The AUC School of Business has officially been named the Best Business School in Africa by the Eduniversal Rankings 2023. Every year, the Eduniversal Awards Ceremony awards the top three business schools from each of the nine geographical zones covering over 150 countries, with the voting based on the results from the academic peers who participate in the annual deans’ vote survey. This year's ceremony took place from October 30 - November 2, 2023, as Eduniversal also awarded the School with The Five Palmes of Excellence, which is based on the international reputation of a school at national and global levels and by geographical zone. This recognition emphasizes the School’s commitment and excellence in providing top level higher education. The school’s achievements, the AUC Venture Lab, CEMS Master in International Management program, graduate programs, innovative teaching and experimental learning, plus regional and global influence, were recognized. 

The Global Alliance in Management Education (CEMS) networking event took place on November 29, 2023, where CEMS global corporate partners’ executives from ABB, Coca-Cola, HBC Egypt, Henkel, Maersk, Mastercard, Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Procter & Gamble, Sanofi and Yara Agri Trade Misr met with CEMS students, alumni and faculty to learn more about the corporate engagement opportunities available in the CEMS program. The one-year master's program provided by 34 top business schools globally, links academic theory to international business practice through the engagement of CEMS 74 Global Corporate Partners in the program delivery, a semester abroad and an eight-week international internship. Talks were provided by Hakim Meshreki, CEMS academic director, Wafaa Sabry, senior director of external relations, AUC School of Business, and Olivia Baert, head of CEMS Students Club.

We are pleased to announce that the Business School Impact System (BSIS) label for enduring positive impact that the School received in 2020 has been renewed after successfully completing the BSIS assessment process in 2023. The BSIS label is a comprehensive impact assessment tool for business schools designed to determine the extent of a school's impact through a framework of 120 indicators covering 7 dimensions, including financial, economic, societal and image dimensions of impact. It is a data-driven system that identifies the tangible and intangible benefits the school brings to the local environment through well-documented evidence. The renewal is a testament to our commitment to realizing a sustained positive impact through various initiatives aimed at bettering society and the business community in areas such as entrepreneurship, responsible business, economic development, climate action and many more.

AUC School of Business hosted the second annual roundtable meeting for Business Schools for Climate Leadership Africa (BS4CL Africa) on October 30, 2023, at AUC Tahrir campus with deans from the six partner schools for this initiative in attendance: AUC School of Business, Egypt, ESCA, Morocco, Strathmore University Business School, Kenya, Lagos Business School, Nigeria, GIBS and Stellenbosch University, South Africa. The initiative is a collaborative framework for climate action to transform business education curricula to match the needs and adapt to the realities within Africa. The meeting focused on discussions regarding collaboration in climate leadership research and education while it included sessions with both internal and external stakeholders to discuss ongoing projects, available resources and their intended impact.

AUC Venture Lab, Egypt's first university-based accelerator, received the Top Accelerator in Africa title at the Global Startup Awards that took place at the GSA Africa Summit in Ethiopia on October 25-26, 2023. This recognition comes after V-Lab landed the Top Accelerator in North Africa in June and the Top Challenger Award for the MENA region by UBI Global in January. AUC Venture Lab collaborated with AUC Innovation Hub to host a roundtable discussion titled Technology and Scaling, which focused on finding talent for startups, connecting them to corporates, fostering an entrepreneurial mindset and building networks in new markets. The exclusive event was moderated by V-Lab Director, Ayman Ismail, and involved leaders from Microsoft Egypt, Orascom Development and founders from V-Lab startups: iConnect, Velents, Menthum and Klickit.

Aly Magdy, the MBA alumnus, won second place in the Stars of Science competition, which witnessed a major contest between several young Arab innovators to win the award in the fifteenth season of the pioneering educational program. Magdy, who is currently shortlisted for the Startup of the Year award at AMBA Awards 2024, presented a naval drone innovation with the aim of raising safety levels at sea and accelerating rescue operations on beaches. Magdy was also listed in the Forbes Middle East 30 under 30 among the region's most impactful young innovators.

Aligned with the school’s efforts to promote cross-cultural learning, a weeklong study tour was organized for ten undergraduate students from Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. The tour is a part of the School’s Doing Business in the Middle East program, which hosts students from abroad to provide them with a comprehensive overview of the Middle East region from a corporate and academic perspective.

The five-day tour took place from November 5-9, 2023 and included a wide range of academic sessions, visits and activities that fully epitomize the Egyptian culture and business world.

Given the students’ different backgrounds of study, the tour was tailored to cover different disciplines, as the customized program provided informative sessions that focused on business areas, such as inclusive development and sustainability, entrepreneurship and family business, finance and marketing, in addition to logistics and supply chain management. The sessions were provided by the School faculty and corporate executives.

Some of the most enlightening activities included plant visits to the Egyptian German Automotive (EGA) company and the Juhayna Dairy Plant, which involved sessions on the best business practices by Ahmed Abdelwahab, managing director at EGA and Passant Fouad, director of external communications at Juhayna Food Industries, respectively.

To complement the insightful sessions and plant visits, the students got a taste of Egypt’s culture and history, as the program incorporated engaging networking events and cultural tours to the Giza Pyramids, Old Cairo, National Museum for Egyptian Civilization and a Nile cruise.

The second edition of Finomics 2023, the stock trading simulation competition, was organized on campus September 22-24. An invigorating three-day experiential learning competition that provided students with hands-on experience on stock market dynamics and the relevant regulatory framework.

Open to all students, the competition was spearheaded by Wael Abdullah, assistant professor of finance, and Mina Ayad, assistant professor of economics, supported by the student’s academic committee, the students’ Business Association and Economics Association, as well as six corporate partners: Allianz, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB), Bank Misr, CI Capital, EFG Hermes One and Zilla Capital.

As part of the experience, participating students attended six training sessions and engaged in real-life stock trading with top performers competing for prizes in three different categories: Investors, Mutual Funds and Banks. The prize pool was a total of 80K, as top performers in each category were awarded monetary prizes in the closing ceremony with the participation of corporate partners and Heba El Serafi, vice chairman EGX and Sherif Lokman, sub governor, Central Bank of Egypt.

The initiative is one of many experiential learning opportunities that the school offers to students to ensure that there are no gaps between class learning and job market competencies. In addition, collaborating with corporate partners provides students with firsthand practical knowledge from industry executives and allows the School to foster its strong connections and wide networks within Egypt’s business community, opening more doors for students post-graduation.

Sherif Kamel ’88, ’90, ’13, professor and founding dean of AUC’s School of Business, has been appointed to the board of the Central Bank of Egypt as a financial expert.

“I truly appreciate the trust and confidence placed in me, and I look forward to working with the other board members to advance the bank's vision and achieve its strategic objectives,” said Kamel.

Such an appointment signifies AUC's dedication to excellence and service, showcasing the high caliber of its faculty and alumni, who are go-to experts in their fields. “AUC takes great pride in its commitment to serving Egypt through the exceptional contributions of its alumni and faculty, and Dean Sherif Kamel is a prime example of that,” said President Ahmad Dallal. “Dean Kamel is an invaluable leader at AUC and an internationally respected authority in his field. He exemplifies AUC's deep commitment to serving Egypt through its experts, research and partnerships.”  

“Honored and delighted by the opportunity,” Kamel noted, “As dean of the School of Business, my appointment to the board reflects the invaluable opportunities the faculty of The American University in Cairo are given to contribute their knowledge and expertise to serve our society, especially at a time of continuous transformations with its different challenges and prospects.”

“Dean Kamel is an invaluable leader at AUC and an internationally respected authority in his field. He exemplifies AUC's deep commitment to serving Egypt through its experts, research, and partnerships.”  

A Journey of Excellence

Such distinctions are not new to Kamel, whose connection to AUC spans 40 years, during which he earned three academic degrees and spent nearly three decades as a faculty member.

At AUC, during his tenure as dean, AUC’s School of Business received the triple-crown accreditation in 2014, making it among 1% of business schools worldwide as well as the only business school in the Middle East and third in Africa to achieve this prestigious recognition, which has been reaffirmed over the years. It has also been ranked by Eduniversal among the top 100 business schools in the world every year since 2012 and among the best business schools in Africa for the last seven consecutive years. In addition, the AUC Venture Lab, established during Kamel’s time, is the first University-based incubator in Egypt, classified among the five most promising university incubators in Africa.

“As dean of the School of Business, my appointment to the board reflects the invaluable opportunities the faculty of The American University in Cairo are given to contribute their knowledge and expertise to serve our society, especially at a time of continuous transformations with its different challenges and prospects.”

Outside AUC, Kamel’s list of achievements is equally impressive. He serves as vice chair and chair-elect of the board of directors of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), the oldest global accrediting body for business schools with the largest network of schools, educators, learners and businesses worldwide. He will serve as the board’s chair for the 2024-2025 academic year and is now heading its Innovation Committee. Kamel was recognized by AACSB in 2018 as one of its Influential Leaders Challenge Honorees, being a business leader who influences business education. He also served as a trustee of the International Management Board of the Association of MBAs and the Business Graduates Association.

Kamel is a member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt's Board of Governors and previously served as the board’s president from 2019 to 2021. In addition, he is deputy chair of CEMS (Community of European Management Schools) - The Global Alliance in Management Education, of which AUC’s School of Business is a member. A prolific author, he has published numerous scholarly articles and books, the most recent of which is Leading Change in Challenging Times: Lessons of Disruption and Innovation from Egypt – Thoughts, Observations, and Reflections (2022).

Passionate about education, Kamel holds a bachelor’s in business administration, an MBA and a master’s in Islamic art and architecture from AUC as well as a PhD in information systems from the London School of Economics and Political Science.