Tazeeb Rajwani Biography: Powerful Academic Journey
A clear look at his education, KPMG experience, university leadership, business research, books, awards and international influence.
Introduction
Tazeeb Rajwani is a respected professor, researcher, author and business strategy specialist. He is known for studying how companies respond to governments, political uncertainty, social pressure and changing international markets.
His professional journey connects corporate finance, business leadership and higher education. Before becoming a senior academic, he worked at KPMG and served as a strategy director at a technology start-up.
Today, he is widely recognised for his work in international business, nonmarket strategy, corporate political activity, sustainability and business–government relations.
Tazeeb Rajwani Quick Biography
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full published name | Tazeeb Sultanali Rajwani |
| Professional name | Tazeeb Rajwani |
| Academic title | Professor |
| Profession | Professor, researcher, author and academic editor |
| Current institution | University of Surrey |
| Current position | Professor and Chair in International Business and Strategy |
| Main research fields | International business, political risk, nonmarket strategy and corporate political activity |
| Qualifications | BSc (Hons), MA and PhD |
| PhD institution | Imperial College London |
| Previous professional experience | KPMG Corporate Finance and a technology start-up |
| Major books | Aligning for Advantage and The Routledge Companion to Non-Market Strategy |
| Professional honours | FRSA, FAcSS and FHEA |
| Known for | Research on relationships between businesses, governments and political institutions |
| Personal interests | Running, football and coffee |
Who Is Tazeeb Rajwani?
Tazeeb Rajwani is a Professor and Chair in International Business and Strategy at the University of Surrey.
His research examines the environment outside a company’s normal commercial market. This includes governments, regulators, political groups, social organisations and other institutions that can influence business decisions.
He is especially known for explaining how companies operate during political uncertainty. His work studies lobbying, political connections, international expansion, sustainability and corporate social responsibility.
Rajwani has combined academic research with practical business experience. This has helped him produce work that is useful to students, company leaders, policymakers and other researchers.
Education and Academic Training
Rajwani completed a Bachelor of Science with Honours at the University of Surrey. His official academic profile does not publicly identify the exact subject of the degree.
He later received a Master of Arts degree from the University of Nottingham.
Rajwani completed his PhD at Imperial College London. During his doctoral journey, he also spent time at the University of Cambridge as a visiting PhD scholar.
This academic training gave him a strong foundation in management, international business and corporate strategy. It also prepared him to study how political and social forces affect commercial organisations.
Experience at KPMG and the Technology Sector
Before developing his senior university career, Rajwani worked in Corporate Finance at KPMG.
He handled complex international projects and served as an Innovation Champion. He was also connected with the company’s Thought Leadership group.
This role exposed him to financial decision-making, international business risks and the strategic problems faced by large organisations.
Rajwani later became Director of Strategy at a high-technology start-up. He also held an advisory relationship with the business and participated in technology and infrastructure investment boards.
These experiences helped him understand the practical side of business strategy before he became widely known as an academic researcher.
Rise Through British Business Schools
Rajwani developed an important part of his academic career at Cranfield School of Management.
He worked there as an Associate Professor, also described as a Reader in Strategic Management. His leadership responsibilities included serving as Director of the Executive MBA and Director of the Creating Strategic Advantage executive programme.
He later joined the University of Essex as Professor of International Business and Strategy. At Essex, he held senior responsibilities connected with postgraduate programmes, executive education and the school’s management team.
Rajwani joined Surrey Business School as Chair in International Business and Strategy in 2019. He served as Head of the Department of Strategy and International Business from 2019 until 2024.
His movement from researcher and teacher to department leader reflects the type of university leadership also seen in academics such as Duncan Ivison, whose work combines scholarship with institutional responsibility.
Current Roles and International Appointments
As of June 2026, Rajwani remains Professor and Chair in International Business and Strategy at Surrey Business School.
He is also listed as the incoming Interim Head of Surrey’s Strategy, Marketing and International Business discipline.
His wider academic positions include visiting professorships at the University of Michigan, Cranfield School of Management and the University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science.
He is a Fellow at the University of Edinburgh and a board member of the University of St Andrews Executive Education Advisory Group.
Rajwani has also held visiting teaching or faculty positions at institutions such as the University of Oxford, London Business School, King’s College London, Imperial College London, the University of Warwick and the University of Notre Dame.
Research on Business, Government and Political Risk
Rajwani’s main field is often described as nonmarket strategy.
A market strategy normally focuses on customers, products, prices and competitors. Nonmarket strategy looks at the political, social and regulatory environment surrounding a company.
His research examines how businesses communicate with governments, respond to political risk and build relationships with regulators and other influential institutions.
He has also studied corporate political activity, international expansion, lobbying, corruption, sustainability and business-model innovation.
Like economist Tommaso Valletti, Rajwani works in an area where university research can contribute to larger discussions about business behaviour, public policy and institutional power.
Academic Publications and Research Influence
Rajwani has produced more than 60 academic papers alongside books, book chapters, research reports and white papers.
His studies have appeared in respected journals covering international business, strategy, management and business ethics.
These include Organization Science, the Journal of International Business Studies, the Journal of World Business, the Journal of Management Studies and the Journal of Business Ethics.
His research addresses real problems facing multinational companies. These problems include entering politically unstable markets, working with governments, managing corruption risks and responding to environmental demands.
Some of his work has also contributed to policy conversations involving the UK government and its long-term environmental objectives.
Books Written and Edited
One of Rajwani’s best-known books is Aligning for Advantage: Competitive Strategies for the Political and Social Arenas.
He wrote the book with Thomas C. Lawton and Jonathan P. Doh. Oxford University Press published it in 2014.
The book explains how companies can connect their normal business objectives with political, regulatory and social strategies.
Rajwani also co-edited The Routledge Companion to Non-Market Strategy with Thomas Lawton.
That book explores political risk, corporate responsibility, regulation, stakeholder relationships and the ways companies respond to institutions outside the traditional marketplace.
Editorial Leadership
Rajwani holds influential responsibilities within academic publishing.
He serves as editor of Organizations and Their Environments, a publication connected with the Academy of Management.
He has also held senior editorial positions with the Multinational Business Review, Academy of Management Perspectives and the Journal of International Management.
In addition, he has worked with the editorial boards of leading journals in international business, global strategy and management studies.
These positions show that his contribution is not limited to writing his own research. He also helps review, guide and develop the work of other scholars.
Awards and Professional Honours
In spring 2026, Rajwani was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.
This fellowship recognised his contribution to business and management research, particularly his work on political risk, business–government relations, sustainability and nonmarket strategy.
He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
In 2025, Rajwani and his co-authors received the Global Strategy Journal Best Paper Prize for research examining company engagement with host governments and political risk.
The University of Surrey gave him its Vice-Chancellor’s Leadership Award in 2023. He was also named Researcher of the Year at Surrey Business School in 2021 and PhD Supervisor of the Year in 2023.
Earlier recognition included an Emerald citation award for influential research on corporate political activity.
Teaching and Student Development
Rajwani teaches students at MBA, Executive MBA, master’s and doctoral levels.
His teaching subjects include strategic management, international business, sustainable business strategy and contemporary management research.
He has supervised doctoral researchers working on political risk, multinational companies, sustainability, corporate political activity and business-model innovation.
His university profile records strong teaching evaluations from both full-time MBA and Executive MBA students.
Rajwani’s teaching experience also extends beyond traditional university classrooms. He has delivered executive education to managers from numerous industries and organisations.
Work With Companies and Business Leaders
Rajwani has provided executive education, strategy discussions and professional workshops for major international organisations.
His experience covers banking, energy, technology, automotive manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, hospitality and consumer products.
Organisations connected with his executive teaching and professional work include KPMG, EY, PwC, IBM, Oracle, HSBC and Jaguar Land Rover.
This corporate engagement allows him to connect academic theory with problems faced by company directors, managers and policymakers.
Rather than treating research as a purely university-based activity, Rajwani uses it to examine practical questions about leadership, risk and responsible growth.
International Speaking and Public Influence
Rajwani has delivered more than 200 keynotes, seminars and workshops across over 30 countries.
His audiences have included students, professors, company executives, professional groups and government-related organisations.
His research and commentary have appeared through outlets including the BBC, The Times, the Financial Times, Forbes, the Irish Times and Al Jazeera.
He has discussed subjects such as political uncertainty, international business, lobbying, economic disruption and the challenges affecting global companies.
This public work has helped bring complex academic ideas into wider conversations about business and society.
Leadership Style and Professional Values
Rajwani’s research suggests that businesses cannot focus only on profit, sales and competition.
Companies also need to understand political systems, social expectations, environmental responsibilities and relationships with public institutions.
His work promotes a balanced approach in which commercial goals are connected with ethical conduct and long-term social value.
Rajwani has used the idea of aligning business, political and social strategies to explain how organisations can create sustainable advantages.
His academic and professional career reflects a belief that strong leadership requires knowledge, responsibility and an understanding of the wider environment surrounding every company.
Personal Interests
Outside his academic work, Rajwani enjoys running.
He is also interested in football and describes himself as someone who appreciates a good cup of coffee.
These interests appear in his official university biography and offer a small view of his life away from research, teaching and executive education.
Current Status
As of June 2026, Tazeeb Rajwani continues to work at Surrey Business School as Professor and Chair in International Business and Strategy.
His current work includes university leadership, journal editing, postgraduate supervision and research on international business and political environments.
His election as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences represents one of the most important recent recognitions of his career.
He also remains involved with universities and business schools outside Surrey through visiting professorships, fellowships and advisory responsibilities.
Interesting Facts About Tazeeb Rajwani
- He worked in KPMG Corporate Finance before building his senior academic career.
- He was an Innovation Champion and part of a thought-leadership group at KPMG.
- He has delivered more than 200 professional talks in over 30 countries.
- His research focuses on the relationship between companies and political institutions.
- He has published more than 60 academic papers.
- He has taught MBA, Executive MBA, master’s and PhD students.
- He has held appointments at several leading international universities.
- His personal interests include running, football and coffee.
FAQs
Who is Tazeeb Rajwani?
He is a professor, author and international business researcher specialising in political risk and nonmarket strategy.
What is Tazeeb Rajwani’s full published name?
His full name appears in academic publishing records as Tazeeb Sultanali Rajwani.
Where does he work?
He works at Surrey Business School as Professor and Chair in International Business and Strategy.
What did he study?
He earned a BSc with Honours, an MA and a PhD from the University of Surrey, University of Nottingham and Imperial College London respectively.
Did he work outside academia?
Yes, he worked in KPMG Corporate Finance and served as Director of Strategy at a technology start-up.
What is he famous for?
He is known for research on corporate political activity, business–government relations, nonmarket strategy and political risk.
Which books has he written?
His main books include Aligning for Advantage and The Routledge Companion to Non-Market Strategy.
What honours does he hold?
His honours include Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Conclusion
Tazeeb Rajwani has built a distinctive career by connecting corporate experience with university research.
His work at KPMG and in the technology sector gave him direct experience of business strategy before he moved into senior academic leadership.
Through his teaching, books and research, he has helped explain how companies respond to governments, political uncertainty, social expectations and international institutions.
His publications, university leadership, editorial responsibilities and election to the Academy of Social Sciences show the growing influence of his work in international business and management.
