News, Notes + Nods

More than 300 Babson alumni, parents, and friends attended Babson Connect: Worldwide 2016, an exceptional opportunity for the global Babson community to gather and celebrate Entrepreneurship of All Kinds^®. Taking place this past March in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the second annual event offered 11 panels and sessions presented by renowned Babson faculty, local entrepreneurs, and business leaders from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. President Kerry Healey announced that Babson Connect: Worldwide 2017 will be held in Thailand.—Lindsay Magoon, associate director, advancement communications

While attending the event in Dubai, one of the world’s most cosmopolitan destinations, attendees enjoyed the Arabian Night Welcome Reception and Dinner at the Al Sahara Camp in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve. Pictured here are Carlos Herrera ’92 and his wife, Elvira de la Guardia.

Attendees gathered on the stairway leading to the event ballroom for a group photo. During the three-day event, they enjoyed sessions and panels such as “Stories of Transgenerational Family Businesses,” “Entrepreneurship in the MENA Region,” and “Young Entrepreneurs, Leveraging the Babson Network for Global Enterprise.”

On Friday, the Babson community gathered on the lawn at the Four Seasons Hotel for a networking luncheon that highlighted six topics for discussion, including women entrepreneurs, youth unemployment, and globalization and urbanization and the convergence economy.

At Saturday night’s awards gala, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum (fourth from right), chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline and Group, was inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs. Shainoor Khoja (third from left), founder and CEO of Better Business Enterprise, was awarded the Lewis Institute Community Changemaker Award. They are pictured here with President Kerry Healey (third from right) and the Babson Connect: Worldwide 2016 host and advisory committees.