The AMBA & BGA Excellence Awards 2024 were held on January 19, 2024 at the exceptional Park Plaza London Riverbank. The Awards brought together leading lights from the global business education community to celebrate excellence and commend achievement among business schools, MBA students and graduates, suppliers and employers.
The ceremony was attended by more than 200 business school leaders, as well as category finalists, judges and members of the media.
The shortlisted finalists were announced back in September 2023. You can see the full list of shortlisted entries here.
The winners in the AMBA & BGA Excellence Awards 2024’s 11 categories are as follows:
Best Culture, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative 2024 in association with BlueSky Education
ESADE Business School (Spain) for MBA elective: racial (in)justice
At the end of 2020, when the deluge of public statements on BlackLivesMatter and #JusticeFor began to slow down, ESADE was one of the first business schools in Europe to incorporate an intensive elective module on racial injustice. The course provides students with a potentially life-changing opportunity to face one of the most fundamental contemporary individual and societal challenges, in a direct and transparent matter. It also encourages them to answer with concrete and practical proposals to the following ’call to action’: “What mindset are you fostering today, to become an inclusive leader tomorrow?”
Best Business School Partnership Award 2024 in association with Perlego
Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham (UK) with Deloitte
We have developed a unique and exclusive fully immersive annual consultancy training week delivered by Deloitte to our MBA students. Over fifteen Deloitte personnel deliver this pro-bono training each year, which includes a full day’s training from two Board-level Partners of the firm. With the programme about to enter its thirteenth year, the partnership has developed into even wider training, employment and research opportunities for our MBA students and the business school. No other business school offers this and98% of our applicants cite it as the reason that they choose the Birmingham-MBA.
Best CSR and Sustainability Initiative 2024 – in association with Cesim Business Simulations
EGADE Business School, Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico) for Social impact strategy and EGADE action week
EGADE Business School hosted its first EGADE Action Week, a multiple stakeholder engagement and multidisciplinary initiative. It offered a space for students, alumni, professors, collaborators, local government, civil society organisations, businesses, and the general community, to join dialogue to transform business for a sustainable impact. Held in April 2023, with conferences, workshops and exhibitions, the school opened its door to the general community with more than 750 participants. It will become an annual tradition, focusing on the UN 2030 SDGs, seeking to consolidate the school´s social impact and community outreach beyond the classroom creating opportunities to learn and collaborate from different perspectives.
Best Lifelong Learning Initiative 2024 – in association with Canvas by Instructure
UCL School of Management, University College London (UK) for UCL MBA labs
The Sustainability Lab, Analytics Lab, and Digital Hack make up the core of the UCL MBAʼs Lab initiatives, that bring current students from across UCL, and MBA alumni together with industry leaders. Each Lab runs their own projects that invite participants to engage with issues in collaboration with different businesses. The design allows businesses to look to academia to aid their challenges, and students and alumni to engage with real-world practical issues, beyond their degree. Most importantly alumni provide the network and foundation of the design, by returning their businesses to the labs, continuing a cycle of life-long learning.
Best Innovation Strategy Award 2024 – in association with Kortext
Manchester Metropolitan University Business School (UK) for Innovation in employability – a strengths approach to personal and professional development
Manchester Met Business School welcomes 10,000 students annually, with 51% being the first generation in their family to attend university, and 65% from diverse backgrounds. To enable our student body to effectively realise their career ambitions, we have partnered with Cappfinity to support students to recognise and foreground their personal strengths in an individual skills profile, when developing their career plans and confidence in their abilities. This approach differs from the standard university career planning processes and has been transformational for our student body, with a 67% increase in students being ‘career readyʼ at the start of their final year.
BGA Business School Impact Award 2024
ESLSCA University (Egypt) for ESLSCA’s MBA governmental programme: transforming government public officials into change catalysts
ESLSCA University has launched a fully-funded MBA programme to support government officials in their leadership roles. This transformational programme is tailored to shift civil servants from traditional public administration to business administration and intrapreneurship mindsets, aligning with the UN SDGs and the university’s commitment to societal welfare. By investing in the education and training of government officials, the university aims to promote effective governance and encourage others to participate in similar initiatives to equip the public sector with the latest global business trends. This programme highlights the value of supporting decision-makers and their impact on society’s progress and well-being.
Start-Up of the Year Award 2024
Puneet Saini, University of Canterbury Business School (New Zealand) for Script Sense
Script Sense, an innovative solution, is revolutionising New Zealand’s pharmacy workflow, addressing a crucial gap in the market. With over 2000 annual fatalities due to medicine-related errors, it’s evident that the current pharmacy workforce faces challenges in meeting demands. Our unique selling point is the strategic harnessing of cutting-edge technology – cloud computing, process automation, Machine Learning, and AI – to drive error reduction, data silo breakdown, and productivity enhancement. By equipping pharmacists with advanced tools for data-informed decisions and clinical insights, Script Sense ensures a safer and more efficient healthcare experience, mitigating prescribing errors and positively impacting patient outcomes.
Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2024
Gaetano Lapenta, POLIMI Graduate School of Management (Italy) for Fybra
A change to change: this is the story of Gaetano and his creation, the startup Fybra. During his EMBA, Gaetano felt that he now had sufficient self-awareness to change his life from manager to entrepreneur and decided to direct that momentum towards a highly impactful venture, in both social and environmental terms. The idea came to Gaetano after a personal problem (his daughterʼs health): during the EMBA, this gave him the focus to gather together all the tools he was acquiring to develop the MVP, get a team together, raise funds and launch his own successful startup.
Postgraduate Leadership Award 2024
Lorna Conn, UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, University College Dublin (Ireland)
Lorna Conn is a powerful figure in Irish business. In January 2022 Lorna became CEO of Cpl, Irelandʼs largest talent solutions company, with 14,000 employees, operating in 47 offices across 13 countries. In March 2023 she was appointed to the Executive Committee of Cplʼs parent company – Tokyo listed OUTSOURCING Inc (‘OSIʼ), the only female on their six-member team. Lorna is Senior Managing Executive Officer of the Overseas Technology Business overseeing OSI operations in UK and Oceania, in addition to her Cpl role. OSI operates in 39 countries worldwide, has 250+ sister companies and employs more than 130,000 people worldwide.
AMBA Student of the Year Award 2024
Sonya Bachra-Byrne, University of Bradford School of Management (UK)
Sonya Bachra-Byrne epitomises academic excellence. Attaining the highest average programme mark of 83.27% and winning the prestigious Paul Donovan Prize for Academic Excellence, scoring an impressive 90% for her Management Project. However, Sonya’s impact reaches beyond academia; her commitment to fostering a collaborative, vibrant, and inclusive environment within the MBA and Management School has united multiple cohorts during challenging times. Through mentorship and initiating the inaugural MBA Summit, she has strengthened relationships between alumni and current students. Selflessly leveraging her high-profile industry network, she generously contributes to the MBA programme’s success while running a multi-award-winning sustainable start-up business.
BGA Student of the Year Award 2024
May Al-Amir, ESLSCA University (Egypt)
May Al-Amir approach as a schedule representative, innovative ideas, and dedication to community involvement make her a deserving award winner. Her academic excellence, effective communication, and problem-solving skills set her apart as a true leader and contributor to her peers and the university community.
Through her initiatives, like introducing python courses and addressing major selection concerns, she positively impacts the educational experience for all. Moreover, her active participation in the Do-Nations club showcases her commitment to making a difference beyond academics.
Andrew Main Wilson, Chief Executive of the Association of MBAs and Business Graduates Association (AMBA & BGA) said: “On behalf of the AMBA and BGA team, I would like to congratulate the finalists and winners of this year’s Excellence Awards.
“This year, the competition was stronger than ever. The entries who have made the final shortlist in each category should feel proud of their achievements.
“Additionally, the students and graduates who have been shortlisted as finalists today have all used their qualifications to achieve a spectrum of impressive results, in terms of the positive impact they have made to business, education and society as a whole.
“It was thrilling to be able to celebrate the AMBA network’s achievements at this glamorous Gala Dinner – in particular its been amazing to celebrate exceptional innovations and successes in the higher management education industry.
“I also want to take the opportunity to thank our partners, Kortext, Canvas by Instructure, Cesim Business Simulations, Perlego and BlueSky Education. Their support for our awards – and the business education sector – is greatly appreciated.”
ENDS
For more information or interviews, please contact:
- Ellen Buchan, Insight, Content & PR Manager, AMBA & BGA – e.buchan@amba-bga.com
Awards selection process:
The finalists were shortlisted by AMBA & BGA’s senior management team. A panel of judges then reviewed the shortlisted entries, selecting a winner and a highly commended entry for each award. Our judging panel is made up of AMBA board members, business experts, deans and management leaders.
All of our judges were selected based on their experience and qualifications.
The winners and highly commended entries can be seen here.
Best Culture, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative 2024, in association with BlueSky Education
Winner
- ESADE Business School (Spain) for MBA elective: racial (in)justice
Highly commended
- Centrum Católica, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (Peru) for Mujer, que tu negocio crezca más (Woman, may your business grow more)
- SDA Bocconi School of Management (Italy) for People with disabilities and employment: beyond the barriers
Best Business School Partnership Award 2024, in association with Perlego
Winner
- Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham (UK) with Deloitte
Highly commended
- Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow (UK) with Common Mission Project
- Monash Business School, Monash University (Australia) with Business Council of Cooperatives and Mutuals
Best CSR and Sustainability Initiative 2024, in association with Cesim Business Simulations
Winner
- EGADE Business School, Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico) for Social impact strategy and EGADE action week
Highly commended
- Mannheim Business School (Germany) and ESSEC Business School (France) for LESPRIT – Lebanon solar power and light project
- POLIMI Graduate School of Management (Italy) for Innova Europe 2023
- Shantou University Business School (China) for Rural revitalisation programme
Best Lifelong Learning Initiative 2024, in association with Canvas by Instructure
Winner
- UCL School of Management, University College London (UK) for UCL MBA labs
Best Innovation Strategy Award 2024, in association with Kortext
Winner
- Manchester Metropolitan University Business School (UK) for Innovation in employability – a strengths approach to personal and professional development
Highly commended
- Woxsen University (India) for Financial literacy workshop for underprivileged youth
BGA Business School Impact Award 2024
Winner
- ESLSCA University (Egypt) for ESLSCA’s MBA governmental programme: transforming government public officials into change catalysts
Highly commended
- Indian Institute of Management Indore (India) for IIM Indoreʼs horticulture cell
- School of Economics and Management, Dongguan University of Technology (China) for Smart against fraud and the old friends academy
Start-Up of the Year Award 2024
Winner
- Puneet Saini, University of Canterbury Business School (New Zealand) for Script Sense
Highly commended
- Georges Acar, Warwick Business School, University of Warwick (UK) for Inquizyt
- Marita Sanchez de la Cerda, UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, University College Dublin (Ireland) for SAIZ
Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2024
Winner
- Gaetano Lapenta, POLIMI Graduate School of Management (Italy) for Fybra
Highly commended
- Alexandra Mendoza, Universidad del Norte (Colombia) for Liquitech
- Matt Stevenson-Dodd, Nottingham University Business School (UK) for Trust Impact
- Trai Sasatavadhana, Chulalongkorn Business School, Chulalongkorn University (Thailand) for Tasted Better
Postgraduate Leadership Award 2024
Winner
- Lorna Conn, UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, University College Dublin (Ireland)
Highly commended
- Alex Athanassoulas, Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow (UK)
- Ayodeji Balogun, Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University (Nigeria)
AMBA Student of the Year Award 2024
Winner
- Sonya Bachra-Byrne, University of Bradford School of Management (UK)
Highly commended
- Aditi Singh Bais, Indian Institute of Management Indore (India)
- Elizabeth Woods, Cranfield School of Management (UK)
- James Boyce, The Open University Business School (UK)
BGA Student of the Year Award 2024
Winner
- May Al-Amir, ESLSCA University (Egypt)
