We’re pleased to announce that a group of students from our Business School have won two major awards.
After winning a place at the regional heats, the student company ‘A Wild Life’ competed in the UK final at Salford University on Wednesday 10 May.
Having submitted their business plan and other business documentation a week in advance, all student companies from UK institutions took part in the pitching competition in the day. The Chester Business School pitch was outstanding and recognised by the judges as being such.
A Wild Life won YE Student Start-Up Best UK Pitch Deck 2023, and Eleanor Jones won ‘UK Student Entrepreneurial Journey’ 2023 – an award given to a student who has developed significantly as a result of the start up journey.
On arrival, Princess Anne, who was visiting the event, made a beeline over to the Chester Business School trade stand. She spoke to each member of the business: Eleanor Jones, Josh Sellings, Aaron Jones, Demi Evans, with Managing Director, Jade McCardle, providing an overview of their product and business journey for the Princess.
Cheering the students on at the event we’re the UoC crew made up of: Head of Dept Dr Connie Hancock, module Leaders, Cheryl Sorensen and Conor Dangerfield, Enterprise Tutors Athalia Dangerfield and Andy Firr, as well as student rep Piyush Choudhari.
Our enterprise students did an outstanding job of representing the Business School in the UK Student Start-Up Final, coming out with two awards is tremendous. The Princess Royal herself was impressed by their business idea and came straight over to their trade stand when she arrived at the venue. The students have worked tirelessly on their business, and I am extremely proud of all of them.
Dr Connie Hancock
Our young enterprise journey has been incredible. It has taught me so many personal and professional skills that I can take forward with me. Meeting HRH Princess Anne and explaining our business to her was an amazing experience that I am very proud of.
Jade McCardle
We are extremely proud to announce that A Wild Life won Best Pitch Deck 2023 during the Young Enterprise Nationals. Winning this award is a testament to the team’s hard work, dedication, and unwavering commitment to A Wild Life and everything that it stands for. It is an honour for us to be able to support this business and its student founders, Jade McArdle, Eleanor Jones, Demi Evans, Aaron Jones, and Josh Sellings. Eleanor Jones also won Student Journey of the Year, which was an amazing achievement that is well deserved, as her resilience and motivation as an entrepreneur are outstanding. This achievement is not only a win for A Wild Life, but also for our module, Entrepreneurial Thought and Action. It demonstrates the high quality that our amazing students strive to achieve and the results that can come from hard work, dedication, and a supportive entrepreneurial network, which is incredible at Chester Business School. We would like to express our gratitude to Suzanne Lockwood, the judges, and organizers of Young Enterprise, as well as our wider faculty, for their support and encouragement. This award is a celebration of our collective efforts, and we look forward to what comes next!
Cheryl Sørensen & Conor Dangerfield