AACSB Recognizes AUC School of Business Dean Sherif Kamel ‘87, ‘90 as 2018 Influential Leader

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) celebrated the positive impact business school graduates are having in communities around the globe as part of the  2018 Influential Leaders Challenge. As an annual initiative, the challenge honors notable alumni from accredited schools whose inspiring work serves as a model for the next generation of business leaders.

American University in Cairo (AUC) School of Business alumnus and Dean Sherif Kamel was among a group of 29 business pioneers – whose careers are addressing today’s most pressing social, economic, environmental and educational obstacles – to be recognized at AACSB’s 2018 Deans Conference in Las Vegas, America.

Kamel is the founding dean of the AUC School of Business and led it to new heights in his first term as dean from 2009 to 2014. He then went on to head AUC’s Office of Information Management, before returning to the School in January 2018. His continuous efforts to shape positive transformations in the information technology and education sectors have marked him out as a notable sustainable-development leader throughout the years.

“Each honoree from the 2018 class of Influential Leaders reflects the mindset, knowledge and passion that impactful business leaders must embody to impart a positive change in today’s society,” said Thomas R. Robinson, president and CEO of AACSB. “We would like to thank Sherif Kamel for demonstrating the true excellence and leadership we wish to see in the world, and we congratulate the AUC School of Business for their role in helping to mold a new generation of global business leaders dedicated to driving impact that results in global prosperity.”

Kamel and his peers in the 2018 Influential Leaders class were recognized across three categories:
 

Business Leaders Influencing Business Education
Businesses need students to be workforce-ready upon graduation. Outside of academe, some business leaders are driving fruitful partnerships between the two groups by cultivating a spirit of entrepreneurship and cross-collaborative mindsets; others are developing free study services to more than 350,000 students globally, advancing access to success for everyone in the process. Leaders are transforming institutional culture inside academia by encouraging open dialogue between alumni, faculty, staff, businesses and students while investing in promising entrepreneurs across advantaged and disadvantaged regions alike.    

Alumni Business Leaders Working in Nonprofit or Community-Based Organizations
Leaders serving in nonprofit and community-based organizations are making game-changing impacts and creating a better society for all. With initiatives that include navigating the Hurricane Harvey crisis, transforming the lives of more than 150 million children around the world annually, and combating the root causes of poverty, AACSB graduates demonstrate that some of the world’s most impactful work occurs within smaller-sector opportunities. 

Alumni Business Leaders Advancing Diversity and Inclusion
Advocates for diversity and inclusion are driving transformation across the corporate sphere by upholding a culture of mutual respect and championing the exchange of open ideas. Such efforts are furthered by leaders who forge and refine inclusion practices to break down cultural stereotypes and patriarchal norms. They also look to inspire today’s youth in under-represented populations to pursue their dreams in non-traditional fields of study and work.