PR Newswire's Business Technology Round-up, 19th November 2012

LONDON, November 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Ernst & Young announces technology Entrepreneur of the Year winners and Acision appoints new Senior Vice President

Ernst & Young has announced a string of winners in its highly regarded Entrepreneur of the Year awards, with Blizzard Entertainment CEO, Michael Morhaime, cleaning up in the technology category. The award comes in recognition of the meteoric rise of Blizzard's popular World of Warcraft series, an online gaming phenomenon widely regarded as leading the way in online multiplayer gameplay.

Blizzard Entertainment was first launched in 1991 with just a $15,000 loan, but has since morphed into a corporate giant, with over 4,000 employees and an annual profit figure in excess of $1billion. Judges chose Morhaime from a string of well-known finalists, although his "commitment to quality to his consumers and an inclusive work environment to his company" clinched it for the gaming innovator.

Elsewhere, the CEO of Liberty Global, Mike Fries, was named Entrepreneur of the Year in the Media, Entertainment and Communications category, beating off strong competition from Ancestry.com CEO, Tim Sullivan. Liberty Global is widely recognised as the second biggest subscription TV service in the world, and has generated $10billion in revenue and attracted 20million customers across 13 countries under Mike Fries' leadership.

An expert panel highlighted the CEO's role as the "visionary behind the leading cable company", celebrating his success in "bringing an amazing entertainment experience as well as simplicity to societies across the globe". Fries has been heavily involved with the company since its inception in 1989, playing a major part in the launch of the world's first international cable network, and managing to implement the Liberty network in countries with varied political and regulatory challenges, especially in Eastern Europe.

Acision, a leading facilitator of global mobile messaging, has announced the appointment of Michael Frausing as its Senior Vice President for the Asia Pacific market; a man widely recognised as an industry-leading telecoms specialist.

Frausing has worked in the telecoms industry for the past 25 years, having gained a wealth of experience in a number of leading brands including GE, UPS and mobile phone manufacturers Ericsson. The Asia Pacific market has become a major focal point for Acision, with CEO Jorgen Nilsson hoping that Michael's "exceptional track record across many different markets" can be put to good use in his new position.

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