Lailani Laynesa Alcantara
Pro-Vice President and Executive Dean, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
Lailani Laynesa Alcantara is the pro-vice president and executive dean at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Japan. She was the first female dean of APU's School of Management.
Alcantara received her PhD in management from the University of Tsukuba and was a recipient of the Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) Scholarship Program. Being a first-generation scholar, Alcantara believes in the value of education and its power to change lives.
In addition to serving as dean, Alcantara is also the founding director and the managing director of the Center for Inclusive Leadership, promoting diversity and inclusion in education, research, and practice. She is also a council member of the Association of Asia Pacific Business Schools.
Her research work has appeared in journals including the Journal of International Management, Long Range Planning, and Asian Business and Management as well as in the books of Routledge and Wiley and other Japanese publications. She has earned professional certificates in management and leadership from AACSB, Harvard University, Cornell University, and Stanford University. She has also held a visiting faculty position at Cornell University. She can speak Japanese, English, and Filipino, but cannot resist cakes.