Students from the National University of Singapore Business School (NUS), Georgetown University McDonough School of Business (Georgetown), IE Business School (IE) and Indian School of Business (ISB) have been awarded top honours for their contributions to the areas of student government at this year’s Leadership Awards Ceremony, highlight event of the Virtual Graduate Business Conference (GBC) with the main topic “Leadership during a crisis” by the Graduate Business Forum (GBF).

More than 125 elected student government leaders and alumni drawn from 50 of the top business schools around the world had several virtual meetings from April 29-May 30 to connect with their peers across the world. They discussed their role as student leaders during the current crisis, shared best practices from their respective schools and engaged in networking and other knowledge sharing activities in a virtual format.

Shin Szedlak, GBF CEO, opened the event thanking the Schulich School of Business, University of York for their tremendous effort making the preparations for the Graduate Business Conference 2020, which sadly had to be cancelled this year due the COVID-19 Health emergency. He also farewelled the outgoing CEO of the GBF Wieteke Dupain who served the organization in this role for more than 5 years. She will stay with the GBF as a Board member.
Blair Lacorte President of AEye, former CEO of XOJET, “Innovator of the Year” by NASA and GBF Board member inspired the 2020 GBF Leadership Awards Ceremony audience with his keynotes on leadership and sharing insights on his career lessons learned.

The 2020 GBF Leadership Awards, in honour of this years’ student leadership excellence and achievements were presented by Jim Deveau Founder of the GBF.

MBA student Maria Katrina Enero Volante from NUS was presented with the GBF 2020 Student Leadership Award for her vision and leadership as the first female president of the NUS MBA Energy Club. Katrina developed a holistic and persuasive strategy which spurred interest among students with and without relevant energy industry background. Her strategy was hinged on 4Es:

• Education – Increase awareness through the creation of the “Plug-In” brand and enhance understanding on trends and issues surrounding the energy landscape via Energy 101 sessions and participation in international conferences.
• Ecosystem – Creation of the program “Power Moves” to cultivate strong ties among the NUS MBA students, alumni, other business schools “Energy Clubs” and industry experts via company visits and sourcing of potential internships/job opportunities for students
• E-nnovation – Promote energy innovation (‘e-nnovation’) and foster an entrepreneurial mindset among energy industry enthusiasts via organization of the first regional CleanTech chapter in Singapore.
• Equality – Advocate for diversity and inclusion in the energy industry, which has motivated more female MBA students to look for opportunities in the energy sector.

Callie Wilkinson and Demsas Gebrehewot from Georgetown McDonough School of Business were awarded a special recognition for their vision and determination to achieve the change of the Georgetown grade disclosing policy. After several failed attempts with past student government Presidents and Vice-Presidents, Callie and Demsas diligently worked with university administrators, faculty, career recruiters, and the student body to leave a permanent mark on the McDonough School of Business MBA Program with their persistence in bringing the grade non-disclosure norm to a passing student body vote. Additionally, they implemented a water conservation initiative to install more water bottle refill stations in the business school buildings.

Finalist Vamshi Shreyas Katta from Indian School of Business was recognized for his efforts to foster diversity and inclusion in his MBA program, through the formation of a student Committee which proposed changes that could be implemented across ISB campuses.

Fabia Richter and Tanvi Maniktala from IE Business School Net Impact Club were recognized for their innovative ways to transmit social responsibility and sustainability initiatives, moving from focusing independently on impact-related issues to a more collaborative process of awareness building and student engagement.

“These finalists are true role models for Business School students and stakeholders on how vision, persistence, innovation and definite leadership can make a real difference in the Business School communities and leave a lasting legacy to the benefit of all involved. Since the role of the GBF is to help graduate students and alumni to develop responsible leadership, global citizenship and drive positive change in management education, business and society, our global community of changemakers will continue to support these finalists and their causes in the future.” said Jim Deveau, Founder of the GBF.

About the Graduate Business Forum 

Established in 1983, the Graduate Business Forum (GBF) (www.graduatebusinessforum.com) is a global educational international non-profit dedicated to developing responsible leadership, global citizenship and driving positive change in management education, business and society, through an exclusive network of student leaders and alumni from the world’s top 70 business schools.

The GBF runs a number of activities to support the development of leadership and innovation skills for business school students through newsletters, shared knowledge platforms and networking events including the annual Graduate Business Conference (GBC), hosted by one of the GBF member schools, drawn from the top 70 business schools and MBA programs globally.

Over the last 35+ years, the GBF has seen:

• 36 Graduate Business Conferences (GBCs)
• 30+ countries with participating business schools
• 3,500+ participants in GBCs
• 2,500+ Presidents of MBA student Governments, Councils, Boards and Associations 
• 330+ speakers and mentors. C-suite corporate executives, government officials, renowned academics, best-selling authors, royalty, successful entrepreneurs, and investors who have contributed time and inspiration
• 450+ forums and workshops helping inspire and empower future leaders by the exchange of leadership initiatives, improved organizational approaches for student governments, implementation of new student initiatives, and an increased consciousness towards responsible leadership and creating lasting change
• Countless projects around the world fueled by inspirations from GBF participation that made a positive difference in the world

About the Student leadership Award

The global Student Leadership Award and Responsible Leadership Award are ways of recognizing the contributions that individual students and teams make to the development of their own schools and associated communities.

The Student Leadership Award was inaugurated in 1991 by the Board of Directors of the Graduate Business Forum to recognize leadership, innovation, and a commitment to the greater community at the graduate business level. The Responsible Leadership Award was inaugurated in 2011 to recognize exceptional sustainability and social responsibility initiatives that influence the greater community.

The nomination process spans the top 75 business schools and MBA programs worldwide and in the past influential leaders including CEOs, national government leaders and members of nobility have presented the Awards making them a noteworthy honor on the global stage.

The Awards are open to full‑time graduate business students of GBF member schools. The Awards are presented at the Leadership Awards Commemorative Banquet and Gala at the global, annual Graduate Business Conference.

For further information on the criteria and how to be nominated, as well as a list of previous winners, please visit: http://graduatebusinessforum.com/awards

For further information on the award winners or GBF:

leadership@graduatebusinessforum.com

Main Contact Persons:

Israel Cortes, VP Leadership Awards, Graduate Business Forum

E-mail: israel.cortes@graduatebusinessforum.com

Rocio Perez Jimenez, VP Leadership Awards, Graduate Business Forum

E-mail: rocio.perezjimenez@graduatebusinessforum.com

Jim Deveau, Founder, Graduate Business Forum

E-mail: jim.deveau@graduatebusinessforum.com

Shin Szedlack, CEO, Graduate Business Forum

Email: shin.szedlak@graduatebusinessforum.com

This article was originally published by ESCP Europe.

ESCP Europe (est. 1819) is proud to announce that they will be hosting the 2019 Graduate Business Conference (GBC) at their Paris Republique campus.

The conference, held during the 200th Anniversary Celebration of ESCP Europe, will host the top students of the top 70 MBA programmes from around the world, bringing together the future business leaders of tomorrow.

What is the Graduate Business Conference?

The Graduate Business Conference (GBC) is the first and only student run global MBA leadership conference, supported by the Graduate Business Forum organisation. The prestigious annual conference brings together not only student leaders from the world’s top 70 MBA Programs and Business Schools, but also corporate executives, government officials, renowned academics, royalty entrepreneurs, and other current global leaders.

Since its founding at Columbia Business School in 1983, the Graduate Business Conference has hosted:

• 3000+ current student leaders and alumni
• 2000+ presidents and VPs of MBA student governments/councils/boards/associations
• 300+ corporate executives, government officials, renowned academics, royalty and entrepreneurs
• 400+ forums and workshops
• In 30+ countries

ESCP Europe attended its first Graduate Business Conference in 2018, sending three student delegates from the MBA in International Management: Anna Kouzovleva, Oliver Maden, and Véronique Liverpool hosted by Copenhagen Business School.

Inspired by the experience of Graduate Business Conference 2018 at Copenhagen Business School, ESCP Europe MBA in International Management students have created an Organising Committee of more than 50 student-leaders to host Graduate Business Conference 2019 in Paris from April 2-6, 2019.

ESCP Europe’s vision for the Graduate Business Conference 2019

Graduate Business Conference 2019 will be a premier event, celebrating on the one hand ESCP Europe’s 200th anniversary and rich heritage, and on the other its continuous excellence, designing tomorrow, for France, for Europe, and for the world.

The theme of Graduate Business Conference 2019 will be: United in Diversity. Diversity and cultural blending have always been a part of ESCP Europe’s DNA. In fact, the class of 1824 was comprised of 30% international students representing over 15 different nationalities. Therefore, it was only fitting that the theme of this conference be inspired by the same ethos. The motto of the European Union is, “In Varietate Concordia” meaning “United in Diversity. As one of the only Pan-European Universities, ESCP Europe deeply understands the importance of celebrating the differences that make individuals unique and valuable, and further, that it will be these differences that shape the future.

This rich vision of the future of the global economy will be focused through several topics:

• United in Diversity — Europe in a global context
• Humanistic Leadership — Humanism and Emotional Intelligence
• Entrepreneurship — Technology, Innovation and Social Impact

Woven through each of these topics will be the common threads of responsible leadership, globalism, education, and innovation, and advancing these values, global organizations and individual leaders will be involved in Graduate Business Conference 2019 as sponsors, keynote speakers, workshop partners, and other means.

Graduate Business Conference 2019 promises to be a monumental event, honoring the past and celebrating the future, admiring differences and embracing diversity.

Who better to host than ESCP Europe, the world’s first business school, celebrating its 200th anniversary, with the students and Alumni of the MBA in International Management?

To get involved in the Graduate Business Conference, please contact Oliver Madden at oliver.madden@edu.escpeurope.eu

We are proud to announce this year’s Graduate Business Conference will be hosted by Copenhagen Business School. We will share more details about the conference and registration details in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for more details.

We are proud to announce this year’s Graduate Business Conference will be held at the University of St.Gallen in Switzerland. We will share more details about the conference and registration details in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for more details.

We are proud to announce this year’s Graduate Business Conference will be held at China Europe International Business School, Shanghai, China from 21-24 May, 2015. We will share more details about the conference and registration details in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for more details.

                   Wieteke Dupaine Winner SLA 2006

Wieteke has been a very active member of the organisation since 2006 after winning the global Student Leadership Award in Copenhagen that year. She became part of the core team that accepted the challenge to keep the GBF going and led a number of initiatives to support the growth of the organisation. Key highlights include:

– Building the Graduate Business Forum website and social media landscape

– Creating the master ‘blue book’ for the Leadership Awards,

– Introducing the Responsible Leadership Fund to recognise the growing importance of social issues within the world of business and,

– Gaining sponsorship from Thomson Reuters to generate valuable media coverage

Wieteke has always been one of the key pillars of this organisation and we are very

Strategy Summit 2011 (Houston, TX USA)

grateful that she has volunteered to take on this important role. She has stepped up time and again to do ‘the dirty work’ when needed and she perfectly embodies the GBF values in whatever she does. Wieteke is a true leader.

The GBF is entering the next stage of its development and we are very pleased to have Wieteke leading us on this journey.

Please join us in congratulating Wieteke!

Please note that the requirements for visa application to India vary depending upon your country of citizenship. Please plan for a 2 week processing time however it may take up to four weeks before your visa is issued. Fast track service is available for an extra fee. At the end of this email you will find more detailed visa instructions.

After signing up:

• You will receive an email to confirm your registration. This will contain a link to fill a Google form for your visa invitation letter.
• Once you fill the Google form you will receive an official invitation document from ISB within 2 working days.
• After receiving the invitation documents, you should apply for a Tourist/Visitor visa for India. (DO NOT apply for a conference visa as that is only for Government conferences).
• Apply for your visa as early as possible.
• If you get delayed then you can opt for the fast track service which will get the visa issued in 5 working days.
• Name, address and phone number of person for reference in the visa application:

Mayura Balasubramanian
Associate Director, Student Engagement and Applied Learning
Indian School of Business
Phone: +91 40 2318 7157; Fax: +91 40 2300 7018
Email: mayura_balasubramanian@isb.edu

• Name of the organizer, address of organizer and phone number

Indian School of Business
Hyderabad Campus
Gachibowli,
Hyderabad – 500 032
Phone: +91 40 2300 7000

• Please ensure that your passport is valid for at least 6 months.
• Contact the GBC team at ISB for any further details (GBC2013@isb.edu)

FAQ at www.graduatebusinessforum.com

The 30th Graduate  Business Conference will be held at the prestigious Indian School of Business between 19-23rd March 2013. It is expected to be an epic event in which the school will showcase this dynamic economy as is powers to global distinction. Equally, the GBF will be celebrating 30years of inspiring leadership and an Alumni conference will also be hosted to support the growing GBF network. More details to follow.