Ajit Ranade is an Indian economist, political analyst, and reporter. He recently served as Vice Chancellor of Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in Pune from February 2022 until October 2024. Prior to this academic leadership role, he held significant positions in the corporate sector, including Chief Economist of the Aditya Birla Group from 2003 to 2022 and Chief Economist of ABN AMRO Bank, India from 2000 to 2003.