World renowned Cranfield School of Management celebrates Verifile founder as Entrepreneur Alumnus of the year

Verifile's founder and CEO, Eyal Ben Cohen, has been officially named as Cranfield School of Management’s Entrepreneur Alumnus of the Year 2020, in a ceremony for their alumni awards at The Royal Society, London on 30 January.

The Cranfield School of Management’s annual alumni awards recognise special achievements and contributions of alumni, providing Cranfield with an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate those who exemplify the values of the school.

Eyal graduated with an MBA from the school in 2004. His idea for a background screening company was researched during his time there and later used as his basis for Verifile. 

Almost 16 years later and speaking at the ceremony, Eyal Ben Cohen said: “If my story can help or inspire students to look at a Cranfield MBA through a different lens, create a business, and employ people, that would be something that I would feel really proud of.”



Reflecting on the award after the ceremony, Eyal added: “Cranfield is where my Verifile journey began in earnest. With the support of my lecturers and fellow students, a business plan began to take shape as I worked towards my MBA.

“It’s a place that provided me with access to everything an aspiring entrepreneur could hope for, including a strong network, client introductions, investment capital, research resources, and an office.”

Explaining their decision to hand Eyal the award, James Pagliaro, Senior Development Manager at Cranfield University, said: “Eyal set about developing his idea for Verifile while studying for his MBA at Cranfield.

"Since then, Verifile has shown excellent growth in turnover, profits, product and geographical reach. Furthermore, the company also implements socially responsible employment practices to recruit and retain staff, benefitting the local economy.

“Importantly, Eyal’s vision gives other businesses peace of mind and confidence when hiring new employees; in a world where good people are key to a company’s success – this is integral. It is for this reason, that we are delighted to announce that Eyal is the winner of this year’s Entrepreneur Alumnus of the Year Award.”

The announcement of the award from Cranfield comes hot on the heels of Eyal being named ‘Outstanding Entrepreneur 2019’ at the Global Business Excellence Awards.

The Global Business Excellence Awards are one of the world’s highest profile awards and winning this accolade speaks volumes about the quality of the winning individuals and companies.

Due to their high profile, the Awards attract a wide range of entries from across the world, from large international PLCs and public sector organisations to dynamic and innovative SMEs.

It’s been a fantastic 12 months for Verifile. In May 2019 the company picked up a prestigious Queen’s Award for International Trade, the first background screening company to do so.

Various other awards were also collected, including the National SME Business Award for ‘Best Enterprising Business’, ‘Bedford Business of the Year’ and ‘Best Enterprising Business – Luton and Bedfordshire’.

Verifile were also shortlisted for the ‘Outstanding Use of Technology’ in the Investors in People Awards.

But, Eyal said this award, and others, aren’t just for him “This award really is for every one of us working at Verifile,” he added.

“While I may have come up with the idea and while I may be behind most of the decisions, without the teams here I would not have been considered. It is they who get on and get the job done, they who deliver the quality products and services, they make me proud.”