The European Sponsorship Association is delighted to announce the results of the 2021 ESA Diploma, its largest-ever and most international intake, with candidates from 14 different countries (including 12 from South Africa and 11 from Ireland).
A total of 87 students from the Class of ‘21 have successfully qualified with their Diplomas, marking the culmination of a challenging and rewarding eight months of study.
Six students graduated with the rare commendation of a Distinction grade, with Stephanie Case of Danone (Evian) being crowned this year’s Top Student – the first candidate from a corporate sponsor to win the Diploma’s ultimate accolade. A further 24 students scored Highly Commended, making the Class of ‘21 the Diploma’s highest-achieving class in its history.
This year’s course project was on Extreme E and the coveted Top Set Brief award was shared by Lucy Cadel (The Maverick Group) and Oscar Wagner (Sky Media).
2021 marks the end of the Diploma’s first decade, a period during which it has now qualified 582 industry professionals from across the sponsorship and sports marketing spectrum. During this time, the ESA Diploma has firmly established itself as the foremost and most requisite qualification for anyone wishing to forge a career in the industry, with many of the world’s leading sports and entertainment organisations trusting the Diploma to accelerate the development of their staff.
This year’s class included students from five Premier League clubs, two Formula 1 teams and other prestigious sporting organisations representing golf, cricket, athletics, hockey, rugby union, sailing and gaming, as well as many agencies and well-known corporate sponsors including BT, FedEx, Danone, the Co-Op, AIG, KPMG, Hankook and Vodacom.
Made up of six educational modules together with a series of seminars from leading global industry cognoscenti, the Diploma runs annually from January to August; the part-time course being designed to be flexible, enabling those working full-time to study when convenient to fit in with their existing commitments.
ESA Diploma Course Director, Peter Raymond, said:
“I can’t think of a better way to celebrate our first decade than with the brilliant results of this very special class. The Class of ’21 has put the many distractions of a difficult year behind them and enthusiastically embraced the Diploma challenge with a set of highly commendable results. Many of them decided that this was a good year to bulk up their knowledge and ensure their successful career development. They embraced the course with great vigour and enthusiasm and it’s clear to see that the future of the industry is in good hands.
“Although we won’t be having our Graduation ceremony until next year, we’re looking forward to a memorable and momentous celebration, together with the Class of ’20.”
For more information about the 2022 ESA Diploma, head HERE
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For media queries, please contact:
Jonathan Coates | ESA Marketing, Communications and Events Manager