The Dean of SBM ITB, Aurik Gustomo, has been elected as a member of the AACSB Asia Pacific Advisory Council (APAC). The first plenary session of this membership was held at the AACSB Asia Pacific Annual Conference (ELEVATE), held in Hong Kong on November 17–19, 2025. SBM ITB is one of the Indonesian institutions joining the AACSB Strategic Advisory Council, alongside business school leaders in the Asia Pacific region.
APAC’s role is to provide recommendations to the AACSB Board of Directors regarding the direction of business education development, regional priorities, and strengthening AACSB’s mission in the Asia Pacific. Aurik Gustomo stated that through this forum, SBM ITB can provide a strategic perspective on business education issues in the region, including the relevance and role of business schools in the development of the business world.
Aurik believes this appointment is related to SBM ITB’s track record as a business school that achieved AACSB accreditation in 2021. This accreditation places SBM ITB among the ranks of business schools recognized for their quality, on par with globally reputable institutions.
In APAC, Aurik collaborated with business school leaders from 10 AACSB member institutions, including the International Management Institute Delhi, Inha University, Chiang Mai University Business School, Nikkei Business Lab Asia, the University of Otago, Great Learning, Tongji University, Ateneo de Manila University, National Taiwan University, and Universiti Malaya.
As an APAC member, SBM ITB, through its representatives, provides strategic input on the challenges and needs of business education in the Asia Pacific. Some of the key issues of concern to AACSB include the transformation of interdisciplinary-based education, improving the quality and impact of research, and the global demand for integration between teaching, research, and societal impact. With SBM ITB’s experience in developing interdisciplinary programs, including collaborations with other faculties such as the School of Pharmacy, the School of Life Sciences and Technology, and the Faculty of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, the business school is expected to contribute to the development of AACSB regional policy directions that are more responsive to regional dynamics.
APAC also provides a platform for SBM ITB to voice Southeast Asian perspectives on the global business education landscape. Through this forum, SBM ITB can convey the needs of developing countries, particularly regarding capacity-building, research gaps, and the development of more context-specific curricula. Furthermore, SBM ITB’s involvement in APAC opens opportunities to improve research standards and teaching quality, and to strengthen the integration of the Tridharma (Three Pillars of Excellence) in economics and business faculties in Indonesia.
SBM ITB’s selection for APAC is based on the institution’s consistent research output. According to Aurik, in 2025 (as of November), SBM ITB had produced 53 Scopus Q1 publications and 32 Scopus Q2 publications from a total of 86 faculty members, making this achievement one of the highest among business schools in Indonesia. He believes this research achievement strengthens AACSB’s trust in SBM ITB.
With SBM ITB’s presence on the Asia Pacific Advisory Council, Indonesia has direct representation in one of AACSB’s strategic forums. This position provides opportunities for SBM ITB to contribute to the development of global business education, expand cross-border collaboration, and convey a Southeast Asian perspective in international decision-making.
AACSB is an international accreditation body for business schools with rigorous assessment standards that focus on academic quality, governance, and the institution’s impact on society. Only six percent of business schools worldwide have achieved AACSB accreditation, making this status often used as an indicator of excellence and international credibility.
Since achieving AACSB accreditation in 2021, SBM ITB has been among the group of AACSB-accredited business schools globally. SBM ITB’s involvement in the Asia Pacific Advisory Council further enhances the institution’s role in the development of business education internationally.
