Getting Benchmarking Right

Mathias Falkenstein

Dr. Falkenstein is a Professor of Practice in Higher Education Management at Luiss Business School, Luiss University in Rome, Italy. Mathias is also the Managing Director at XOLAS, a Higher Education Consulting Firm based in Berlin, Germany. XOLAS is assisting global universities and business schools in designing and implementing institutional change, with particular attention to issues of sustainability and responsibility, quality management and internationalization. Mathias worked as Director of Business School Services at the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) in Brussels, Director of International Relations at IÉSEG School of Management in Paris & Lille, and Director of the International Summer University at the Free University in Berlin. He started his career as a Program Officer at the North American headquarters of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in New York. Mathias serves currently in different business school advisory boards and is the chair of the Supervisory Board of the Positive Impact Rating. Mathias is also a research fellow and post-doctoral graduate at the International Centre for Higher Education Management (ICHEM) at the School of Management, University of Bath, UK. Email me if you have any questions.

Wilfred Mijnhardt

Mr. Mijnhardt is passionate for universities, business schools, responsible research, excellence and impact. He has vast experience in institutional advancement and is a pioneer in academic policy development and building support infrastructures to strengthen the quality, productivity, viability, social and academic impact of research and the academic career-paths of researchers. In his current role, his energy focusses on the strategic transition of Rotterdam School of Management and Erasmus University of Rotterdam towards impact driven institutions. Internationally he is an active member in networks like RRBM, AACSB, EFMD and PRME. Wilfred holds a master’s degree in Public Administration a Diploma in Management of Change (both from Erasmus University). He is as presenter at conferences and participates in the annual joint Development Programme for Directors of Research, a joint initiative between the Chartered Association of Business Schools (CABS) and the British Academy of Management (BAM). Email me if you have any questions.

Presenters 

Leo Cremonezi 

Leo Cremonezi is a statistical journalist and the business education rankings manager at the Financial Times. Previously he was a senior statistical scientist at Ipsos MORI in different countries, responsible for advanced statistical analysis and writing/ editing white papers related to data science. He has been a chartered remember of the Royal Statistical Society since 2014 and a mentor at the Market Research Society since 2017. 

 

Andrew Jack

Andrew Jack is global education editor for the Financial Times, writing on educational issues around the world and editorial lead for the free FT schools programme. He was previously head of curated content, deputy editor of the big read section, pharmaceuticals correspondent, and a foreign correspondent in France and Russia.

 

Carmen Neghina

Carmen Neghina, PhD is a Senior Marketing Analytics Consultant at Studyportals. She is an experienced researcher in higher education and services marketing. Carmen has a PhD degree in services marketing, with a specific focus on value co-creation and service interactions, as well as a Master’s degree in Marketing and Business Administration from Radboud University. Her work has been published in scientific journals such as Marketing Theory and the Journal of Services Management. She has co-authored a variety of research articles and whitepapers, more recently focusing on international education, student mobility patterns, online study choice behaviour, international student satisfaction and two reports on the growth of the pathway sector. In her previous roles as Head of Intelligence and Thought Leadership Manager she has published several reports based on Studyportals data in collaboration with EAIE, British Council, and Cambridge English. Her work has also been publicized in the media, and she has offered interviews for Times Higher Education, University World News, the BBC and Washington Post.

Colin Nelson

Colin Nelson is AACSB International's Senior Manager of Business Education Data Services. He trained as an anthropological researcher at the University of South Florida, where he earned his undergraduate and master's degrees in applied anthropology. Prior to that, he served in the United States Marine Corps, earning the rank of Sergeant.Colin works to validate, analyze and maintain the DataDirect system's surveys and database, provides research for the AACSB data reports, and works with individuals at member schools to help them best utilize AACSB's data resources. He also tracks country-level data on schools offering degree programs in business all around the world, as well as the cultural and regulatory environments in which they operate, in support of AACSB's efforts to improve management education globally.