IE Business School Recognized at the AMBA & BGA Awards 2026 for its Innovation with AI, Entrepreneurship, and Global Ecosystem

IE Business School has been recognized at the AMBA & BGA Excellence Awards 2026 for its leadership in AI innovation, entrepreneurship, and commitment to culture, identity, and inclusion in a global ecosystem made up of students, professors, and researchers from 160 countries. The annual AMBA & BGA awards honor excellence in academic institutions accredited by the Association of MBAs and the Business Graduates Association worldwide.

The AMBA & BGA Awards 2026 recognized the AI-Powered Job Matching Tool (JMT) as “Best Innovation Strategy this year. This tool personalizes access to professional opportunities for IE University students around the world. Developed by the Talent & Careers and Data Office teams, it is based on algorithmic analysis of students’ profiles and preferences and sends personalized job recommendations to them based on their career goals.

"By integrating AI with our work into the careers offering, we empower our students to plan and achieve their professional goals with data-driven confidence. This achievement reflects our commitment to solving complex talent‑matching challenges at scale, ensuring our community remains at the forefront of the global job market," said Zayne Imam, Head of Talent and Careers at IE University. "This award celebrates cross-functional collaboration to embed AI as a transformative engine within our core services. At IE University, we are determined to utilize technology to directly advance the careers of the IE community, present in 185 countries around the world," he added.

This edition of the AMBA awards also recognized the talent of Warner Jenkins, a graduate of IE Business School's International MBA program, who received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Jenkins is the founder of Nordic Wellness, a holistic ecosystem connecting cold therapy, personalized breathwork, and coaching. Since the launch of Nordic Wave, the company has experienced rapid growth, exceeding $7 million in revenue in its second year of operations and positioning itself as an emerging international leader in wellness. 

"Seeing an IE University graduate like Warner Jenkins receiving this award fills us with pride, recognizes his talent, and encourages us to continue working to enhance the skills and entrepreneurial mindset of our students, who drive ventures and improve lives around the world. Warner transformed a business idea into a project with real impact, integrating key competencies, behavioral sciences, and a strategic vision to take wellness to a new level. His career shows that when our students immerse themselves in the entrepreneurial mindset on campus, they scale businesses, transform sectors, and generate real value in society," said Paris de l'Etraz, Managing Director of IE Business School's Venture Lab.

The IE Inclusive Celebration Series, promoted by IE University's Campus Life team, also received a highly commended recognition in the Culture, Diversity, and Inclusion Initiative Award 2026 for empowering culture, identity and belonging across campus. The IE Inclusive Celebration Series promotes the organization of events on campus with the aim of celebrating the institution's global ecosystem, made up of students, professors, and researchers from 160 countries. With the aim of strengthening cultural awareness, dialogue, and inclusive leadership, this year's IE Inclusive Celebration Series has included events such as Chinese New Year, Africa Day, the Women's Leadership Conference, Global Village, and LGBT+@Work. These initiatives are led by IE University student clubs together with faculty members and the Campus Life team. 

"At IE University, Campus Life is the driving force behind a unique experience in a global environment. With more than 160 nationalities on campus, each with their own unique identities, our mission is to create an ecosystem where inclusion is a tangible reality. The IE Inclusive Celebration Series is the best example of this: a collaborative initiative where students and professors lead spaces for dialogue and belonging. Our community is strengthened when each member has a platform to express themselves, connect, and, above all, transform their environment through inclusive leadership," according to Elisa Hicks, Executive Director of Campus Life.