On Wednesday 6 November 2019, the Courthouse Hotel in Oxford Circus played host to the eighth annual ESA Diploma Graduation ceremony, marking the culmination of the Diploma’s most successful ever class.
Students from as far afield as Switzerland and Russia were in attendance, as well as ESA Board members, ESA Course Director Peter Raymond and many of the sponsorship industry’s leaders.
All 53 students to complete the 2019 ESA Diploma successfully graduated, with the class of 2019 achieving the milestone of having the best top-level marks since the launch of the Diploma in 2012.
A record six students achieved Distinctions, with a further 14 achieving the new grade of Highly Commended, meaning more than a third of the course scored 70% or above.
Harry Eckersley of CSM received top honours, achieving the rare accolade of being this year’s Top Student and submitting the Top Set Brief.
The students received their diploma certificates from Steve Elworthy MBE, one of the sports industry’s most accomplished senior executives. Elworthy, a former test cricketer for South Africa, has been Tournament Director of four Cricket World Cups and the 2017 Champions Trophy, as well as an Independent Director of the Netball World Cup 2019. Most recently he successfully delivered the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
2019’s students came from six countries and were drawn from the entire spectrum of sponsorship, including rights-holders, agencies and sponsors. Among other notable results, all six students from South Africa secured healthy marks.
Many of Europe’s leading sports and entertainment organisations trust the ESA Diploma to provide their staff with the necessary skills to increase their knowledge and accelerate their development in sponsorship and sports marketing.
This year’s class included students from five Premier League clubs, UEFA, Under Armour, Saracens Rugby Club, PwC, the Royal Bank of Scotland and a number of agencies and other prestigious organisations.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, ESA Diploma Course Director, Peter Raymond said:
“The Class of 2019 is now officially part of the new generation that will shape the future of our thriving, increasingly complex and yet constantly invigorating sponsorship industry. I only need to look at what some of our past students are doing now to know what exciting futures lie ahead for all our students. Achieving the Diploma is the first step towards this exciting possibility.”
Steve Elworthy MBE, who started his administrative career as a sponsorship manager, said the Diploma would fast-track the careers of those graduating:
“The ESA Diploma is unique, which is absolutely fantastic and it can only raise the standards of the industry. The sponsorship space is going through an incredibly rapid evolution. The industry needs to understand where the market is going and the ESA Diploma equips its students to do that.”
Enrolment for the 2020 ESA Diploma is now open. Find out more information here: https://sponsorship.org/diploma/diploma-home/
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For media queries, please contact:
Max Weber
Marketing Communications and Events Manager – ESA
Email: maxweber@sponsorship.org / Phone: +44 (0)20 8390 3311
