Biography

Dr. Ayman El Tarabishy is the deputy chair and a teaching professor in the Department of Management at the George Washing University School of Business. His expertise involves entrepreneurship and the creative, innovative, and humane-focused practices existing within the field. Dr. El Tarabishy now sits as the President & CEO of the International Council for Small Business (ICSB), the oldest and largest non-profit organization across the globe devoted to advancing small business research and practices. The Council stands as a coalition of over a dozen national organizations, being represented in over eighty countries.

Dr. El Tarabishy is an award-winning author and teacher. In 2019, the George Washington University New Venture Competition awarded Dr. El Tarabishy the kind honor of being named the ‘Most Influential Faculty.’ Having developed the first Social Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Creativity courses offered to MBA and undergraduate students, El Tarabishy is constantly striving to find the perfect balance between tradition and modernization in his teaching pedagogy. Currently, Dr. El Tarabishy is the sole faculty member in the GW School of Business to teach in two nationally-ranked programs.

Remembered as one of his greatest achievements, Dr. El Tarabishy played a central role in the creation and promotion of the United Nations Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) Day. Recognized by the United Nations and the Permanent Mission of Argentina to the United Nations, this Name Day is designated on specific dates to mark particular events or topics, in order to consciously and actively promote the objectives of the organization. With his novel idea, Dr. El Tarabishy managed to work closely with the Permanent Mission of Argentina to propose a resolution to dedicate a United Nations International Name Day to MSMEs. Approved by the United Nations General Assembly, the proposal was presented by the Permanent Mission of Argentina and 54 countries; thus, 5.5 billion people acted as co-signers of this resolution.

From that day forward, June 27th has been recognized as the official UN MSME Day.

Dr. El Tarabishy created and managed the Global Entrepreneurship Research and Policy Conference (GWOctober.org), an international conference hosted by George Washington University. This conference combines the latest and most cutting-edge entrepreneurial research with the most pressing and important intra- and international policies for the promotion of entrepreneurship and MSMEs. The conference’s modern intersections have brought the conference to high standings in regard to global development.

 

Having co-written the most downloaded article in 2015-2016, Dr. El Tarabishy’s article on Entrepreneurial Leadership was published in the Journal for Small Business Management. More recently, he has been quoted promoting small business and entrepreneurship through the means of Humane Entrepreneurship for the World Bank, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the International Labour Organization, and the United Nations.

Dr. El Tarabishy previously worked for the World Bank’s Corporate Strategy Group. There, he assisted in developing and managing their technological strategy for the Developmental Marketplace Program. This program set out to identify and support the creation of cutting-edge solutions to the world’s most pressing social and economic concerns. To date, the Global Development Marketplace competition has successfully granted over the US $125 million in awards to 650 winning proposals.

While assisting the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Dr. El Tarabishy aided in the development of effective methods to engage in business in Egypt. His created program, aimed to promote social development and business, was adopted by the largest U.S. delegation mission to Egypt.

Continuing to consult and conduct executive training for several national and international organizations, Dr. El Tarabishy’s clients include the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank, and the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB).

Professional Associations

  • International Council for Small Business 
  • SME World Forum
  • USASBE
  • Academy of Management
  • Member, Entrepreneurship Division

Professional Specialties

  • Designing and Conducting Organizational Research Focused on Leadership and Entrepreneurship
  • Design and Implementation of Leadership Development Programs
  • Designing Humane Entrepreneurship Development Sessions
  • Assisting Executives and Managers in the Design and Implementation of Major Cultural Change Efforts in Organizations

Clients

Among Dr. El Tarabishy’s clients have been the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the National Federation of Small Business (NFIB), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the United States Association for Small Business (USASBE).