INSEAD, with campuses in France; Singapore and Abu Dhabi, is currently in the process of naming a replacement for Brown, one that is complicated given that it requires the approval of faculty across the school’s multiple campuses. But according to the FT report, a decision is expected in the next couple of weeks, and Jain has emerged as the front-runner.

Jain stepped down as dean of Kellogg in September 2009, having served as a marketing professor at the school since 1986 and dean since 1994. Though his academic career has largely been in the United States, the FT reports that it is his vision of developments in Asia that make him an attractive candidate to INSEAD. Born in India, Jain taught there in his youth and was instrumental in establishing the Indian School of Business.