Sudev Sheth

Sudev Sheth is a Senior Lecturer at the Lauder Institute and the Department of History at the University of Pennsylvania. He specializes in social and cultural history of South Asia, business history, and urban studies. Prior to his current role, he served as the Harvard-Newcomen Fellow in Business History at Harvard Business School, where he taught MBA and doctoral programs. He holds a PhD in History & South Asia Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA from Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi), and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley, focusing on music, politics, and languages.

His research explores themes such as family businesses in Mughal India, adaptive leadership, and the intersection of film, gender, and postcolonial identity. His landmark book, Bankrolling Empire: Family Fortunes and Political Transformation in Mughal India, examines a fifteenth-generation family business that shaped political and economic landscapes from the 17th century to the present. His articles span topics like Bollywood’s cultural impact, urban development in Delhi, and Gandhian perspectives on corporate responsibility.

Sheth’s work has been published in journals like Economic & Political Weekly, Journal of the Economic & Social History of the Orient, and Business History Review, alongside popular media outlets such as Knowledge at Wharton and The Conversation. His interdisciplinary approach bridges historical analysis with contemporary business leadership and global capitalism.