ADVANCING ENTREPRENEURSHIP
WORLDWIDE
ICSB.ORG
FOUNDED IN 1995
ICSB'S
HISTORY
Founded in 1955, the International Council for Small Business (ICSB) was the first national and international membership organization to promote the growth and development of small businesses worldwide. The organization brings educators, researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners worldwide to share knowledge and expertise in their respective fields through publications, programs, workshops, training sessions, and certifications. ICSB is a not-for-profit organization hosted in Washington, D.C., at the George Washington University.
ICSB proudly holds the distinction of being the founder of the United Nations initiative for small business. The United Nations created the U.N. Micro-small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day (MSMEs Day), which is now celebrated every June 27th. This pioneering effort has shaped global policies and initiatives in support of entrepreneurship and economic development. Through its visionary leadership and collaborative efforts, ICSB continues to drive impactful change on a global scale, advocating for the needs and interests of small businesses worldwide.
ICSB'S
LEADERSHIP
Ayman El Tarabishy
President & CEO, ICSB Deputy Chair, Dept of Mgmt, GW School of Business
Dr. El Tarabishy is 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. ICSB is a coalition of more than 23 knowledge hubs represented in over 150 countries. Dr. El Tarabishy is an award-winning author and educator. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal for Small Business Management, the oldest academic journal in the area of SMEs. In 2022, he was awarded the “Outstanding MBA Faculty Award.” The George Washington University New Venture Competition awarded Dr. El Tarabishy the “Most Influential Faculty” award. Dr. El Tarabishy created the United Nations Micro Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) Day. Approved by the United Nations General Assembly, the Permanent Mission of Argentina and 54 countries presented the proposal. From that day forward, June 27th has been recognized as the official UN MSME Day.
Ki Chan Kim
ICSB Chair of the Board, Professor at the Catholic University, S. Korea
Dr. Ki-Chan Kim is a Professor of Business Administration at The Catholic University of Korea. He received a PhD from Seoul National University, Korea, and has researched at the University of Tokyo and MIT as a visiting scholar. His research interests are modularization with IT, inter-firm relationships in the automotive industry, and supply chain management. Dr. Kim is the current Chair of the International Council for Small Business (ICSB) Board of Directors. He is the founder of the Humane Entrepreneurship Research Domain. He is also one of the Chief Researchers of HeBEx Healthiness of Business Ecosystems, a new and innovative report seeking to assess the relative healthiness of a country’s creativity, opportunity, and productivity.
JUNE 27 - UNITED NATIONS
MSME DAY
Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Day
Recognized by the United Nations and the Permanent Mission of Argentina to the United Nations, Dr. El Tarabishy worked to create a United Nations International Name Day to be dedicated to Micro-, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs). These Name Days are designated on specific dates to mark particular events or topics to consciously and actively promote the organization’s objectives. With his novel idea, Dr. El Tarabishy worked 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.