Prestigious Award for Northumbria Marketing Graduate

A Northumbria University graduate has won a highly prestigious Worshipful Company of Marketors Award for Best Dissertation.

Sanae Uchinaka Usui received the accolade from the City of London Livery Company as part of her MSc Digital Marketing degree with Newcastle Business School. She will now attend a high-profile prize-giving ceremony with her academic supervisor, Doctor Vignesh Yoganathan, later in the year. It is the second time her dissertation has been praised for academic excellence, after similar recognition by the Institute of Direct and Digital Marketing (IDM).

Recognition by the Worshipful Company of Marketors – one of only 110 organisations in the City of London roll of Liveries – is also a mark of success for Newcastle Business School’s MSc Digital Marketing Degree. The programme was launched in September 2016 and has attracted UK and international students from a range of backgrounds and academic disciplines.

Sanae’s research for her dissertation focused on the role of residents as ambassadors in place branding and in particular, how their social media activity and behaviour can influence the appeal of a location as somewhere to visit or live.

Commenting on the award she said: “Winning the Worshipful Company of Marketors award is a huge honour. It was also very surprising, and probably the most rewarding outcome I could have expected through a Master’s dissertation. As an international student from Japan, I have lived and worked in a number of countries, and I continue to seek opportunities around the world. Having a Master’s degree from Newcastle Business School, combined with this award will certainly support my career pathway wherever I travel. I believe it will definitely expand my global employment opportunities.

“The support I received from the University throughout my study has been excellent, especially from Doctor Vignesh Yoganathan, who guided me through the dissertation. It has also been a memorable experience to work alongside people on the course from multiple cultural backgrounds.”

Doctor Vignesh Yoganathan added: “This is a richly-deserved award and a real mark of distinction for Sanae. I would like to thank the Awards Committee, Chaired by Professor Helen Woodruffe-Burton, for conferring this accolade on Sanae. Since its launch in 2016, our MSc Digital Marketing programme has quickly proved popular with students from many different backgrounds, and I’m sure this latest success will only serve to increase the interest in the course.”

For more information, please visit www.northumbria.ac.uk