Students celebrate success at the Oxford Brookes Business School Placement Awards
The red carpet was rolled out at Headington Campus on Thursday 31 October for the Oxford Brookes Business School Placement Awards.
On an evening when many people across the country were uttering the words “Trick or Treat”, students, staff and employer partners were treated to a celebratory evening dedicated to recognising our undergraduate students’ work placement excellence.
The glitzy event recognises students who undertook an optional final year work placement from across all Business School taught programmes. Awards are also presented to a selection of placement employers who have generously given back to higher education by providing the next generation of business leaders a chance to hone their skills in the workplace.
The event was hosted by the Dean of Oxford Brookes Business School, Professor Nick Wilton, the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Dr Husni Kharouf and the Associate Dean of Student Experience, Lisa Hale.
Awards were presented across several categories to students, employers and tutors, providing an opportunity for both students and employers to articulate some of the highlights of the year.
This year saw a new ‘Sustainability Award’ introduced to highlight the importance of the work that is being done in this area across all industries.
Nominations recognised the student’s contribution to the sustainability of the workplace and industry by going ‘Above and Beyond’ to deliver a sustainability related project or activity during their placement.
Professor Nick Wilton commented: “The annual placement awards at Oxford Brookes Business School are a highlight of the academic year. They highlight the value we place on experiential learning and working in partnerships with employers, as well as a celebration of both our impressive students and the fantastic academic and professional staff that support them before, during and after their placement experience. As Dean, it makes me incredibly proud to be able to share in the individual stories of hard work, commitment and success.
Oxford Brookes Business School students are supported throughout their paid placement by the Work and Voluntary Experience Services (WAVES) team and prepare for their 1-year placement through the ‘Placement Search and Preparation Module’ in the second year of their undergraduate degree.
We send huge congratulations to our shortlisted and winning students:
The Above and Beyond
Shortlisted:
- Henry March (Nucleus Financial)
- James Kohler (IBM)
- Stephanie Obi (Lenovo Technology)
- Tilly Brown (Softcat)
- Medhi Habri (Roxcel Trading)
- Yana Illieva (The Lanesborough)
Joint Winners: Tilly Brown and Mehdi Habri
Joint Runners-up: Yana Illievia and Henry March
The Commitment to Customer Client or Service
Shortlisted:
- Naji Neyyankandy (Moose Knuckles)
- Kirsty Zhang (Enterprise Rent-A-Car)
- Katie Elliot (De Mellow & Co)
- Joshua Pressland (Pernod-Ricard)
- Alessia Juarez (Journeys Global)
Winner: Allesia Juarez
Runner-up: Naji Neyyankandy
The Best Team Member
Shortlisted:
- Ali Ahmed (De Vere Hotels)
- Novdeep Singh (BMW)
- Toby Firkins (Connected)
- Katie Mulligan (Eureka Events)
Winner for Hospitality/Tourism/Events: Katie Mulligan
Runner-up: Novdeep Singh
Sustainability Award
Shortlisted:
- Will Brookes
- James Kohler
Winner: James Kohler
Runner-up: Will Brookes
The employer and tutor awards
Shortlisted:
- Victor Chan (Four Seasons Hotel-Hong Kong)
- Bethany Rowe (Zooplus)
- Frankie Griggs (Disney)
- Diogo Vieira (Ask Italian)
- Kevin Rhodes (Pepsico)
- Matteo Mazzeto (UBS)
Joint Runners-up: Diogo Vieira and Matteo Mazzeto
Best placement organisation
Shortlisted:
- Four Seasons Hotels (Hong Kong and Maldives)
- Roxcel Trading
- Glencore
- Pepsico/ Walker Snacks Ltd
Joint Winners: Four Seasons Hotels and Roxcel Trading
Joint Runners-up: Glencore and Pepsico
Outstanding placement tutor
Shortlisted:
- Chengbo Wang
- Christina Wilson
- Helen Liddar
Runner-up: Christina Wilson
Outstanding placement student
Shortlisted:
- Ali Ahmed
- Ben Lambourne
- Madhi Habri
- Olivia Lukasik
- Wiam Rochdi
- Nadia Trkulja
- Oliver Fisher
All shortlisted candidates have received an award in this category this year due to the extremely high standard of nominations!
Business and Management programmes
Winner: Ben Lambourne
Runner-up: Mahdi Habri
Marketing programmes
Winner: Olivia Lukasik
Accounting, Finance and Economics programmes
Winner: Wiam Rochdi
Runner-up: Ali Ahmed
Hospitality and Events programmes
Winner: Oliver FisherRunner-up: Nadia Trkulja