The president of one of America’s leading universities has told a Belfast audience that entrepreneurship can serve as a global “engine of peace” and a tool for building bridges across borders.
Stephen Spinelli, president of Babson College in Massachusetts (this week placed second in the Wall Street Journal listing of America's best universities), received the US-Ireland Bridge-Builder Award at Ulster University's Academy Restaurant at the Wednesday evening opening of the AICON conference.
“This award is not just a recognition of past efforts,” he told the gathering, which included finance minister John O’Dowd and tech leaders from lead sponsor Kainos, Deloitte, Danske Bank and Allstate. “It is a celebration of enduring partnerships, shared values, and a collective belief in the power of entrepreneurship to build peace and prosperity.”
RECOGNITION: Finance Minister John O'Dowd presents President Spinelli of Babson College with the Ireland-USA Bridge-Builder Award
President Spinelli, an Hon Grad of UU recalled presenting his first academic paper in Dublin in 1992. Since then, he has returned more than 30 times to collaborate with researchers, students and entrepreneurs North and South.
Babson College itself has long-standing links with Belfast. In 2002, it hosted entrepreneurs from every county in the North and the border region for a development programme underpinned by the conviction “that jobs are the foundation of peace”.
AICON Launches New After-Hours Series In Belfast https://t.co/uh85MH4Qtt via @Business Eye
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Last year, Babson welcomed 25 young leaders from Ulster University to its campus for a week-long development programme.
The Babson President said that artificial intelligence could prepare workers for an unpredictable future. “Entrepreneurship education, especially when scaled through AI, can empower communities, unlock opportunity and build bridges where walls once stood. t can be the engine of peace, the architecture of inclusion, and the strategy for sustainable growth,” he said. “Now more than ever, workers need to be prepared for a future filled with uncertainty. That requires learning to be a lifetime endeavour.”
AI IMAGE: President Spinelli addressing the AICON Conference on Thursday - behind him is an image of Belfast and Babson created by artificial intelligence
During a busy day of engagements on Wednesday, President Spinelli met with Lord Mayor Tracy Kelly and QUB VC Sir Ian Greer before travelling to West Belfast to meet staff at Workforce Training on the Springfield Road. On Thursday morning, the Babson head keynoted the sold-out AICON conference in Titanic Belfast before flying back to Boston.
