TORONTO, Nov. 30, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Schulich School of Business at York University today announced that it has received a new $1 million commitment from StarTech.com in support of the School’s Centre for Customer Centricity, a hub for the creation, application and dissemination of knowledge related to making organizations customer-centric.
The Centre was established in 2019 thanks to an initial $1 million gift, which was also provided by StarTech.com, a leading IT connectivity products manufacturer with a portfolio of over 3,700 products designed to meet the needs of IT professionals. Founded in London, Ontario in 1985, StarTech.com has grown to become a global company with operations in 26 countries across five continents.
The Centre assists organizations in implementing a customer-centric management philosophy and culture. The Centre also provides organizations with customized consulting projects involving extensive industry, competitor, and customer analysis, followed by insights and practical recommendations.
The consulting projects are carried out annually by teams of MBA students from the Schulich School of Business, and the students are coached and guided by Professor Ajay Sirsi, the Centre’s Director and an Associate Professor of Marketing at Schulich. Since 2019, the Centre has provided 225 MBA students with experiential learning consulting projects that has benefited 30 companies.
“We’re very excited about the continued support provided by Paul Seed and StarTech.com for this unique Centre,” says Schulich Dean Detlev Zwick. “The Centre for Customer Centricity is providing invaluable, real-world learning for our Schulich MBA students as they help companies solve complex problems, boost their bottom line and grow their customer base.”
“I am grateful for the trust Paul Seed has put in me and the Schulich School of Business to honour his desire to share with companies and MBA students the customer-centric thinking that has made StarTech.com a leader in IT connectivity accessories,” says Ajay Sirsi, Director of the Centre. “The only centre of its kind in the world, the Centre for Customer Centricity will continue inspiring students and guiding organizations wanting to put the customer at the heart of their decision-making.”
“I am excited to continue to support the Centre for Customer Centricity at the Schulich School of Business,” says Paul Seed, CEO and Owner of StarTech.com. “Under the leadership of Professor Sirsi, the Centre provides research to companies and experiential education to MBA students focused on customer centricity. I believe, in my 38-plus years of being an entrepreneur, that all business decisions start with the customer to achieve success.”
Companies or organizations interested in participating in a consulting project with the Centre can contact Professor Ajay Sirsi at: asirsi@schulich.yorku.ca. For more information on the Centre for Customer Centricity, please visit:
https://schulich.yorku.ca/faculty-research/centre-for-customer-centricity/.
About Schulich
Known as Canada’s Global Business School™, the Schulich School of Business in Toronto is ranked #1 in Canada and among the world’s leading business schools by a number of global MBA surveys, including The Economist, Forbes, and QS. The Kellogg-Schulich EMBA program is ranked #9 in the world by The Economist, #9 in the world among joint programs by QS MBA, and #1 in Canada by the Financial Times.
Global, innovative, and diverse, Schulich offers business programs year-round at its state-of-the-art complex at York University; at its Miles S. Nadal Management Centre located in the heart of the Toronto’s financial district; and at its campus in Hyderabad, India. The School also has strategic and academic partnerships with a number of the world’s leading business schools in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Schulich offers undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate business degrees that lead to rewarding careers in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, and has more than 35,000 alumni working in over 90 countries. The School pioneered North America’s first ever cross-border Executive MBA degree, the Kellogg-Schulich Executive MBA. The School has one of the largest portfolios of one-year, specialized Masters programs of any business school in North America. Schulich’s Executive Education Centre provides executive development programs annually to more than 5,000 executives in Canada and abroad.
For more information, please contact:
Sarah Hayward, Marketing and Communications Coordinator
Schulich School of Business
Email: shayward@schulich.yorku.ca
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