Day: June 18, 2024

Celebrating the bold leaders who disrupt markets, revolutionize industries and transform lives

BOSTON, June 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) announced that Mike Jackowski, CEO of Duck Creek Technologies, was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2024 New England Award winner. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the preeminent competitive awards program for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies.

Jackowski was selected by an independent judging panel made up of previous award winners, leading CEOs and other business leaders. Candidates were evaluated based on their ability to create long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, commitment to their purpose and the demonstration of growth and substantial impact, among other key indicators.

“I am honored and humbled to be recognized as an Entrepreneur Of The Year® in New England,” said Jackowski. “I have the privilege of working alongside some of the finest and most talented professionals in the insurance industry and this award would not be possible without the support of the entire Duck Creek team. On behalf of Duck Creek, I thank Ernst & Young and the judging panel for bestowing this award to us.”

As a New England award winner, Jackowski is now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 National Awards. The National Award winners, including the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced in November at the Strategic Growth Forum®, one of the nation’s most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year® Award in June 2025.

Entrepreneur Of The Year recognizes many different types of business leaders for their ingenuity, courage and entrepreneurial spirit. The program celebrates original founders who bootstrapped their business from inception or who raised outside capital to grow their company; transformational CEOs who infused innovation into an existing organization to catapult its trajectory; and multigenerational family business leaders who reimagined a legacy business model to fortify it for the future.

The Entrepreneur Of The Year program has recognized the leadership of entrepreneurs such as:

• Daymond John of FUBU
• Hamdi Ulukaya of Chobani, Inc.
• Holly Thaggard and Amanda Baldwin of Supergoop!
• Howard Schultz of Starbucks Coffee Company
• James Park of Fitbit
• Jodi Berg of Vitamix
• Kendra Scott of Kendra Scott LLC
• Michael Happe of Winnebago Industries
• Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn Corporation
• Sheila Mikhail of AskBio

Entrepreneur Of The Year Award winners become lifetime members of a global, multi-industry community of entrepreneurs. They receive exclusive, ongoing access to the experience, insight and wisdom of program alumni and other ecosystem members in more than 60 countries — all supported by vast EY resources.

In addition to Entrepreneur Of The Year, EY US supports other entrepreneurs through the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women (Winning Women) program and the EY Entrepreneurs Access Network (EAN) to help connect women founders and Black and Hispanic/Latino entrepreneurs, respectively, with the resources, network and access needed to unlock their full potential.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards include presenting sponsors PNC Bank, Cresa, Marsh USA, SAP and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In New England, sponsors also include a premier sponsor, DLA Piper.

About Duck Creek Technologies

Duck Creek Technologies is the intelligent solutions provider defining the future of the property and casualty (P&C) and general insurance industry. We are the platform upon which modern insurance systems are built, enabling the industry to capitalize on the power of the cloud to run agile, intelligent, and evergreen operations.

Authenticity, purpose, and transparency are core to Duck Creek, and we believe insurance should be there for individuals and businesses when, where, and how they need it most. Our market-leading solutions are available on a standalone basis or as a full suite, and all are available via Duck Creek OnDemand. Visit www.duckcreek.com to learn more. Follow Duck Creek on our social channels for the latest information – LinkedIn and X.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year®

Founded in 1986, Entrepreneur Of The Year® has celebrated more than 11,000 ambitious visionaries who are leading successful, dynamic businesses in the US, and it has since expanded to nearly 80 countries and territories globally.

The US program consists of 17 regional programs whose panels of independent judges select the regional award winners every June. Those winners compete for national recognition at the Strategic Growth Forum® in November where National finalists and award winners are announced. The overall National winner represents the US at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year® competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.

About EY

EY exists to build a better working world, helping to create long-term value for clients, people and society and build trust in the capital markets.

Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate.

Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

Media Contacts:
Dennis Dougherty
Dennis.Dougherty@DuckCreek.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 9155379

TAMPA, Fla., June 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AACSB International, the world’s largest business education association, will host its first Africa Conference. This inaugural event will convene business educators and business leaders in Africa and beyond, to discuss innovations in entrepreneurship, sustainability, and accreditation in the region. The collaborations coming out of this conference will help shape a brighter, more sustainable future of business in Africa.

We believe your journalistic insights and expertise would help enhance the conversations at this event and allow the opportunity to connect with forward-thinking leaders.

What: Africa Conference

Who: Forward-thinking business educators and business leaders looking to connect with likeminded individuals or business schools in Africa

When: July 24-26, 2024

Where: Pretoria, South Africa

AACSB is scheduling conversations with Geoff Perry, Executive Vice President and Chief Membership Officer, AACSB International to take place at and after the event. Secure a reservation now by reaching out to Leah McBride at mediarelations@aacsb.edu.

About AACSB International

Established in 1916, AACSB International (AACSB) is the world’s largest business education alliance, connecting educators, learners, and business to create the next generation of great leaders. With members in over 100 countries and territories, AACSB fosters engagement, accelerates innovation, and amplifies impact in business education. Learn how AACSB and business schools from around the world are leading boldly in business education at aacsb.edu.

For More Information Contact:
Leah McBride
1+813.367.5238
mediarelations@aacsb.edu

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 9153859

Powered by GPT, Abbie offers personalized expert guidance to support and streamline the entire international education journey

Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, June 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ApplyBoard, the leading international student mobility platform, today announced the launch of Abbie, an industry-first AI advisor designed to revolutionize the study abroad experience. Leveraging Microsoft Azure’s OpenAI platform, the patent-pending product is powered by the latest GPT models to provide personalized, high-quality support to students, recruitment agents, and other stakeholders at every stage of the international education journey.

As an all-in-one advisor, Abbie offers a wealth of knowledge and resources, including comprehensive information on global institutions, programs, and application processes. With its advanced natural language processing capabilities, Abbie can provide customized guidance based on each student’s unique profile, ensuring they receive the most relevant and accurate advice for their specific educational needs and aspirations. Abbie can answer a student’s question in seconds, a process that previously took hours or days, making the program matching and application process faster and easier than ever.

“This launch represents a major milestone in ApplyBoard’s mission to make education accessible to students worldwide,” said Meti Basiri, Co-Founder & CEO, ApplyBoard. “By harnessing the power of AI, we are revolutionizing the way students navigate the complex and cumbersome study abroad landscape. Abbie is more than just a tool; it’s a manifestation of our commitment to student success and our vision for the future of international education.”

Abbie draws upon ApplyBoard’s extensive knowledge base, including institution and program information, anonymized student search and application data, and insights from ApplyBoard’s knowledge base Assist, ApplyInsights, and other proprietary resources. This comprehensive dataset also enables Abbie to provide unparalleled support and strategic guidance to recruitment agents, helping them better serve their students.

“The development of Abbie is a testament to the incredible role AI will have in transforming the education sector,” said Dr. Haitham Amar, Head of AI Strategy, ApplyBoard. “By combining cutting-edge technology with ApplyBoard’s deep expertise in international student mobility, we have created a tool that not only simplifies the international education process but also empowers students and recruitment agents with the insights they need to succeed, in a fraction of the time it used to take.”

Key features include:

 

• Personalized expertise: Tailored guidance based on each student’s unique profile and needs
• All-in-one advisor: Comprehensive support across the entire study abroad journey, from program discovery to application assistance and beyond
• Instant support: 24/7 availability directly within the ApplyBoard platform
• Multilingual capabilities: Support for multiple languages to serve a global audience

 

Abbie is currently available to select recruitment agents in ApplyBoard’s network, with wider rollout and additional features to come in the coming months. Learn more at applyboard.com/services/abbie.

About ApplyBoard
ApplyBoard empowers students around the world to access the best education by simplifying the study abroad search, application, and acceptance process to more than 1,500 institutions across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Ireland. Headquartered in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, ApplyBoard has helped over 1 million students from more than 150 countries along their educational journeys since 2015. To learn more, visit www.applyboard.com.

Attachment

• ApplyBoard Launches Abbie, the World’s First AI Advisor for Studying Abroad

Brooke Kelly
ApplyBoard
brooke.kelly@applyboard.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID  9155444