From April 12 to 15, 2026, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) held its 2026 International Conference and Annual Meeting (ICAM) in Seattle, Washington, USA. As AACSB’s flagship global event, ICAM brings together experts and scholars from the field of business education worldwide to discuss key topics such as strategic leadership, industry trends, technological innovation, accreditation development, and thought leadership. Under the theme “Partnering for Global Impact,” this year’s conference aimed to strengthen cross-regional, cross-cultural, and cross-institutional collaboration to advance the future of business education. More than 1,200 representatives from over 170 business schools across 76 countries and regions gathered in Seattle. Professor Nie Jun, Dean of the Economics and Management School (EMS) of Wuhan University, and Professor Sun Xiang, Associate Dean, were invited to attend this prestigious event.
ICAM 2026 marked AACSB’s 110th anniversary. The program featured 18 forums covering AI in education, global change, social impact, sustainability, and interdisciplinary innovation. Dean Nie Jun delivered remarks at the “China Business School Exchange Forum,” co-hosted by Geoff Perry, AACSB Global Vice President and CEO for Asia Pacific, and Guodong Xu, AACSB East Asia Regional Head. The forum brought together more than 100 business school representatives from over 50 universities in mainland China.
During the conference, the EMS delegation proactively connected with leaders from top global business schools and conducted a series of productive international cooperation discussions. They held in-depth talks with: Professor Nora Colton, Dean of the UCL Global Business School for Health; Professor Laura Costanzo, Dean of Southampton Business School; Professor Eleftherios Alamanos, Global Associate Dean of Newcastle University Business School; Professor Lin Zhou, Dean of CUHK Business School; Professor Kenneth Mcphail, Dean of Alliance Manchester Business School; Professor Hui Chen, Associate Dean of the University of Zurich Faculty of Business, Economics and Informatics; and Professor Mark Brewer, Dean of the University of St Andrews Business School. The discussions covered institutional profiles and potential collaboration plans. In addition, Devan Sullivan, QS Director of Regional Partnerships, offered strategic perspectives on the school’s international development and introduced colleagues in China to assist with localization strategy implementation.
This participation not only provided valuable guidance for EMS’s AACSB re-accreditation process but also successfully built an extensive network of cooperation with institutions in the UK, Europe, and globally. Concrete progress was made particularly in health-focused business education, deeper engagement with the UK market, and strategic collaboration with QS. Looking ahead, EMS will continue to deepen dialogue with international partners, bringing new development ideas and reform directions to discipline construction, program cultivation, AI and digital transformation, international project cooperation, and global exchange.
Reporters: Liu Jiaxi, Luo Yu
Reviewer: Nie Jun
