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“Lifelong learning will compel us to use smarter means of increasing awareness of the available options, as well as more personalised approaches to helping people find the best path for them”
leading solutions that help candidates better evaluate their strengths, gaps, interests and opportunities, while simultaneously helping programmes discover and connect with this extensive talent pool that accesses our platforms and resources.” Do recent advancements in technology, and generative AI in particular, pose an opportunity or challenge for assessment in the industry? “We at GMAC like to be at, or near, the forefront of technology innovation in our key disciplines. The Graduate Management Admission Test™ (GMAT) was one of the first testing programmes available worldwide to use a computerised adaptive test design, which is a form of AI technology. We see its advantages and are actively using various AI techniques to perfect the GMAT design and inform our matching services, for example. Yet, there is a long way to go before the use of AI is fully understood and broadly applied. “I would argue that there is a lot of potential for AI to help further the personalisation of assessment, learning and development. And, across industries, I expect business school graduates to be among the first to find ways to make positive impact with AI technologies as we arm them with the critical thinking, ethical business and judgement skills necessary to successfully navigate an information loaded and AI-affected world.” How is GMAC working to widen access to quality graduate management education and ensure that business schools can enrol diverse cohorts? “GMAC has a long history of supporting holistic admission practices that embrace difference, including in our design of the GMAT exam and, now, the GMAT Focus Edition – a more efficient, flexible and insightful assessment that we announced in March and encourage people to learn more about on gmac.com. To build more diverse, informed and meaningful candidate pipelines, our GMAC Tours organise Spotlight events that connect schools with niche audiences in underserved markets, to ensure the needs and interests of candidates of all backgrounds are being met. “We are kicking off new research to bring insight to our collective understanding of future candidate pipelines. We also continue
our support of pipeline development organisations, such as the PhD Project, a non-profit initiative promoting diversity of business school faculty; and Forté Foundation, a non-profit consortium that motivates and inspires female business leaders.” As the head of GMAC, what are your top priorities over the next three years? “My top priority is helping people with talent and aspirations in business discover a path to career success through the best-fit GME offerings for them. GMAC is an important advocate for GME globally and I believe the biggest change in business education will be the development of lifelong learning systems for programmes and experiences that are attractive and relevant to people at each and every stage of their career. “Lifelong learning will compel us to use smarter means of increasing awareness of the available options, as well as more personalised approaches to helping people find the best path for them. We must seize the opportunity for GMAC to continue to grow our relevance and enhance our impact in the space. I am confident that with our best work, we’ll be up to the task of achieving our mission on behalf of our school and candidate stakeholders.” How greatly do you think the business school experience has changed since you completed your MBA at Stanford University? “I went to Stanford for my MBA right after graduating from college and it was an excellent experience. Nowadays, the beauty of GME is that there are so many options that students don’t have to think of it as a finite decision. People can take advantage of rich offerings to keep their skills fresh throughout their career. “There really are abundant opportunities to create an experience tailored to one’s needs on multiple fronts. In addition to the academic experience, I personally cherished the Stanford tradition of having a lot of fun while working hard. Whether it was participating in clubs, mentoring at a local elementary school or playing volleyball in the Challenge for Charity, we enjoyed ourselves. I try to bring that spirit of enjoying what I do and doing what I enjoy to life every day and hope the current generation of students and graduates – and the future ones to come – may continue to reap the same reward.”
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Joy Jones became CEO of GMAC in October 2022 following five years of growing and diversifying GMAC’s preparation and assessment solutions as chief product officer and general manager of assessments. Prior to joining GMAC, Jones oversaw product portfolio and distribution platform management at the Associated Press and worked as an executive at Cap Gemini Ernst & Young. She holds an MBA from Stanford University and a bachelor’s in mathematics and applied sciences from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
www.gmac.com
Ambition | JUNE 2023 | 23
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