FedEx and JA Europe Recognize Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow with FedEx Access Award
FedEx rewards student-run company with signature award at JA Europe Company of the Year competition
BRUSSELS — FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp (NYSE: FDX) and the world’s largest express transportation company, awarded the FedEx Access Award to GrowGreen, a student run company from Cyprus, at the JA Europe Company of the Year Competition, in Brussels, Belgium, on 12 July 2017.
FedEx has enjoyed a long-lasting relationship with Junior Achievement, sponsoring regional Company of the Year Competitions on six continents around the world as part of its commitment to encouraging global entrepreneurship.
This year’s competition in Brussels marks the tenth anniversary of FedEx sponsorship of the JA Company Program in Europe - an entrepreneurial education program offering young adults aged 15-19, the opportunity to set up and run a profitable business.
“FedEx connects people and possibilities as part of our everyday business. It’s through our involvement in initiatives like the Company Program, and more specifically the creation of the FedEx Access Award, that we are able to inspire and empower the next generation of entrepreneurs by promoting an understanding of global trade and environmental responsibility,” said David Binks, President of FedEx Express in Europe and CEO of TNT.
FedEx created its signature Access Award to incorporate the idea of “access” into the core thinking of future entrepreneurs, recognizing the student-run company that best demonstrates its knowledge of innovation, access to global markets, sustainable development and job creation, and social and environmental responsibility.
This award is the 28th FedEx Access Award the company has given globally, and is the ninth year a FedEx panel of experts has given the award at the European competition. The winner of the 2016 FedEx Access Award, Alexandre Wery of student-run business Form Up, joined the FedEx panel to select GrowGreen – a company that produces hand-made plant pots using ground coffee waste – as the winner of the 2017 European award.
“We are very proud of our product and delighted that FedEx appreciated not just the innovation of our product, but also our plans to grow into new European markets and the work we have already done to make sure GrowGreen gives back both socially and environmentally. Winning the FedEx Access Award has given us the courage and confidence to continue the company. It’s the spark that will ignite our expansion to the rest of the world,” said Irene Andreou, CEO of GrowGreen.
The Company Program is JA Europe’s flagship program and now reaches over 317,000 students in 40 countries. The competition in Brussels on 11-12 July brought together over 200 students in 37 teams from 36 countries. Each of the teams had presented a winning student enterprise at a national Company of the Year Competition prior to competing in the European final.
“The success of the program is largely due to the wide support it receives from business volunteers, whose professional expertise helps to equip young people with the skills they need to succeed in a fast-changing work environment. We know we have the strongest impact when we are able to start, at a young age, to bridge the gap between classroom theory and real-world challenges. In this respect, business support for educational programs is essential,” said Caroline Jenner, CEO for JA Europe.
FedEx has this year expanded its support of the Junior Achievement Company Program by introducing a FedEx Access Award at national Company of the Year competitions in the United Kingdom, France, and Italy and will sponsor eight competitions across Europe in 2018.
--- ENDS ---
About JA Europe
JA Europe is Europe’s largest provider of education programmes for entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial literacy, reaching 3.2 million students in 39 countries in 2014. JA works with the education and business communities as well as governments to provide young people from primary school to university with experiences that build the skills and competences they will need to succeed in a global economy.
About FedEx Express
FedEx Express is the world's largest express transportation company, providing fast and reliable delivery to more than 220 countries and territories. FedEx Express uses a global air-and-ground network to speed delivery of time-sensitive shipments, by a definite time and date with a money-back guarantee[1].
About FedEx Corp.
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenues of $60 billion, the company offers integrated business applications through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world’s most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 400,000 team members to remain “absolutely, positively” focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. To learn more about how FedEx connects people and possibilities around the world, please visit about.fedex.com.
For more information, please contact:
Mathilde Poncelet
JA Europe
+32 2 893 44 36
mathilde@jaeurope.org
Kate Bowen
FedEx Express Europe
+44 (0) 7967 182 608
Irene Andreou
s111005@englishschool.ac.cy
facebook.com/growgreency
[1] Subject to relevant terms and conditions.