Priscila Cruz – who obtained an undergraduate degree in business administration from Fundação Getulio Vargas’ Sao Paulo School of Business Administration (FGV EAESP) in 1997 – is one of 25 business school graduates listed in AACSB International’s 2023 “Influential Leaders” ranking. AACSB International is the world’s biggest nonprofit alliance aimed at improving the quality of management education, organizations and businesses across the world.

This annual ranking recognizes outstanding graduates of business schools accredited by AACSB, whose work is an inspiration and model for the next generation of organizational leaders. This year, the focus was on notable individuals in terms of social impacts. 

Cruz is the president of “Everyone for Education,” a civil society organization that works to improve the quality of basic education in Brazil. This non-profit, non-governmental and non-partisan institution is funded with private sector resources.

“Cruz’s achievements demonstrate that success in business can also mean benefits for society. Her efforts to prioritize purpose, people and the planet should inspire all of us to refocus our thinking on impactful leadership,” says Caryn Beck-Dudley, the president and CEO of AACSB. “It is very gratifying to see our former students in prominent positions, enacting positive and impactful changes in society, whether locally or globally. Academic excellence is certainly a tool for social transformation,” says Professor Luiz Brito, the dean of FGV EAESP.

Now in its eighth year, AACSB’s Influential Leaders initiative has recognized more than 275 business school alumni for making a lasting impact on business and society. All honorees earned an undergraduate, graduate or doctoral degree from one of more than 950 AACSB-accredited schools worldwide.

Every year, AACSB has been refining its view of the type of leader it would like to recognize. In line with the latest concepts, the former FGV EAESP student stands out for her far-reaching and impactful work, positively influencing the lives of many people.

The 2023 honorees include people working for companies, nonprofit organizations and governments, who are committed to creating positive change in the world. These agents of change are using their management and organizational educations to create more sustainable environments, increase employment and education opportunities for underrepresented groups and improve the livelihoods of society’s most deprived communities. They represent management education’s efforts to create and promote positive social impacts.

“FGV EAESP is a national leader in training managers. I am very proud to be recognized as an alumna and now also by AACSB, alongside other impact managers who are dedicated to social transformation. At Everyone for Education, we are dedicated every day to raising the level of public education for all, because this is the only way we will build the country that our children and youth deserve,” says Priscila Cruz, FGV EAESP alumna (undergraduate degree in business administration, 1997).