Ravi Mehta honored with the Walter H. Stellner Distinguished Professor in Marketing

To acknowledge his leadership and expertise in marketing with a focus on consumer behavior and innovation, Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois celebrated the investiture of Ravi Mehta as the Walter H. Stellner Distinguished Professor of Marketing in Business Administration January 23, 2026.

The Walter H. Stellner Professorship is a prestigious honor at the University of Illinois that recognizes excellence in the study of marketing. The professorship is named for the late Walter H. Stellner, who led Motorola’s new home products division and was responsible for introducing radios into homes across America in the 1930s and 1940s. The chair was previously held by Sharon Shavitt, a renowned expert in cross-cultural consumer behavior and social psychology, who became Professor Emerita in 2023.

“I am deeply honored to receive the Walter H. Stellner Professorship, a recognition that will allow me to further explore the nuances of consumer behavior and the drivers of creativity and innovation,” said Mehta. “Gies Business has a long history as a pioneer in the discipline of marketing, and I look forward to continuing that legacy by explicating insights into the cues that shape consumer decisions as they pertain to creativity, innovation, and wellbeing.”

Understanding the ‘why’ behind consumer choices

Mehta has spent his entire career pushing back on the common perception that marketing is solely about delivering a profit.

“Marketing at its core is about delivering value; if you do that well, financial success will follow,” said Mehta. “What fascinates me the most has always been to better understand the ‘why’ behind consumer choices and decision making—how background noise, lighting, or even the colors on a screen can fundamentally change how we interact with the world.”

Mehta joined Gies Business as an assistant professor of business administration in 2011. He was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2017, and in 2018 he added appointments as an associate professor at Carle Illinois College of Medicine and academic director of the MS in Technology Management program at Gies Business. In 2021, Mehta took on his first leadership role at the College as associate head of the Department of Business Administration. He previously served as a Josef and Margot Lakonishok Faculty Fellow in 2022 and Shebik Centennial Faculty Fellow (2019-2022).

In 2023 Mehta was promoted to full professor within both the business and medical schools. Recognizing his strategic vision, Dean W. Brooke Elliott asked him to join her leadership team, appointing Mehta to the new title of associate dean of graduate programs.

Mehta’s research explores every corner of the consumer mindset. His work has uncovered whether AI-designed luxury products devalue their worth, the impact of ambient lighting and color on consumer creativity and behavior, and whether participating in creative activities impacts subsequent charitable donations.

An expert in the diverse motivators of innovation, Mehta and his co-authors have explored why financial rewards generate more outside-the-box thinking than social recognition, and even how sweet sensory experiences impact creative thinking. He has also identified research themes designed to shape the future direction of innovation management scholarship.

Mehta’s research findings and corporate experience directly inform his approach to teaching. His current courses include MBA 573: Healthcare Business Strategy & New Venture Implementation and MBA 590: Carle Medical Capstone.  He has also taught courses on creativity, new product development, and new product marketing.

“The most important thing to do in the classroom is create a safe environment where silly questions are encouraged, and silly mistakes aren’t shamed,” said Mehta. “To truly nurture creativity and innovation, we must make it OK to fail and think unconventionally. My ultimate goal is to teach students that the best way to lead in business is through kindness. empathy, and encouragement.”

Expanding the graduate program portfolio

As associate dean of graduate programs, Mehta will oversee the College’s growing graduate program portfolio, which includes on-campus and online programs in accounting, business administration, business analytics, finance, and management.

“Ravi is a rare scholar who seamlessly bridges the gap between complex consumer psychology and practical business leadership,” said W. Brooke Elliott, Josef and Margot Lakonoishk Professor in Business and Dean of Gies College of Business. “As we continue to expand our graduate portfolio with specializations such as Healthcare Innovation, Design, and Entrepreneurship, Ravi’s commitment to ‘authentic learning’ and his vision for an interdisciplinary curriculum will ensure Gies remains at the forefront of business education. He is the ideal choice to carry forward the legacy of the Stellner Professorship.”

Mehta holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Delhi, MBAs from Agra University and York University, and a PhD in marketing from the University of British Columbia. Prior to his career in academia, he held various managerial positions at ITW Signode, United Technologies, and GE Medical Systems for more than a decade.