The Founder of CWG Plc and the Ausso Leadership Academy, Austin Okere, has been appointed to the Global Business Practices Council. The purpose of the Business Practices Council (BPC) is to serve as a collaborative partnership for an ongoing and sustainable relationship between the business community and business schools through the AACSB.
As the world’s largest business education alliance, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) connects educators, students and businesses to achieve a common goal of creating the next generation of great leaders. Synonymous with the highest standards of excellence since 1916, the AACSB serves over 1,700 members and more than 900 accredited business schools worldwide.
Accepting the invitation, an elated Mr. Okere said: “Thank you for the invitation to serve on the Business Practices Council, I am honoured and pleased to accept”. In welcoming him to the Council, Becky Gann, Vice President-Global Business Membership and Strategic Relationships said: “This is super news! We are delighted to welcome you to the AACSB Business Practices Council and have the opportunity to work with you”.
L-R Paul Romer, Nobel Laureate and former Chief Economist of the World Bank; and Austin Okere, Founder-CWG Plc at the Kogod School of Business in Washington DC
Consisting of 20 corporate executives and business school deans, Council members are invited to bring their perspectives, expertise and insights to improve business education worldwide, ensuring that the world’s top institutions continue to graduate high-potential leaders with the skills needed to build a more prosperous future.
The BCP is charged to get connected to the best practices, thinkers and ideas, and build partnerships to co-create in solving some of the world’s most challenging business problems.
Chaired by Jikyeong Kang, other members of the Business Practices Council are:
- Austin Okere, Founder CWG Plc and the Ausso Leadership Academy
- Jake Hansen, Apple Inc
- A. Michael Smith of NASDAQ
- Molly Nagler of PepsiCo, Inc.
- Xuan Yan of Microsoft
- Ignacio Bartesaghi, Universidad Católica del Uruguay ámaso A. Larrañaga
- Caryn L. Beck-Dudley, President and Chief Executive Officer, AACSB International
- Shaun L. Budnik, Think Boldly LLC, Deborah H. Caplan, NextEra Energy
- Sophie Chogovadze, Wendy’s Europe, the Middle East and Africa
- Andrew Currah, Apple Inc.
- Raj Echambadi, Northeastern University
- Paul N. Friga, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Tony Lee, Society for Human Resource Management
- Mike Malefakis, University of Pennsylvania
- Jean-Francois Manzoni, IMD Staff Liaison
- Becky Gann, Vice President, Membership and Strategic Relationship Management at AACSB International.
Austin Okere is an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Columbia Business School, New York. He was appointed to the Advisory Board of the Global Business School Network (GBSN) in Washington DC in recognition of his contribution to the development of business education and knowledge transfer in Africa.
Austin has facilitated at the United States International University (USIU) in Kenya, and has served as a Consultant to the Sustainable Development Goals, African Centre (SDGCA) in Rwanda. Austin served as a member of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Agenda Council, and was listed on the United Kingdom’s C. Hub Magazine 100 Most Influential Creatives in 2016.
After retiring from CWG Plc, the company he founded and the largest security in the technology sector of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, Austin Okere set up the Ausso Leadership Academy in pursuance of his vision of Shared Prosperity. Since its inception in 2018, ALA has mentored over 120 Delegates from about 40 Businesses and impacted over 1,200 beneficiaries to scale their businesses.
