ESADE Dean Alfons Sauquet named board chair of GMAC, the global MBA entrance exam organisation

Alfons Sauquet, Dean of ESADE Business School, has been appointed as chair of the Board of Directors of the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), a non-profit education organisation of leading business schools and owner of the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT). Recognised worldwide, the GMAT is the entrance examination most widely used by business schools to assess the merit of prospective MBA students.

Dr. Sauquet is taking over from Dina Dommett, Executive Director of Leadership Programmes at London Business School. In his new post, Dr. Sauquet will lead the GMAC and, together with the other board members, oversee the administration of the GMAT worldwide. "Serving on GMAC’s board has always been a satisfying and worthwhile experience, as this organisation has achieved so much," said Dr. Sauquet. "GMAC will continue to achieve great things and be of great value to schools and students alike. I am honoured to have this chance to lead the board in supporting and helping guide that effort. I am excited about the new board and all that we can accomplish together with the executive team at GMAC."

Serving on the board alongside Dr. Sauquet are directors and deans from world-renowned institutions such as the Indian School of Business, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, University Relations Ernst & Young LLP and the University of Alabama.

An exam recognised worldwide

Graduate-level education is growing increasingly global and diverse. Nearly 250,000 students from 2,100 universities in 110 countries sit for the GMAT each year. The GMAT is scored on a scale of 200 to 800 points, and some of the world’s top business schools require a score of 700 or higher.

Dr. Sauquet and the five other newly appointed board members join a team that includes representatives of some of the world’s most prestigious business schools. The new board will manage admission processes for more than 6,000 management programmes.

"GMAC’s board brings an incredible level of expertise and insight to the work that we do," said Sangeet Chowfla, President and CEO of GMAC. "We are looking forward to the contributions of these new board members and to working closely with Alfons Sauquet, who knows GMAC very well, during his term as Chairman. I’m confident in the contribution they will make as GMAC implements new efforts to expand the student pipeline and deepen our commitment to being the leader in connecting the talent and aspirations of students with the education and career opportunities presented through management education."

Spain, #3 country in the world for an MBA

According to an ESADE report entitled MBA City Monitor, Spain is the third most attractive country in the world for MBA studies (after the United Kingdom and the United States) and the second most attractive in Europe. More than 18% of the top international students in non-U.S. MBA programmes are enrolled at one of Spain’s business schools.

Taken as a whole, Spain’s MBA programmes contribute an annual €100 million to the economy, which has a direct impact on the country’s GDP. According to the MBA City Monitor, nearly 90% of the students enrolled in an MBA programme anywhere in Europe are originally from a different country. This figure suggests that highly skilled workers are becoming more mobile.

Internationally renowned professionals on the GMAC Board of Directors

The new GMAC Board of Directors will be chaired by Alfons Sauquet, Dean of ESADE Business School. Also joining the board are William Boulding, Dean and J.B. Fuqua Professor at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business; Tom Buiocchi, Silicon Valley executive and former CEO of Drobo, the data storage firm; Kenneth W. Freeman, Dean and Allen Questrom Professor at Boston University’s School of Management; Kate Klepper, Associate Dean of Graduate Business Programmes at Northeastern University’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business; and Donna Rapaccioli, Dean of Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business.

Board chairs serve for a term of one year, starting on 1st July, and other board members serve for four years.

Dr. Sauquet has served since 2008 as Dean of ESADE Business School, here he was previously Vice-Dean of Research and Knowledge and Director of University Programmes. He has written articles and books on learning and innovation, and serves on the governing board of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology and several other organisations. He has been a guest speaker at forums hosted by AACSB, CLADEA, EFMD and UNESCO.