Shining career ahead for Rising Star

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