April 20, 2017

Accenture MBA Innovation Challenge Supports USA for UNHCR

Winning team from University of Michigan Focused on Expanding Outreach

NEW YORK; Apr. 20, 2017 – A group of MBA students from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business was selected to team with Accenture (ACN: NYSE) to provide pro-bono management consulting for the U.S. based nonprofit dedicated to raising funds and awareness for refugees and for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The team will have the opportunity to help implement their proposal for the nonprofit, USA for UNHCR.

The Accenture MBA Innovation Challenge provides graduate business students from across the United States with real-world consulting experience in support of a national nonprofit organization.

“Through the Challenge, the student participants were not only given the opportunity to address a real problem faced by a client, but they also saw strong and innovative collaboration between Accenture and USA for UNHCR in action," said Marty Rodgers, managing director of Accenture’s nonprofit practice. "Their proposed solutions demonstrated the criticality of public-private partnerships to make a lasting impact on pressing issues the world faces. It was a pleasure to see students so excited about doing well by doing good.”

The latest MBA Innovation Challenge included five participating universities and a total of 192 students, who focused on USA for UNHCR’s piloting of data analytic tools to develop next steps to improve targeting and customized outreach by the organization in the face of an unprecedented global refugee crisis.

“USA for UNHCR was delighted to be part of the Accenture Innovation Challenge to help advance our outreach strategy,” said Anne-Marie Grey, Executive Director and CEO, USA for UNHCR. “I’m so impressed by the passion of the participants and the quality of the solutions from all the MBA teams. It is truly a privilege to be part of this Challenge and we are grateful to Accenture for their commitment to the issue and to our organization.”

The 2017 winning MBA team from University of Michigan was selected following multiple rounds of competition. The team proposed an analytics-based approach that leverages corporate partnerships as a force multiplier to expand the reach and visibility of refugee issues. The students recommended partnering with top corporations patronized by Millennials on cause visibility campaigns and member-only promotions to encourage individuals to identify as “refugee allies” on social media as a show of public support and a call to action for their peers.

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Contact:

Joe Dickie
Accenture
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joseph.r.dickie@Accenture.com
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