Dr. Samir Desai

Biography

Samir Desai is the Vice President of Talent Management Organization Development at NorthShore University Health System. In this role, he is responsible for developing the skills and capabilities of NorthShore team members, including physicians, nurses, and clinical administrative staff, with the goal of creating healthcare teams that lead to better patient care. His team, part of human resources, focuses on driving leadership development, engagement, well-being, high-impact learning programs, and performance management. Prior to his current position, Samir led learning and organization development at Northwestern University, where he architected leadership development curricula, reinvented performance management systems, and implemented digital learning capabilities. He also oversaw diversity and inclusion efforts aimed at creating comprehensive curricula for inclusive teams. Before joining Northwestern, he was the Managing Director of Talent Development at Accenture, where he was responsible for onboarding, learning, performance management, and career development for 300,000 employees worldwide. His career spans systems consulting, project management, learning design and development, technology-enabled learning, leadership development, and talent management. He is a co-author of "Return on Learning," which aligns learning with business strategy.

Research Interests