A Northumbria University
student has just won the Rising Star of
the Year (Agency) category in the prestigious North East Marketing Awards while on a placement year.
Business student Will Larkin was
recognised for his professional progression while working with Newcastle PR and
Marketing agency Twist. Will,
who is studying for a Business with Marketing Management degree at Northumbria,
impressed the judges with his commercial awareness, creativity and willingness
to step into a senior role to meet the needs of the business. His success comes
as part of a bumper two years for Twist after the business trippled its
turnover, relocated to larger offices on Newcastle’s Grey Street and expanded its
team.
Will is currently joined by two
other Northumbria students, Amber Patterson and Molly Southern, who are also on
placement with Twist. These internships have
been part-funded by Santander Universities UK, under a partnership initiative
with Northumbria to support small and growing businesses and provide students
with valuable work experience.
Commenting
on his award Will said: “This is such an exciting time for Twist. Having
joined the team just after its launch in 2017, thanks to support from
Northumbria and Santander, I’ve been fortunate enough to learn from some of the
UK’s best marketing minds and work with some incredible clients. I’m incredibly
proud to know I’ve contributed to the success of this brilliant agency and
can’t wait to see what my future holds with Twist!.
Chrissie Plunkett, Managing
Director at Twist said “As an agency, we’re brave enough to challenge the norm
with the campaigns we deliver. Will’s contribution of adding enormous levels of
creativity to the campaigns we deliver, along with his commercially-minded
approach, has generated a good return for our clients through some exceptional
work which is testament to this award”.
Adding his congratulations David
Hart, from Northumbria’s Newcastle Business School, said: “Picking up this
coveted award is a superb achievement for Will, and for Twist. It also
highlights how valuable these work placements can be – both for the learning
experience they offer students and for the businesses who can recruit talented
employees such as Will. On top of this, the funding provided by Santander is an
ideal opportunity for small businesses and enterprises to take on new staff and
expand within often tight budgets.”
The Santander Universities SME
Internships Programme provides Northumbria students and graduates with the
opportunity to secure paid summer internships with small to medium sized
business – typically for between two and 10-weeks. It is designed
to boost enterprise, employability and innovation.
For more information on
Northumbria please see: www.northumbria.ac.uk
