Academy For Professional Development
Develop talent for success
Short about the Co-Founder and CEO of Global APD
Professor Said Irandoust is a Swedish national. He was the President of AIT, Asian Institute of Technology, based in Thailand during 8 years (2005-2013), which was a very challenging as well as equally rewarding experience. AIT was established 1959, by an American initiative, as an international development-oriented, post-graduate institute in Thailand.
After 8 years in Thailand, he has been involved in various HRD programs for both public- and private sectors. He was also involved in the setup of two new universities in south-east Asia, one in Indonesia and one in Malaysia. Before moving to Thailand in 2005, he served as the Rector of the university of Borås for almost 5 years (2001-2005), after serving many years as Professor and Vice President at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden (1990-2000).
Prof. Irandoust has been working both in European as well as Asian higher learning setting, from a highly advanced research based university like Chalmers in Sweden, to a more “professions” oriented university like Borås in Sweden. During his presidency at the University of Borås, he and his team developed a new, innovative concept to become the first Swedish University of Professions, and made a formal submission to the Swedish government on this.
As the Vice President at Chalmers, Sweden, he initiated and supervised a number of development projects within the field of higher learning, with a focus on lifelong learning for professionals, and internationalization. Prof. Irandoust also served at various positions including that of Chair of the Swedish Government’s Committee for Promoting Mathematics; member of the Swedish Government’s Committee for the Widening Recruitment; member of the Board of the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT) and the Board of the National Museums of World Culture, Sweden.
Among the distinctions that Prof. Irandoust has received are a Medal of Progress from the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan; an Honorary Doctorate from the Plekhanov Russian Academy of Economics in Moscow in 2003; Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa by the University of the Cordilleras, Philippines in 2011 and “Award for Outstanding Contribution to Education” at the First World Education Congress held in Mumbai, India, in June 2012. Professor Irandoust was recognized for his leadership in the field of education in July 2013 at the 4th Asia’s Best B-School Awards, in Singapore where he was conferred the “Education Leadership Award”.
The key strengths which Prof. Irandoust possesses are the networks and relationships that he has developed over the years, with important players in the education and R&D sectors, in a larger number of countries, primarily in Asia, but also Australia, Europe and other parts of the world, including Africa.
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