Business
Almost £1m of person debt cleared in 10 years by Surrey charity
A Surrey charity said it had helped people to clear almost £1m of personal debt in the 10 years since it opened.
Debt centre manager Lucy Bahiti, from Christians Against Poverty (CAP) in Epsom and Ewell, said they continued to see a lot of demand for help, with appointments providing support being booked up into the summer.
The organisation first opened the centre at St Barnabas Church in Epsom, as well as a service visiting people in their homes, in July 2015.
One man who was supported by CAP to get out of debt said his “finances just spiralled out of control” and he was “constantly having to put out fires”.
Ms Bahiti said there were parts of the area where people were “really struggling”.
“We’re seeing at the moment all our appointments are full,” she said.
“We’re booking up into the month ahead, which is a new thing for us.
“Things are getting a lot more difficult for people and actually, we often find in the summer things are quieter because people have got children at home, but it’s not this year.”
The charity said it estimated it had supported people to clear a total debt of £972,413 in Epsom and Ewell in the last 10 years.
Alan, who lives in Epsom and is now involved with running another charity, Love Me Love My Mind, told BBC Radio Surrey he went to CAP when the amount of money he owed became overwhelming.
“My finances just spiralled out of control to the point where I had no disposable income,” he said.
“It was just, you know, my salary was coming in, going straight out, paying off debts, mortgage, and it just got too much.
“I think it was a slow process, over maybe a three or four year period, I noticed that I was just constantly having to put out fires, you know, letters from loan companies, bailiffs, credit card companies, banks saying you’re overdrawn, you’ve spent over your limit.”
He added that his life had become “quite toxic”.
Ms Bahiti said CAP also worked with organisations like Citizens Advice and StepChange to try to get people the help they needed.
Business
Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education launches the AI Leadership Programme in collaboration with Emeritus
The programme explores future-focused AI strategies and frameworks to foster innovation, accelerate organisational growth and build resilience.
CAMBRIDGE, England, July 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education announces the launch of its four-month Cambridge AI Leadership Programme. This programme equips leaders with both strategic insights and practical knowledge to harness AI for business transformation. Launched in collaboration with Emeritus, a global leader in making high-quality education accessible and affordable, enrolment is now open for a September 2025 start.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming industries, and organisations are eager to understand and leverage its full potential to enhance efficiency, drive innovation and stay competitive. According to Forbes, 68% of employers consider AI to be crucial for future success. However, many AI projects fail due to a lack of strategic leadership and integration. The Cambridge AI Leadership Programme helps participants navigate the complexities of AI adoption, identify scalable opportunities and build a strategic roadmap for successful implementation.
Through a blend of in-person and online learning modules, participants will develop an understanding of AI concepts, applications and best practices to enhance decision-making skills as well as examine digital transformation and ethical AI governance. They will engage directly with world-renowned Cambridge faculty, industry experts and global peers while immersing themselves in the rich Cambridge ecosystem. By the end of the programme, participants will be prepared to implement AI strategies that deliver operational excellence and long-term organisational success.
“AI is a transformative force reshaping business strategy, decision-making and leadership. Senior executives must not only understand AI but also use it to drive business goals, efficiency and new revenue opportunities,” says Professor David Stillwell, Co-Academic Programme Director. “The Cambridge AI Leadership Programme offers a strategic road map, equipping leaders with the skills and mindset to integrate AI into their organisations and lead in an AI-driven world.”
“The Cambridge AI Leadership Programme empowers decision-makers to harness AI in ways that align with their organisation’s goals and prepare for the future,” says Vesselin Popov, Co-Academic Programme Director. “Through a comprehensive learning experience, participants gain strategic insights and practical knowledge to drive transformation, strengthen decision-making and navigate technological shifts with confidence.”
The programme is designed for senior leaders looking to lead transformation, unlock new revenue opportunities and integrate AI technologies into business operations effectively. It bridges the critical gap between technology and business strategy, preparing leaders to achieve AI-driven business goals.
“We are delighted to collaborate with Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education to help senior leaders deepen their understanding of AI’s strategic applications and build foresight to balance innovation while managing risk,” says Mike Malefakis, President of University Partnerships at Emeritus. “Through blended learning, the Cambridge AI Leadership Programme enables participants to leverage AI tools and strategies for business optimisation and growth.”
The Cambridge AI Leadership Programme starts on 22 September 2025. For more information and to apply, please visit the programme website.
About Cambridge Judge Business School
Cambridge Judge Business School leverages the power of academia for real-world impact to transform individuals, organisations and society. Since 1990, Cambridge Judge has forged a reputation as a centre of rigorous thinking and high-impact transformative education, situated within one of the world’s most prestigious research universities and in the heart of the Cambridge Cluster, the most successful technology entrepreneurship cluster in Europe. In the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, Cambridge Judge placed first in the Times Higher Education rankings for Business and Management Studies in the United Kingdom. Ninety-four per cent of Cambridge’s overall REF submissions were rated as “world leading” or “internationally excellent”, demonstrating the major global impact that Cambridge Judge researchers are making on society. Cambridge Judge pursues innovation through interdisciplinary insight, entrepreneurial spirit and collaboration. Cutting-edge research is rooted in real-world challenges, and students and clients are encouraged to ask excellent questions to create real-world change. Undergraduate, graduate and executive programmes attract innovators, creative thinkers, thoughtful and collaborative problem-solvers as well as current and future leaders, drawn from a huge diversity of backgrounds and countries.
About Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education
Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education offers a wide range of open-enrolment and customised programmes that will test, challenge, encourage and inspire you. We will help you embrace the knowledge and skills you need – to grow in confidence and to evolve and adapt. Get ready to lead purposefully, manage effectively and innovate in an increasingly complex future.
About Emeritus
Emeritus is committed to teaching the skills of the future by making high-quality education accessible and affordable to individuals, organisations and governments worldwide. It does so by collaborating with more than 80 top-tier universities across the United States, Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia, India and China. Emeritus’s short courses, degree programmes, professional certificates and senior executive programmes help individuals learn new skills and transform their lives, companies and organisations. Its unique model of state-of-the-art technology, curriculum innovation and hands-on instruction from senior faculty, mentors and coaches has educated more than 350,000 individuals across more than 80 countries. For more information, please visit https://emeritus.org.
SOURCE Emeritus
Business
Capgemini falls as WNS deal raises questions over AI’s business impact — TradingView News
** Shares in French IT services firm Capgemini CAP fall more than 5% to their lowest price since late April, after it agreed to buy WNS WNS for $3.3 billion of cash
** Analysts from Morgan Stanley say investors are concerned over the impact of Gen AI on the business process outsourcing (BPO) market that Capgemini wants to develop into
** “The bear case is that new technology would shift BPO from a people intensive business to one which is much more highly automated and managed by software and not people” – MS
** This could mean reduction of BPO revenues and exposure of incumbent vendors to competition from new entrants, MS adds
** “We expect investors to be able to see the opportunity that could come from disrupting BPO with Gen AI but think some evidence will be needed to convince the market WNS is the right vehicle,” MS says
** The analysts add WNS is not large enough to be transformational to Capgemini’s financials, while the deal is using up its balance sheet firepower for a couple of years
** Capgemini’s shares are at the bottom of Europe’s benchmark STOXX 600 index SXXP
Business
Capgemini-WNS Deal: French firm to acquire BPS provider for $3.3 billion; eyes edge in agentic AI operations
French tech giant Capgemini on Monday announced its acquisition of business process services (BPS) provider WNS for $3.3 billion in cash, a strategic move aimed at creating a global leader in AI-powered business operations. As per the news agency AFP, the deal, unanimously approved by both companies’ boards, values WNS at $76.50 per share, a 28 per cent premium over its 90-day average trading price.With this acquisition, Capgemini aims to tap into the fast-evolving demand for agentic AI, or autonomous AI agents, which can independently perform tasks and make decisions in business environments. “Capgemini’s acquisition of WNS will provide the group with the scale and vertical sector expertise to capture that rapidly emerging strategic opportunity created by the paradigm shift from traditional BPS to agentic AI-powered intelligent operations,” said Capgemini CEO Aiman Ezzat, as cited by AFP.WNS, headquartered in London with a second base in India and listed on the New York Stock Exchange, began in the late 1990s by offering services to British Airways. Today, it caters to clients across various sectors, helping them transition from conventional outsourcing to tech-driven operational models. The company is widely recognised as a key player in the BPS sector, which has evolved from simple back-office outsourcing to complex AI-integrated process management.“Organisations that have already digitised are now seeking to reimagine their operating models by embedding AI at the core, shifting from automation to autonomy,” WNS CEO Keshav Murugesh said, as per AFP.Capgemini, which provides IT consulting and digital transformation services, said the acquisition would open up strong cross-selling opportunities and is expected to immediately enhance its financial performance. The deal is projected to boost earnings per share by 4 per cent in 2026 and by 7 per cent in 2027 once synergies are realised.To fund the acquisition and assume WNS’s existing debt, Capgemini has secured €4 billion ($4.7 billion) in bridge financing, it said in a joint statement with WNS. The transaction reflects a broader industry shift as companies move from AI-assisted automation to building AI-led autonomous operations.
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