Dean and MBA Director from 2020 to 2024.

Prof. Prashantham is best known for his work on partnering between large corporations and startups – which he refers to as “dancing with gorillas.” This focus evolved from his extensive research on new venture internationalization. He is also interested in strategy-as-practice and is currently focused on partnerships that contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

His latest book, Gorillas Can Dance: Lessons from Microsoft and Other Corporations on Partnering with Startups, offers managers in large corporations a proven guide to partnering and collaborating with startups to improve innovation by delivering the “where,” “why,” and “how” of corporation-startup partnerships. His academic research has also been published in journals such as Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, Journal of Business Venturing, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Management Studies and Organization Studies.