Kalra is an exceptional leader and a trusted adviser on an array of financial matters and University priorities
Our Bureau
Cambridge, MA
Ritu Kalra, an Indian American investment banker and financial management wizard is the new chief financial officer and vice president for finance of prestigious Harvard University. Kalra will oversee all aspects of financial management, including long-range planning, yearly budgeting, spending policy for endowment funds, treasury, financial accounting, and reporting, in this new role.
She is currently the assistant vice president of finance and treasury and advisor for special projects. She will oversee a workforce of more than 200 individuals in multiple financial departments upon assuming office on July 1, 2023. Her work profile will also include capital planning, research administration, strategic procurement, and risk management.
“Harvard’s ability to forge collaborations within and beyond the University, across a spectacular array of disciplines, does not happen by accident. It requires a rare and sustained partnership of strategic leadership and execution excellence,” said Kalra, who has worked for 18 years at Goldman Sachs. “I look forward to working with the broader University community to build on this essential partnership to advance the academic mission,” she added.
Meredith Weenick, the Executive Vice President to whom Kalra will report said, “Since joining Harvard in 2020, she has provided exceptional leadership and been a trusted adviser on an array of financial matters and University priorities.” She further emphasized that Kalra’s experience at Harvard and her performance history as an innovator in private-sector banking and finance have brought immense value and strength to the University’s finances.
Kalra is an alumnus of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in economics and she earned her master’s degree in journalism from the New York University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. She is on the board of the California College of the Arts and is a certified Yoga teacher.
