International Advisory Board
The International Advisory Board of the Business School Pforzheim is an independent and internationally composed council of experts with management experience in leading and global acting institutions of higher education. It advises and supports the Business School in all strategic decisions with the goal to enhance engagement, innovation and impact according to the applied mission of the Business School.
The composition of the Board reflects the diversity of internationally acting business schools. Members are familiar with the distinctive strategic challenges of a business school pursuing an applied mission and global ambitions. The Board consists of 5 members, representing the regional diversity of the Triad (Europe, America and Asia/Middle East) as well as the diversity of comparable and aspirant schools sharing experiences of international accreditations.
Thami Ghorfi
Thami Ghorfi is Dean of ESCA Ecole de Management, a leading African business school based in Casablanca, Morocco.
Prof. Thami Ghorfi has developed expertise in management practices related to entrepreneurship and change management in Morocco and the region.
Thami Ghorfi was appointed in 2011 as an expert member of the Economic, Social, and Environmental Council (CESE), a constitutional institution of the Kingdom of Morocco. He is also a member of the Higher Council for Education, Training and Scientific Research (CSEFRS) since November 2022, a constitutional institution of the Kingdom of Morocco. Through his position as Vice President of the AL AMANA Foundation – a leading microfinance organization in the MENA region – Thami Ghorfi is intensely involved in charity and the fight against financial exclusion. Since July 2024, Thami Ghorfi has joined the AACSB’s Board of Directors, the world’s largest business education alliance. Thami co-authored “Femmes au cœur des entreprises familiales » book in La Croisée des Chemins Feb 2021. He also co-authored “Women in Entrepreneurship and Social Entrepreneurship in the Arab World” and “Entrepreneurship and Education: Between Trendy and Usefulness” in Entrepreneurship and Social Entrepreneurship in the MENA Region - Palgrave Macmillan 2022. He edited “Entreprises familiales, des paradoxes aux opportunités » - book in La Croisée des Chemins 2016. Thami is author of « L’enseignement du management, au service de l’influence en Méditerranée » in “La Méditerranée, terrain de la géopolitique mondiale ?” L’Harmattan 2019.
Thami Ghorfi is currently a member of the AACSB Initial Accreditation Committee. He co-chairs the MENA Network Group. He also contributes to several committees within EFMD, GBSN, and AABS. Thami is, among other things, a jury member of the Young Academic Award (YAA) organized by the World Alliance of International Financial Centers (WAIFC). He is also an Editorial Board member of the Case Focus, the Journal of Business & Management Teaching Cases.
Thami’s numerous distinctions include France's Order of Academic Palms Chevalier (2017) and the Prize of Africa Economy Builders (2016 Cote d’Ivoire). He was granted Doctor Honoris Causa of Grenoble Ecole de Management.
Washika Haak-Saheem
Washika Haak-Saheem is a Professor in Management and distinguished academic leader with extensive industry experience, currently serving as the Dean of the Dubai Business School, University of Dubai. Her career blends corporate leadership in international human resource management with academic excellence, allowing her to bridge the gap between industry and education. Dr. Haak-Saheem has driven significant administrative achievements, including expanding program offerings, managing international and local accreditations successfully, enhancing faculty development, and strengthening industry partnerships. She is also an accomplished researcher with publications in top-tier international journals, contributing valuable insights to global mobility, migration, and knowledge management.
Professor Wei Shen
Professor Wei Shen is Qiushi Chair Professor at Zhejiang University (China) and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Asia Europe Journal (Springer Nature). He is also NTU–Tan Chin Tuan Foundation Visiting Professor at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and Vice-Chair of the Europe-Asia Centre. Previously, he was Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (International Relations) at Deakin University in Melbourne (2017–2023), where he was responsible for the university’s global partnerships, transnational education, and internationalisation strategy. He continues to be affiliated with Deakin University as Visiting Professor. Professor Shen holds a Jean Monnet Chair in EU–China Relations awarded by the European Commission and has played a leading role in advancing academic cooperation between Europe and Asia. He is the founding Co-Chair of the Alliance of Chinese and European Business Schools (ACE) and serves as Vice-President of the Europe-Asia Centre. Earlier in his career, he was Professor of International Business and Director of the Confucius Institute at Lancaster University (UK), where he also contributed to the establishment of international partnerships, including joint programmes in China. He is an active member of numerous international advisory boards, including the International Advisory Board of Pforzheim University Business School, and has held visiting and honorary positions at leading institutions worldwide. His academic work focuses on EU–China relations, international business, and global governance, with extensive involvement in international research networks and policy advisory activities.
Benjamin Stévenin
Benjamin Stévenin is a leading expert in higher education strategy, with more than 15 years of experience advising business schools, universities, and edtech companies worldwide. His work in accreditation, rankings, and data strategy has supported over 150 institutions in strengthening academic quality, institutional visibility, and strategic positioning. He currently serves as Director of Business School Solutions and Partnerships at Times Higher Education (THE), where he works on global initiatives related to rankings, impact measurement, and institutional development. He is also an active contributor to thought leadership platforms such as Poets & Quants, focusing on the future of business education, rankings, and innovation. Benjamin is the founder of ACADEM by RimaOne, a leading faculty management and data platform used by business schools worldwide to support accreditation, reporting, and quality assurance processes. The platform is widely adopted across international institutions and closely aligned with major accreditation frameworks such as AACSB and EFMD. In addition to his work at THE, he has played a key role in advancing professional development in quality assurance. He contributed to the establishment of initiatives such as the EFMD Quality Assurance Academy and Smart Data Management workshops, designed to equip higher education professionals with data-driven tools and capabilities. With a background in management consulting, business strategy, and international higher education, Benjamin Stévenin is deeply engaged in shaping the future of business education. His work emphasizes data-driven decision-making, institutional impact, and the development of global partnerships across the higher education ecosystem.
Metka Tekavčič
Prof. Metka Tekavčič was a Dean of the School of Economics and Business (former Faculty of Economics), University of Ljubljana (UL SEB) from October 2013 to September 2023. From 2001 to 2007 professor Tekavčič was Vice-Dean at the UL SEB. As a dean she was a president of the UL SEB’s Senate and a member of the Senate of the University of Ljubljana. Currently, she is a member of UL SEB Senate. In 2014 Metka Tekavčič was awarded the Artemida award for Women's Excellence in Management.
Her research interest lies in the fields of cost and performance management, as well as public management. Lately, her research focus is in forensic accounting and sustainability management. She has been a member of editorial boards in different prominent journals from her research field. Recently, she has been teaching Accounting for Managers at International Master in Business and MBA courses at UL SEB, both FT ranked. From 2007 to 2010 she was a visiting professor at the University of Greenwich Business School. At the beginning of 2023 she was elected visiting professor at St. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje.
From 1992 till 2013 Metka Tekavčič was a member of the City Council of Ljubljana, Slovenia. She has long been and remains a member of the supervisory boards of many important Slovenian companies and other institutions. Among others, she is board member of the Confucius Institute Ljubljana, member of Steering committee of Alliance of Chinese and European Business Schools (ACE) which he was also chairing from 2020 to 2023, and member of international advisory boards in Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, University of Leeds, KEDGE Business School Bordeaux and Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, Pforzheim University Business School and Beijing Jiaotong University, School of Economics and Management.
From 2016 to 2022 she was a member of the EQUIS Accreditation Board. From 2018 to 2023 she was a member of EFMD Steering Committee member for Executive Leadership. In 2019 she was appointed to the Board of EFMD and re-elected in 2022 for a five years period. From 2017 to 2020 Prof. Tekavčič also served as a member of the AACSB International Initial Accreditation Committee and a member of the European Advisory Council (EAC). Currently, she is back to research and teaching, at the same time responsible for enhancing business education in the region. She intensively serves in different PR teams for both AACSB and EQUIS accreditations.
