IE Business School wins prestigious Best Innovation Strategy Award, in the AMBA & BGA Excellence Awards 2026
IE Business School wins prestigious Best Innovation Strategy Award scooped the coveted Best Innovation Strategy Award, at the world-renowned Association of MBA’s (AMBA) and Business Graduates Association (BGA) Excellence Awards 2026 for the AI-Powered Job Matching Tool (JMT).
The AMBA & BGA Excellence Awards 2025 were held on January 23, 2026 at the exceptional Royal Garden Hotel. 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 Best Innovation Strategy Award honours a school’s achievement in pushing boundaries in terms of creativity in practice.
This prestigious award is a celebration of innovation and radical thinking in business education delivery across all areas of a business school’s operations and has been developed to recognise and reward game-changing new practices, risks and creativity.
It promotes the values of taking risks in pursuit of the new in different areas, including teaching, learning, recruitment and alumni relations.
IE Business School launched an AI-powered job-matching tool that transforms how students connect with career opportunities. By delivering personalised job recommendations directly to students’ inboxes each week - based on algorithmic analysis of their profiles and preferences - the tool increases engagement, application quality, and job fit. It requires no new platform or training, just intelligent, low-friction delivery of relevant insights. The result is a strategic innovation that reaches even disengaged students, enhances inclusion, and improves data quality. With measurable impact and high scalability, this solution sets a new standard for digital career support and reflects IE’s commitment to purposeful, student-centered innovation.
Zayne Imam, Head of Talent and Career (IE University): “This award is a powerful recognition of years of collaborative work across IE, and I want to start by congratulating our Tech Operations and Data teams for bringing this vision to life — particularly Enrique Peñalba, who collected the award on our behalf. Our ambition was to create distinctive value for both students and employers by solving a challenge that is incredibly difficult to do consistently at scale: matching the right talent to the right opportunity with real precision. AI gave us that opportunity, but this was not an overnight success. It required significant investment, robust infrastructure, and continuous fine-tuning of the algorithm over time. IE has been forward-thinking in its adoption of AI from the very beginning, not as a novelty or a chatbot, but as a transformative capability embedded into our core services. This tool reflects our commitment to using technology purposefully — to better serve our students and alumni, and to deliver more meaningful, data-driven outcomes for employers.”
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 extend my warmest congratulations to IE Business School on winning this year’s Best Innovation Strategy Award. In a year marked by our highest number of entries and some of the strongest competition we have ever seen, IE’s groundbreaking AI‑Powered Job Matching Tool truly stood out for its creativity, impact and bold reimagining of how business schools can support their students’ career journeys.
It was inspiring to celebrate this achievement at our Gala Dinner, and to recognise such exceptional innovation within the higher management education industry. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank our sponsors — Ready Education, GMAC and Cesim Business Simulations — whose support for our awards and for the global business education community is invaluable.”
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 Award 2026
The Best Culture, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative award has been introduced to recognise business schools and the work they have been doing to create, incorporate and develop culture, diversity and inclusion practices.
Winner
· Women
Leadership Program, International
Management Institute (MIM-Kyiv)
Highly commended
· Aotearoa
Centre for Enterprising Women, University
of Auckland Business School
· IE’s
Inclusive Celebration Series: empowering culture, identity and belonging across
campus, IE
Business School
Best Business School Partnership Award 2026
The Best Business School Partnership award recognises institutions that share AMBA & BGA’s passion for building networks and have adopted a proactive, innovative approach to strategic collaboration.
It is open to any business school that is working strategically and collaboratively with (for example) another school/group of schools, an employer, a consultant, education partner or technology provider, a social impact group, an individual, a charity, or other organisation.
Winner
· Adam
Smith Business School, University of Glasgow, Barefoot In Business
Community Interest Company (CIC)
Highly commended
· POLIMI
School of Management with UniCredit
· UBI Business School,
with Publicis Commerce
· Thammasat
Business School, Thammasat University with BJC Big C group
Best CSR and
Sustainability Initiative Award 2026, in association with Cesim
Business Simulations
The Best CSR and Sustainability Initiative award honours AMBA & BGA schools that share our commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability, and who are passionate about making a difference to communities and societies.
The award will recognise 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.
Winner
· Responsible
Supply Chain Network, Universidad
Externado de Colombia
Highly commended
· 1,000
Tree Project, Mannheim
Business School
· Social Sensitisation Camp, Rajagiri Business School
Best
lifelong learning Initiative Award 2026, in
association with Ready
Education
The Best Lifelong Learning Initiative award recognises the efforts of AMBA & BGA schools that are reinventing teaching and learning among students, graduates, alumni networks and custom and executive education.
The winning entries will showcase the impact and success these initiatives have had not only on students but also on the business school itself.
Winner
· GITAM
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Continuum, GITAM School
of Business
Highly commended
· HyFlex delivery + MBA Specialisations, UBI Business School
· AI
University and Metaverse Campus Initiative, Berlin
School of Business and Innovation
Best Innovation Strategy Award 2026
The Best Innovation Strategy award honours a school’s achievement in pushing boundaries in terms of creativity in practice.
This prestigious 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 programmes on offer at business schools in the AMBA & BGA networks.
It promotes the values of taking risks in pursuit of the new in a range of areas, such as teaching, learning, recruitment and alumni relations.
Winner
· AI-Powered
Job Matching Tool (JMT), IE Business School
High commended
· Business
learning in graduate education through immersive gamification and video games, EGADE Business
School
· B-Involved
Program, Fortune
Institute of International Business (FIIB)
Best Digital Transformation Award 2026
The Best Digital Transformation award showcases a school’s journey to implementing new and world-class technology.
This award recognises schools that have pushed past the expected digital proficiency expected of a business school and developed or implemented a seamless digital experience.
This award has been developed to showcase digital change in any aspect of a business school’s day-to-day operations – for example, this could be in implementing new learning management systems, adopting new devices in the school, or digitising administrative processes. Initiatives might also be school-wide or instead relate to the implementation of a technology in one specific module or area.
Winner
· BI
Norwegian Business School, Norway
Highly commended
· POLIMI
School of Management, Italy
BGA Business School Impact Award 2026
The BGA Business School Impact Award is open to BGA member, validated and accredited schools that can demonstrate their impact on all stakeholders, alongside BGA’s vision and charter.
This award celebrates and reflect on the positive impact that a business school is exerting on students and graduates, communities and the economy as a whole.
By validating how positive impact, continuous improvement and responsible management have enhanced the stakeholder experience, business school nominees here showcase how they are contributing to the betterment of society using both quantitative and qualitative analysis of activities, initiatives and/or programmes.
Winner
· The
Narxoz/CIM Integration Initiative, School of Economics and Management, Narxoz University
Highly commended
· Bath
Institute for Digital Security and Behaviour, University
of Bath School of Management, UK
· Mutual
Empowerment through Experiential Consulting, International
Business School (IBS) at Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU), China
· The
Construction of the Chinese School of Management, School
of Business Administration - Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics,
China
Start-Up of the Year Award 2026
The Start-Up of the Year award celebrates the achievements of successful students and alumni in innovative world-class business strategy, but also showcases business schools that are nurturing a spirit of enterprise and ambition.
This award highlights the success of AMBA & BGA business schools that promote entrepreneurship in their cohorts. The award is also a chance for individuals to impress high-profile judges who are already at the forefront of global entrepreneurship.
The Start-up of the Year award is designed to encourage and promote the value of start-up business strategy and innovation, in the current competitive climate and to showcase its importance in the global market.
The Start-up of the Year award is open to both private and public sectors, celebrating innovative business strategy and the process of taking something from idea to action.
Winner
· Samuel Tecuala, King's
Business School, King's College London, UK for Dehusk
Highly commended
· Micah Leitch, Durham
University Business School, UK, for Donup
· Prabal
Pratap Singh, Goa
Institute of Management, India, for SartGram
Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2026
The Entrepreneur of the Year award celebrates the achievements of successful alumni entrepreneurs, but also showcases business schools that are nurturing a spirit of enterprise and ambition.
This award highlights the success of business schools that promote entrepreneurship in their cohorts. It is also a chance for individuals to impress high-profile judges who are already at the forefront of global entrepreneurship.
The Entrepreneur of the Year award is one of the most distinguished awards in the industry. AMBA & BGA has developed the award to encourage and promote the value of entrepreneurship in the current competitive climate and to highlight its importance in the global market.
The Entrepreneur of the Year award is open to both private and not-for-profit sectors. This award is designed to celebrate the impact made by growing organisations in terms of development and will look at an enterprise’s results and achievements.
Winner
· Warner Jenkins, IE Business School,
Spain
Highly commended
· Christian Mwachuku, Aston
Business School, Aston University, UK
· Gostina Malope, Porto Business School, Portugal
Postgraduate Leadership Award 2026
The Postgraduate Leadership Award 2026 honours alumni from AMBA & BGA business schools who have been making an impact in the business world following their graduation.
The award recognises the great work of these graduates through their achievements, performance and recognition.
Winner
· Cristian Von Schulz Hausmann, Universidad
Torcuato Di Tella Escuela de Negocios, Argentina
Highly commended
· Michelle Steele, QUT
Graduate School of Business, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
· Bhaskar Ramesh, SP
Jain Institute of Management & Research, India
AMBA Student of the Year Award 2026, in association
with GMAC
The AMBA Student of the Year Award plays a pivotal role in supporting AMBA’s pledge to promote the MBA as the leading international business qualification.
The AMBA 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.
This award doesn’t just recognise ‘straight-A’ students but also focuses on leadership potential and career progression.
Winner
· Esmeralda Colombo, POLIMI
School of Management, Italy
Highly commended
· Raymond Xiang Zheng, Alliance
Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, UK
· Miarizaka Fabien
Randriamananjara, Kent Business
School, UK
BGA Student of the Year Award 2026
The BGA Student of the Year Award 2026 recognises students who have shown exceptional career potential and who BGA believes can act as ambassadors for the business school community. The students will be from a wide range of different personal and professional backgrounds and can be studying any business school degree programme.
This award doesn’t just recognise ‘straight-A’ students but also focuses on leadership potential and career progression.
Winner
· Aurora
d’Alonzo, POLIMI
School of Management, Italy
Highly commended
· Liv
Heinemann, Regent's
University London, UK
· Sourav
Burman, GL
Bajaj Institute of Management & Research, India
AMBA MBA Director of the Year Award 2026
The AMBA MBA Director of the Year Award is central to upholding AMBA’s commitment to maintaining the MBA degree as the premier global business qualification. It celebrates Programme Directors who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and management of their MBA programmes, enabling their institutions to deliver truly transformative experiences that create meaningful opportunities for all participants.
Winner
· Caitlin
Ferreira, University
of Cape Town Graduate School of Business, South Africa
Highly commended
· Daniel
Serrot, Universidad
de San Andrés, Argentina
· Raj Krishnan Shankar, Great
Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai, India