Professor Gerard George, newly appointed Dean of SMU's Lee Kong Chian School of Business (LKCSB), hopes to use his management expertise to strengthen SMU's catalytic role in the local business ecosystem. As for goals, Prof George hopes to engage local businesses more. "I want to integrate better with the business community here. That involves… making these connections to the community, and bringing them back into the curriculum." This ties in with his aim of making LKCSB one of the top 20 institutions in the world. He speaks, however, not in terms of any particular ranking but in terms of thought leadership, quality of teaching and student experience. Prof George's five-year term will begin on January 1 next year. At 43, he will be the youngest dean at SMU. He will replace Howard Thomas, who was appointed in 2010 and who will remain with SMU as Distinguished Professor of Strategic Management and Management Education.