Santiago Iñiguez of IE Business School Assumes Chair of the AACSB International Board of Directors

MBA Blog / 13th July 2016

Santiago Iñiguez, president of IE University and dean of IE Business School in Madrid, Spain, began a one-year term July 1, 2016 as chair of the board of directors of AACSB International (AACSB). Iñiguez succeeds William Glick, former dean of the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University, and in doing so becomes the first chairman—in the organization’s 100 year history—who is from a non US-based institution.

“Santiago is a thoughtful and influential leader, author, and speaker on the subject of the current and potential future states of business education,” said Thomas R. Robinson, president and chief executive officer of AACSB International. “We are thrilled that he will serve as chair of the board during a key inflection point for business schools, as they confront challenges and serve opportunities in a rapidly changing environment.”

Iñiguez’s volunteer work with AACSB has spanned over eight years. He was elected to the AACSB Board of Directors in 2013 as a member, and as vice chair-chair elect in 2015. Over the years, Iñiguez has served as a prominent advocate and leader within the business education industry. Such efforts have included serving as chair and/or member of more than 10 different committees, councils, or advisory groups, including the European Advisory Council and the Committee on Issues in Management Education (CIME). CIME focuses on identifying the emerging themes and challenges in business education on a global basis, and under Iñiquez’s leadership, issued the recent “Collective Vision” which evaluates and presents a new future for business schools.

Iñiguez has also played an active role in the AACSB Accreditation process by serving as a member of several peer review teams and accreditation committees. He is a prominent speaker, and since 2005, has presented at more than 20 AACSB conferences around the world. His passion for amplifying the impact of global business education is demonstrated through his active participation in thought leadership groups and prolific writings on the subject.

“Management has the potential to be among the most noble of professions.  It can create growth, wealth, and development in society, as well as catalyze innovation and improve living conditions,” said Santiago Iñiguez. “Business schools are the icebreakers of the very dynamic sector that is higher education, and AACSB helps business schools reach not only their individual missions but to make the best contributions to society as a whole.”

Iñiguez is Professor of Strategic Management at IE Business School. Iñiguez’s outlook is a decidedly global one and in addition to his role as Chairman of AACSB, Iñiguez serves on the boards of Renmin University Business School (China), CENTRUM (Universidad Católica, Perú), Antai Business School (Jiao Tong University, China), Mazars University (France), the Russian Presidential Academy-RANEPA (Russia) and FGV-EASP Fundaçao Getulio Vargas (Brazil). He has been portrayed by the Financial Times as “one of the most significant figures in promoting European business schools internationally.”

Iñiguez holds a Degree in Law, a Ph.D. in Moral Philosophy and Jurisprudence (Complutense University, Spain) and an MBA from IE Business School. He was a Recognized Student at the University of Oxford, UK.  He has co-authored several books on moral and political philosophy as well as articles and case studies on business management, and is also a LinkedIn Influencer. His book “The Learning Curve: How Business Schools Are Reinventing Education” deals with the future challenges of management education and was published by Palgrave McMillan in November 2011.

For more information on AACSB International’s governance, visit: http://www.aacsb.edu/about/governance/.

About AACSB International
As the world’s largest business education network connecting academe with business, AACSB provides business education intelligence, quality assurance, and professional development services to more than 1,500 member organizations across 91 countries and territories. Founded in 1916, AACSB Accreditation is the highest standard of quality in business education, with 761 business schools accredited worldwide. AACSB’s global headquarters is located in Tampa, Florida, USA; its Asia Pacific headquarters is located in Singapore; and its Europe, Middle East, and Africa headquarters is located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.aacsb.edu.

About IE
IE shapes leaders with global vision, an entrepreneurial mindset, and a humanistic approach to drive innovation and change in organizations. Founded in 1973, IE runs undergraduate, graduate and executive education programs at IE Business School, IE Law School, IE School of Architecture and Design, IE School of Human Sciences and Technology, and IE School of International Relations.  IE has a faculty of more than 500 professors, a student body representing nearly 130 countries, and a network of more than 50,000 alumni. Recognized as one of the world’s top centers of learning, IE has received international recognition for its use of online and blended learning methodologies.  For more information, please visit: www.ie.edu