NEW DELHI: Jacob Kurian joined Sylvan Learning India as its president from 1 September. In this capacity, he will manage the business operations associated with the newest university in the global Sylvan network, South Asia International Institute.
South Asia International Institute started classes on 11 August in Hyderabad. Coupled with the Vice Chancellor, Prof. K Anantha Padmanabhan, (ex Director of IIT Kanpur), the duo will lead South Asia International Institute's ambitious efforts to deliver fully-accredited, high-quality, Bachelors and Masters degree programs in the fields of engineering, information technology, business, hotel management, health sciences and other selected career-oriented disciplines.
Kurian has a highly successful track record as a business executive in India and internationally. Most recently, he was the COO of Tanishq, the jewelry division of Titan Industries. Prior to joining Titan in 1993, he was with Tata Unisys Ltd. where he led the largest business group in the Computer Consultancy Division, as the Director and Country Manager-Americas.
Kurian combines over 23 years of progressively senior and challenging consumer and technology business experience in India and abroad with a strong belief in the transforming power of quality education. 
Sylvan Learning Systems, Inc. president Raph Appadoo welcomed Jacob to Sylvan. "We strongly believe that the key to the success of South Asia International Institute is combining the best that India has to offer from the worlds of both academia and business. We express that through our leadership structure and our academic approach. Prof. Padmanabhan and Kurian are both highly respected international leaders in their fields, and they will work together to build a truly unique, high-quality and sizeable post-secondary institute in India. We are deeply committed to the success of this venture, and welcome Kurian to South Asia International Institute and Sylvan," he said.
South Asia International Institute, the most recent addition to Sylvan Learning Systems network of international universities, offers five year dual degree programmes (B.Tech/ M.Tech or B.Tech/MBA) in the engineering streams of Telecommunications Engineering, Electronics Engineering, and Computer Science and Engineering, and Masters Degree in Computer Science and Software Engineering.
Sylvan Learning Systems, Inc. is focused exclusively on providing a superior university experience to nearly 100,000 students through the leading global network of accredited campus-based and online universities.