London Business School Helps Recipients From Hennessy's Unfinished Business Program Tackle Complex Small Business Challenges

NEW YORK, Feb. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, London Business School, one of the world's leading business schools, returns with a 10-week consulting style project for MBA students, designed to help an organization address a complex, cross-functional business challenge.

Unique to this program, London Business School has joined Hennessy, the world's best-selling Cognac, providing long-term support for small businesses impacted by the pandemic, with a goal of bolstering an equitable recovery for those of culturally diverse backgrounds. Introduced in June 2020, Hennessy's Unfinished Business initiative has provided over $5 million in funds to more than 1,600 Black, Asian and Latinx owned small businesses across the U.S., and remains committed to serving these communities well into the future. 

"Access to a world-class network as esteemed as London Business School opens doors to transformative growth possibilities for Unfinished Business recipients," said Jasmin Allen, Senior Vice President, Hennessy US. "This influential and highly-engaged program delivers significant value for small businesses, aiding Hennessy's commitment to supporting a more just economic future for Black, Asian and Latinx owned small business communities."

In this joint effort, London Business School has selected five small business fund recipients from Hennessy's Unfinished Business initiative to participate in the consulting program. This faculty-led, experiential course facilitated through MBA students, will tackle complex business challenges and develop solutions that have real-world impact. Graduate students assigned to each business will commit upwards of 250 hours towards testing and refining solutions to accelerate each business forward. 

The students' work will be overseen by world-renowned London Business School Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship, Julian Birkinshaw. "The role of Business Schools in creating a just and equitable world is not to be underestimated. London Business School students have a strong track record in working with small businesses to drive lasting and sustainable impact across the globe. We are delighted to be partnering with Hennessy on this initiative to create tangible, actionable and meaningful change," said Professor Birkinshaw. 

London Business School worked closely with Hennessy's community partners including One Hundred Black Men, the Asian American Business Development Center and the Hispanic Federation to identify small businesses where the students could have the most impact on their pressing, strategic issues.

Today's announcement of the esteemed program evolves Hennessy's Unfinished Business initiative, further diversifying resources beyond capital and providing direct professional business development support.  To learn more, please visit UnfinishedBusiness.US.

ABOUT HENNESSY
The leader in Cognac, the Maison Hennessy has shined around the world with its exceptional know-how for more than 250 years. Built on founder Richard Hennessy's spirit of conquest, the brand is present in more than 160 countries. Based in the heart of the Charente region, Hennessy is also a steadfast pillar of the regional economy. The Maison's success and longevity are rooted in the excellence of its cognacs, each of which is born of a unique process of transmission of know-how from generation to generation. The first spirits house to be certified ISO 14001, Hennessy unites its capacity for innovation and the support of all of its partners to protect this exceptional area. As a crown jewel of the LVMH Group, Hennessy is a major contributor to French international trade, with 99% of production sold in export, and a worldwide ambassador for the French art de vivre.

ABOUT LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL

London Business School's vision is to have a profound impact on the way the world does business and the way business impacts the world. The School is consistently ranked among the best business schools globally* and is widely acknowledged as a centre for outstanding research.

As well as its highly ranked degree programmes, the School offers award-winning Executive Education programmes to business leaders from around the world.

London Business School has campuses in London and Dubai, and a presence in three additional international cities – New York, Hong Kong and Shanghai. The School equips its diverse student body with the tools needed to tackle today's business challenges and connects them with many of the world's leading thinkers.

The School has more than 47,000 alumni working in over 155 countries. Together, they are a community defined by a wealth of knowledge, business experience and worldwide networking opportunities.

London Business School's leading faculty members come from 28 countries. They cover seven subject areas: accounting, economics, finance, management science and operations, marketing, organisational behaviour, and strategy and entrepreneurship. 

www.london.edu

*The Financial Times (FT) ranked London Business School second in its global MBA rankings in 2021.

MEDIA CONTACTS
Katherine Espinosa, BCW Global
(718) 644-9276, [email protected]

Jacqueline Long, Hennessy
(917) 596-3871, [email protected]

SOURCE Hennessy