Newcastle University students celebrate marketing success as they win coveted award

Three students from Newcastle University are celebrating marketing success, as they were announced the winners of a global marketing competition.

Newcastle University students Lauren Parr, Mehek Hathiramani and Jenny Vu, who made up the team ‘The Three Marketeers’, were announced as the undergraduate winners of The Pitch, an international student marketing competition by The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).

The competition gives students who are studying for a marketing or business degree the opportunity to tackle real-world marketing challenges. 

CIM partnered with Hays, EveryYouth and Mintel for the 13th year of the competition, where students across the world were tasked with devising a plan to help EveryYouth drive a positive online experience and increase donor engagement with a budget of £5,000.

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Robin Sturmey, Head of Marketing at Hays, comments: “It was brilliant to be a part of such a valuable initiative, alongside our charity partner EveryYouth, and to see the impressive talent of the next generation of marketers come to life. I’m confident that this exposure to real-life marketing challenges will provide participants with a range of tools and skills that will support their career ventures.

“At Hays, we’re aware of the value these types of initiatives offer candidates when progressing through the job application process and the positive difference this kind of experience can have to the ongoing success of their careers. Well done to all the finalists and congratulations to the winners!”

The live client brief was designed to help accelerate the career of marketing and business students, who were able to develop their presentation, communication and problem-solving skills. 

Parr, Hathiramani, and Vu were crowned the winners of the student competition, receiving a one-year complimentary CIM professional membership, a ‘Specialist Award’ qualification from CIM Academy, a virtual one-hour session with Hays, a virtual CV writing workshop, feature in a case study on CIM’s website and a digital winner’s badge. 

The trio were also given the title of ‘Marketers of the Future’. 

Mark Scott, Director of Marketing and Communication, CIM said: “The standard was super-high and well done to all of the shortlisted teams who worked really hard on their proposals, and a huge congratulations to Lauren Parr, Mehek Hathiramani and Jenny Vu who won the undergrad category. Their innovative ideas and presentation skills really shone through.”