Gokhale Institute appoints Sanjeev Sanyal as chairman after Bibek Debroy’s exit
Sanjeev Sanyal was approached by the Servants Society of India, which manages GIPE, on Saturday through a letter
The Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE) has appointed Sanjeev Sanyal, noted economist and a member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (EAC-PM), as its chancellor, 10 days after Bibek Debroy resigned from the post.

Sanyal was approached by the Servants Society of India (SSI), which manages the Pune-based GIPE, on Saturday through a letter.
“We are pleased to formally inform you that you have been appointed as the Chancellor of Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (Deemed to be University), Pune, by the Servants Society of India for a period of five years with effect from October 7, 2024,” said the letter written by SSI president Damodar Sahoo.
“We are confident that under your able leadership, Gokhale will continue to build on its legacy of excellence and reach newer heights of academic and social impact. Hope you will accept this responsibility and contribute your valuable services for the overall development of Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics,” the letter said.
On Sunday, Sanyal tweeted saying he has accepted the position.
“This is just to state that I have accepted the Chancellorship of Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune. Look forward to working with faculty, staff and students to build on GIPE’s well-established legacy,” he said.
“For those uninitiated with the structure of academic administration, the Chancellor of a university is somewhat like a “non-executive chairman” - duties relate to broad direction and governance rather than the daily running of the institution. This role does not impact my normal work as a full-time member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council,” he added.
Debroy, the chairman of the PM’s Economic Advisory Council, had resigned in the light of a controversy over the removal of vice chancellor Ajit Ranade. Ranade later managed to secure interim protection against the action from the Bombay high court.
Sanyal has been a member of EAC-PM since 2022 with the rank of secretary, Government of India. Earlier, he had been the principal economic adviser to the Union finance minister for five years till February 2022.
Prior to joining the government, Sanyal spent over two decades in international financial markets and served as the chief economist for South & South-East Asia and later as global strategist and a managing director at Deutsche Bank.
An alumnus of the Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University, Sanyal later attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. He was awarded the Eisenhower Fellowship in 2007 for his work on urban systems.
