AMBA & BGA honour Business Schools and their students and graduates in Excellence Awards

Aston Business School, ESADE Business School, Graduate School of Management, MIP Politecnico di Milano, Imperial College Business School, Lagos Business School, Lancaster University Management School, Mannheim Business School, School of Business, Universidad de San Andrés, School of Business, University of Leicester and TBS Business School have all scooped coveted awards in the AMBA & BGA Excellence Awards 2021.

The AMBA & BGA Excellence Awards, which were held virtually on 29 January 2021, brought together leading lights from the global business education community to celebrate excellence and commend achievement among Business Schools, business students and graduates, suppliers and employers.

The ceremony had 365 people registered to attend including Business School leaders, as well as category finalists, judges and members of the media.

The winners in the AMBA & BGA Excellence Awards’ 11 categories were as follows:

Best Innovation Strategy, sponsored by Barco

TBS Business School (formerly known as Toulouse Business School) (France) for ‘Teaching through comedy: injecting humour into educational videos’

At a time of unprecedented worldwide demand both for quality e-learning resources and for cheerfulness, TBS Business School is addressing both through its collaboration with acclaimed comedian, Sammy Obeid, (former teacher, graduate of Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley and host of 100 Humans on Netflix).

The School has released more than a dozen humorous educational videos (each with an instructor’s note), both before and during the Covid-19 crisis. It is continuing its production in parallel with conducting research into the role of humour in business education and outreach to business academia so that others can adopt and build on its experience.

Best Lifelong Learning Initiative, sponsored by Studious Digital Education

Mannheim Business School, University of Mannheim (Germany)

By founding MBS Network Clubs in November 2018, Mannheim Business School has taken the important next strategic step in its still-young history.

Since their founding, the School’s Clubs have proven to be a powerful platform for linking all stakeholders in the Mannheim Network: students, alumni, corporate partners, professors, and other institutions.

In this way, the School has created a strong cohesion in its community, from which a wide range of profit-generating points arise: the continuous creation and sharing of knowledge and the latest trends from the business world, business opportunities, the sharing of open job offers and much more.

Best Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative

Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University (Nigeria) for ‘LBS Sustainability Centre (LBSSC)’

Lagos Business School (LBS) is passionate about sustainability and good governance. The commitment to sustainability of its continuous improvement policies is achieved through its established centre, the LBS Sustainability Centre (LBSSC).

A core pillar of the LBS MBA experience is building professional ethics and community service. In line with this, MBA participants take part in both corporate social responsibility and personal social responsibility activities geared towards developing sustainable solutions to specific social problems faced by target communities.

Best Business School Partnership, sponsored by Blue Prism

Lancaster University Management School, Lancaster University (UK) with Transnational Academic Group

The partnership between Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) and Transnational Academic Group (TAG) has been highly successful since its formation in 2014.

From the start, the partnership has offered a flexible and extremely popular executive MBA serving the West Africa region. This has been followed by other business degree programmes as well as the creation of opportunities for personal development, research, engagement and community benefits for the region. Having an AMBA-accredited MBA provider in Ghana has been attractive for a burgeoning professional population in West Africa which has seen more than 100 students graduate with this prestigious qualification.

Best Culture, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative, sponsored by Advent Group

Imperial College Business School, Imperial College London (UK) for ‘Working in Diverse Organisations’

Business Schools’ approaches to diversity need to evolve. A multi-faceted approach to bias, cultural awareness, and systems of privilege is demanded by both students and stakeholders.

Imperial College Business School has embraced this challenge by launching a year-long equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) course, which is essential for all students.

The revolutionary ‘Working in Diverse Organisations’ offers the latest EDI learnings and toolkits to enable students to be diverse-aware employees and leaders that are able to optimise differences and create more effective organisations.

The module involves the School’s whole community in its programming and delivery. This is only the first step in Imperial College Business School’s embrace of diversity in all its forms.

BGA Business School Impact Award

School of Business, Universidad de San Andrés (Argentina)

Restructuring and ongoing academic excellence at the School of Business, Universidad de San Andrés resulted in almost 100% growth in the enrolment of graduate students, and a 170% increase in student applications for undergraduate courses between March 2017 and March 2020.

During this period, more than 60 new executive education programmes were created at the School. This growth pattern, in which the School has constantly developed new courses of study, has turned it into one of the most dynamic Business Schools in Argentina in the past 10 years. It is worthy of note that, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the School’s undergraduate and graduate courses have continued growing by more than 35% throughout 2020.

BGA Future Leaders Case Competition

Nicolas Sauviat, Aston Business School, Aston University (UK)

Nicolas is a 2020 international business graduate at Aston Business School with a background in both law and international business.

He is passionate about social innovation and advocates for aligning profit with purpose. He believes collaboration between all stakeholders is the way forward to create innovative ways of doing business.

Nicolas’s experience has spanned internationally across the US, Europe and Asia, where he has worked for organisations ranging from NGOs to businesses. Recently, he promoted cross-sector collaborations and disruptive business models at Shared Value Project Hong Kong – a non-profit organisation striving to build uncommon partnerships for the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Nicolas has also volunteered as a consultant for businesses in the Birmingham area. He is currently looking for new international opportunities in corporate sustainability to keep enacting his strong belief that the private sector can rise to the occasion – bringing much needed scalability to sustainability.

MBA Startup of the Year

Daniele Pes, Graduate School of Management, MIP Politecnico di Milano (Italy), for Grycle

Daniele Pes left his role as Director of Open Innovation and Digital Transformation in a multinational fair-trade company to dedicate himself to his new venture, Grycle.

Grycle performs small-scale industrial waste treatment, allowing the transformation of undifferentiated waste back into raw materials upstream of the supply chain, thus dramatically reducing costs and impacts.

The patented technology transforms waste sustainably into flakes of raw materials that are automatically separated and ready for industrial reuse. There is no more need for manual sorting. Garbage is turned from waste into valuable resources, which are recyclable indefinitely.

MBA Entrepreneur of the Year

Oluwatobi Ajayi, Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University (Nigeria) for Nord Automobiles

Oluwatobi Ajayi is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Nord Automobiles Limited.

He started his career at Mercedes-Benz Nigeria, where he quickly became head of its van division, before later cofounding an authorised dealership of Mercedes-Benz.

Oluwatobi has been recognised locally and internationally, for example in Forbes’ 30 Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs in Africa 2018. He started Nord Automobiles to ensure that it becomes a norm for hardworking Africans to buy and drive new vehicles. His company assembles its own vehicles in Nigeria and offers Nigerians reliable, world-class vehicles at affordable prices.

MBA Leadership Award

Oare Ehiemua, ESADE Business School, Ramon Llull University (Spain)

In the time of #BLM and #MeToo, the leaders promoted by Business Schools should represent and inspire the whole MBA community. Oare Ehiemua represents the best of ESADE, being a strong female entrepreneur in Nigeria with a background in HR who is passionate about lifelong learning and committed to meaningful change in society.

Oare makes a difference in the lives of hundreds of young people every year, by giving them access to professional training and job opportunities through the organisation she founded. Oare also drives leadership training development in her country at the Nigerian University of Technology and Management.

MBA Student of the Year, sponsored by Blue Prism

Mital Thanki, School of Business, University of Leicester (UK)

Mital Thanki is a leader, entrepreneur, innovator, learner and educator par excellence, and an all-round MBA poster child. She is the Founder and CEO of Spark, a multi-award-winning company that provides tutoring for primary and secondary school pupils in Leicester, one of the most ethnically diverse and educationally underprivileged areas in the UK. Throughout her MBA studies, Mital has shown an ability to put programme learning into practice, turning every assignment into a business project. She has also served as mentor and role model for classmates, spearheaded programme improvements, and promoted the MBA while continuing to grow her business in socially responsible way.

Andrew Main Wilson, Chief Executive of the Association of MBAs and Business Graduates Association (AMBA & BGA), said: ‘On behalf of the AMBA and Business Graduates Association (BGA) team, I would like to congratulate the Finalists and Winners of this year’s Excellence Awards.

‘This was our largest-ever AMBA & BGA Excellence Awards, featuring 11 categories. We have had a record number of entries, representing all six continents, and the competition was stronger than ever. The entries who made the final shortlist in each category should feel proud of their achievements.

‘I also want to take the opportunity to thank our headline sponsor, Blue Prism, and its Chairman and CEO, Jason Kingdon, as well as our award sponsors – Advent Group, Barco and Studious Digital Education. Their support for our awards – and the business education sector – is greatly appreciated.’

ENDS

For more information or interviews, please contact:

Awards selection process

The Finalists list was shortlisted by AMBA & BGA’s senior management team. Our judges reviewed more than 100 shortlisted entries, selecting a winner (‘gold’) and, if appropriate, a ‘silver’ and ‘bronze’ for each award. Our judging panel is made up of AMBA board members, business experts, deans, and management leaders. Judges decided the winners based on written submissions for all categories, as well as interviews with all finalists for all student and graduate categories. Judges then scored all finalists confidentially with the scores added up to decide the winners.

All of our judges were selected based on their experience and qualifications.

More information about the categories and complete list of the Gold, Silver and Bronze winners and Finalists

Best Innovation Strategy, sponsored by Barco

The Best Innovation Strategy award is a celebration of innovation and radical thinking in business education delivery across all areas of the Business School and has been developed to recognise and reward game-changing new practices, risks and creativity around AMBA-accredited and BGA member programmes. It promotes the value of taking risks in pursuit of the new across a number of different areas such as teaching, learning, recruitment and alumni relations.

Gold

  • TBS Business School (formerly known as Toulouse Business School) (France) for ‘Teaching through comedy: injecting humour into educational videos’

Silver

  • Graduate School of Management, MIP Politecnico di Milano (Italy) for ‘Immersive learning with simulations and virtual reality’

Bronze

  • Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow (UK) for ‘Decision making under uncertainty: making a drama out of a crisis – transitioning a core MBA course into an online format using the Covid-19 pandemic as an integrated case study’

Finalists

  • Imperial College Business School, Imperial College London (UK) for ‘A three-stage strategic response to the disruption in teaching provision due to the Covid-19 pandemic: stabilise, enhance and innovate’
  • School of Management, Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) (China) for ‘Fintech MBA programme’

Best Lifelong Learning Initiative, sponsored by Studious Digital Education

The Best Lifelong Learning Initiative is a new award which recognises the efforts of AMBA & BGA member Schools that are reinventing teaching and learning among students, graduates, alumni networks, and in their custom and executive education offerings.

The finalists showcase the impact and success these initiatives have had not only to students, but also to the Business School.

Gold

  • Mannheim Business School, University of Mannheim (Germany)

Silver

  • Thammasat Business School, Thammasat University (Thailand)

Bronze

  • Hult International Business School (US)

Finalists

  • EGADE Business School, Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico)
  • Facultad de Economía y Negocios, Universidad Anáhuac México (Mexico)
  • International Institute of Business (IIB) (Ukraine)

Best Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative

The Best Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiative award honours AMBA-accredited and BGA member, validated and accredited Business Schools that share AMBA & BGA’s commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and that are passionate about making a difference to communities and societies.

The award recognises Business Schools that are taking the initiative in creating a sustainable future and teaching students about social values; as well as making a positive impact in practical and measurable ways.

Gold

  • Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University (Nigeria) for ‘LBS Sustainability Centre (LBSSC)’

Silver

  • Glorious Sun School of Business and Management, Donghua University (China) for ‘Social Responsibility Leadership Programme’

Bronze

  • CENTRUM PUCP Business School, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (Peru) for ‘Improving My Store’

Finalists

  • Hanken School of Economics (Finland) for ‘Business Lead’
  • IPADE Business School, Universidad Panamericana (Mexico) for ‘IPADE Social Challenge’
  • Shantou University Business School, Shantou University (China) for ‘Leiling Honey Project, Fenghuangshan Mountain Tea Promotion Project, Recycling Project of China’

 

Best Business School Partnership, sponsored by Blue Prism

The Best Business School Partnership recognises organisations that share AMBA & BGA’s passion for building networks and have adopted a proactive, innovative approach to strategic collaboration.

This award is designed to celebrate Business Schools working strategically and collaboratively with (for example) another Business School / group of Schools, an employer, consultant, education partner or technology provider, social impact group, individual, charity, or other organisation.

Gold

  • Lancaster University Management School, Lancaster University (UK) with Transnational Academic Group

Silver

  • CENTRUM PUCP Business School, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (Peru) with Industrias San Miguel

Bronze

  • School of Business, Jiangnan University (China) with Jiangsu JD-Link International Logistics

Finalists

  • Graduate Business School, NUCB Business School (Japan) with Toyota Motor Corporation
  • Graduate School of Management, MIP Politecnico di Milano (Italy) with Prada

Best Culture, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative, sponsored by Advent Group

The Best Culture, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative is a new award which has been introduced in 2021, which recognises Business Schools and the work they have been doing to create, incorporate and develop culture, diversity and inclusion practices into their Business School, while balancing and involving fair working environments.

Gold

  • Imperial College Business School, Imperial College London for ‘Working in diverse organisations’

Silver

  • IE Business School (Spain) for ‘LGBT+@Work’
  • Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administración (IESA) (Venezuela) for ‘Women entrepreneurs programme – Grupo Cisneros’
  • Monash Business School, Monash University (Australia) for ‘Queering accounting’

BGA Business School Impact Award

The BGA Business School Impact Award is a newly created award in 2021, open to BGA member, validated, and accredited Schools which demonstrate their impact on all stakeholders, alongside BGA’s vision and Charter. It also promotes the values of positive impact, innovation, responsible management and lifelong learning across areas such as programme design, social outreach programmes, alumni relations, careers services and other areas where the Business School is demonstrating an impact.

Gold

  • School of Business, Universidad de San Andrés (Argentina)

Silver

  • Athena School of Management (India)

Finalists

  • Brunel Business School, Brunel University London (UK)
  • Collegium Humanum-Warsaw Management University (Poland)
  • International Management Institute (MIM-Kyiv) (Ukraine)
  • Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (Netherlands)

BGA Future Leaders Case Competition

The BGA Future Leaders Case Competition provides BGA student and graduate members with an opportunity to showcase their business acumen by solving a time-relevant global business problem with a focus on ensuring sustainability and responsible management practices are at the forefront of proposed solutions.

Gold

  • Nicolas Sauviat, Aston Business School, Aston University (UK)

Finalists

  • Ahmed Youssef Ahmed Aly, Graduate School of Management, MIP Politecnico di Milano (Italy)
  • Hari Chandan Patnaik, Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham (UK)
  • Racquella Laurel Parris, Arthur Lok Jack Global School of Business, The University of the West Indies (Trinidad and Tobago)

MBA Startup of the Year

The MBA Startup of the Year is a new award which celebrates the achievements of successful MBA students and alumni in innovative world-class business strategy. It also showcases Business Schools that are nurturing a spirit of enterprise and ambition.

This award highlights the success of AMBA-accredited Business Schools that promote entrepreneurship in their MBA cohorts.

Gold

  • Daniele Pes, Graduate School of Management, MIP Politecnico di Milano (Italy) for Grycle

Silver

  • Yann Le Guillou, Rennes School of Business (France) for Biosency

Bronze

  • Aku Wilenius, School of Business, Aalto University (Finland) for Caidio

Finalists

  • Codilia Gapare, Business School, Manchester Metropolitan University (UK) for C-Lash
  • Laura Judith Ramírez Guevara, EGADE Business School, Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico) for Dereum Labs
  • Tatiana Flores Burbano, ESADE Business School, Ramon Llull University (Spain) for Exponencial

MBA Entrepreneur of the Year

The MBA Entrepreneur of the Year award celebrates the achievements of successful alumni in innovative world-class business strategy, but also showcases Business Schools that are nurturing a spirit of enterprise and ambition.

The MBA Entrepreneur of the Year award is one of the most distinguished awards in the industry. AMBA has developed the MBA Entrepreneur of the Year award to encourage and promote the value of entrepreneurship in the current competitive climate and to highlight its importance in the global market.

Gold

  • Oluwatobi Ajayi, Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University (Nigeria) for Nord Automobiles

Silver

  • Daniel Burns, TUM School of Management, Technische Universität München (Germany) for Testifi

Bronze

  • Daniel George, Cranfield School of Management, Cranfield University (UK) for StepEx

Finalists

  • Francisco Santolo, Universidad del CEMA (Argentina) for Scalabl
  • Ramil Khantimirov, Graduate School of Management, Saint Petersburg State University (Russia) for StormWall
  • Sarah Martin, Kent Business School, University of Kent (UK) for Nourish Zero Waste

MBA Leadership Award

The MBA Leadership Award is a new award for 2021 which honours alumni from AMBA-accredited Business Schools who have been making an impact in the business world following their graduation.

The award recognises the work of these alumni through their achievements, performance and recognition.

Gold

  • Oare Ehiemua, ESADE Business School, Ramon Llull University (Spain)

Silver

  • Alforde Charumbira, UCT Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town (South Africa)

Bronze

  • Vyacheslav Klimov, International Institute of Business (IIB) (Ukraine)

Finalists

  • Ashwanth Gnanavelu, Kent Business School, University of Kent (UK)
  • Ivan Syreyshchikov, Graduate School of Management, Saint Petersburg State University (Russia)
  • Shivanku Misra, IMI New Delhi (India)

MBA Student of the Year, sponsored by Blue Prism

AMBA’s MBA Student of the Year award plays a pivotal role in supporting AMBA’s pledge to promote the MBA degree as the leading international business qualification.

The MBA Student of the Year award recognises students who have shown exceptional career potential and who AMBA believes can act as ambassadors for the high quality of accredited MBAs and the opportunities these programmes provide for students from a wide range of different personal and professional backgrounds.

Gold

  • Mital Thanki, School of Business, University of Leicester (UK)

Silver

  • Kayee Au, AUC School of Business, The American University in Cairo (Egypt)

Bronze

  • Leon Lloyd, Business School, Manchester Metropolitan University (UK)

Finalists

  • Ciara Close, UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, University College Dublin (Ireland)
  • Koshy Alexander, IE Business School (Spain)
  • Ramiro Agustin Costa, Universidad del CEMA (Argentina)

Find a list of all AMBA accredited Schools here.

About AMBA & BGA

Spearheading excellence and trailblazing innovation, for more than 50 years the Association of MBAs (AMBA) has been the impartial authority on post-graduate management education. AMBA established that vision in 1967 and, in a volatile, uncertain world, it’s as relevant today as it was then. We are committed to raising the profile and quality standards of business education internationally, for the benefit of Business Schools, students and alumni, employers, communities and society.

  • Our accreditation service is the global standard for all MBA, DBA and master’s degrees, currently accrediting programmes from the top 2% of Business Schools in more than 75 countries.
  • Our Research and Insight Centre produces a rich body of reports exploring global trends in the business education sector. This drives our global thought leadership and public affairs campaigns.
  • We are the only professional membership association that connects MBA students and graduates, accredited Business Schools and MBA employers throughout the world.
  • Through our members, AMBA is building an international force for good, championing best practice, responsible management and sustainability. Membership to AMBA means being part of an international community of peers with access to business strategy thought leadership, career advice and knowledge, and an MBA jobs portal.
  • Our multi-award-winning events offer networking opportunities online and in person across all continents in association with international corporate partners and thought leaders exclusively for our members and accredited Business Schools.

The Business Graduates Association (BGA) is an international membership and accreditation body of world-leading and high-potential Business Schools that share a commitment for responsible management practices and lifelong learning, and that are looking to provide a positive impact on their students, communities and the economy as a whole. We offer:

  • Quality assurance services to Business Schools and similar institutions, aimed at continuous improvement and positive impact to increase a Business School’s credibility and influence.
  • Consultation and mentorship services to Business Schools to improve their marketing and admissions, programme design, alumni interaction, teaching methods, and career development services.
  • Award-winning international events for Business School professionals, focused on continuous learning.
  • Student and graduate membership, which includes social networking events worldwide, professional development tools, a Career Development Centre, and much more.
  • Leading and award-winning content on responsible management, professional and personal growth, and influence via the Business Impact content hub.

You may also like...