GMAC Board Election Affirms Continuity, Drive toward Business for Good

Global org of leading business schools dedicated to advancing equitable access to education

RESTON, Va., July 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), a non-profit association representing over 200 graduate business schools around the globe, today announced the election to her first full term of Itziar de Ros, associate dean of advancement and engagement at IESE Business School, and the re-election of François Ortalo-Magné, dean of London Business School, to another term of four years to its board of directors. In addition, Jay Nibbe, former global vice chair of markets at EY, was re-appointed for a second term. All three started their new term on July 1, 2024.

With the GMAC board’s continuity confirmed by its member schools, it also reiterates its commitment to the organization’s mission to serve prospective candidates with talent and aspirations in business careers and school professionals who are passionate about holistic admission practices to build an inclusive classroom while delivering high quality education and services to their students.

“For seven decades, we have been known for providing business schools with assessment tools that give insight into a prospective student’s readiness for the academic rigor of their programs. Equally important is how we also educate school professionals in the latest marketing and recruiting approaches to deepen the global candidate pipeline, ensure that our conference and event curriculum remains robust and addresses immediate industry needs, and continue to inform schools on what we are learning about the pipeline through our research that takes a deeper dive into special segments and global regions,” said Joy Jones, CEO of GMAC. “Our newly confirmed board, along with our staff across continents, recognizes our long-term investment in both the business schools and the candidates aspiring to enter them. We remain driven toward realizing the vision of a world where every talented person can benefit from the best business education for them, knowing that business school graduates are motivated to take on some of our greatest challenges.”

GMAC programs, products, and services are widely available, and the organization takes additional measures to ensure everyone with aspirations has opportunity. GMAC’s commitment to cultivating an inclusive talent pipeline spans decades. 30 years ago, GMAC co-founded The PhD Project, an organization with an aim to positively impact the diversity of the workforce by changing faculty representation, and for 20 years has supported the Forté Foundation, whose mission is to propel women to successful careers through access to business education and opportunities. Donations to these and other pipeline organizations have surpassed $6 million. Well into its third year, the GMAT Talent and Opportunity Scholarship has benefited dozens of business school aspirants from underrepresented communities in Europe to promote business school inclusivity. GMAC Tours hosts virtual and in-person spotlight events specifically for MBA applicants in the veteran community in partnership with Service to School, a non-profit that provides free graduate school application counseling to military veterans and servicemembers, and for Black, Hispanic, and Native American candidates in partnership with Management Leadership for Tomorrow, a non-profit focusing on building diverse leaders and equitable workspaces. In its desire to positively impact the communities in which it operates, GMAC introduced a service activity as part of the program at last month’s GMAC Annual Conference for all attendees to support students in the local New Orleans area.

“In 2023, GMAC issued a sustainable development statement and one of our aims is to contribute to the growth and equality in the communities that we serve while caring for the environment where we operate. I am impressed by how GMAC has strived to grow along with—and give back to—our business school community, and our society at large, through efforts toward building an inclusive and quality business education ecosystem,” said Themin Suwardy, associate provost of postgraduate professional education at Singapore Management University and chair of the GMAC Board.

GMAC also recognizes and thanks its outgoing board member Yuan Ding, Cathay Capital Chair Professor in Accounting at CEIBS (China Europe International Business School), for his continuous support of GMAC’s mission over the past four years.

About GMAC

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) is a mission-driven association of leading graduate business schools worldwide. GMAC provides world-class research, industry conferences, recruiting tools, and assessments for the graduate management education industry as well as resources, events, and services that help guide candidates through their higher education journey. Owned and administered by GMAC, the Graduate Management Admission Test™ (GMAT™) exam is the most widely used graduate business school assessment.

More than 12 million prospective students a year trust GMAC’s platforms, including mba.com, GMAC Tours, and BusinessBecause, to learn about MBA and business master’s programs, connect with schools around the world, prepare and register for exams, and get advice on how to successfully achieve their business education and career goals. GMAC is a global organization with offices in China, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

To learn more about our work, please visit www.gmac.com

Media Contact:

Teresa Hsu
Sr. Manager, Media Relations
Mobile: 202-390-4180
thsu@gmac.com