CUBO Awards Winners Announced!

Congratulations to the ten winners announced at the 7th annual CUBO Awards, held on a gloriously warm summer evening at Manchester Metropolitan University.

The CUBO Awards celebrate the achievements of those working in higher education campus and commercial services. The University of Manchester enjoyed a particularly successful evening, scooping awards in three of the ten categories - one jointly with conference host Manchester Metropolitan University. All the winners demonstrated CUBO values to the core: leading innovation, developing partnerships and connecting with students, staff and the local community.

2018 CUBO Award winners:

Best Residence Life Initiative 2018 – sponsored by Unite Students
University of Leicester

Best Marketing Campaign 2018 – sponsored by Crosslane Student Developments/ Prime Student Living
University of Bath

Excellence in Student Sport Experience 2018 – sponsored by Student Living by Sodexo
University of Manchester

Commercial University of the Year 2018 – Sponsored by Student.com
University of Kent

Best Student Housing 2018 – sponsored by iQ Student Accommodation
University of Sheffield

Innovation in Catering 2018 – sponsored by TUCO
Oxford Brookes University Innovation in Student Experience 2018 – sponsored by Glide Student/Campuslife
University of Manchester & Manchester Metropolitan University

Business Manager/Team of the Year 2018
Conference and Events Team, Solent Conference Centre

Business Partner of the Year 2018
NCA and University of Manchester

Lifetime Achievement Award 2018
Mark Swales, Sheffield Hallam University

Helen McGlashan, Director of Residential Services, University of Manchester (Winners of Excellence in Student Sport Experience, Innovation in Student Experience, and Business Partner of the Year) said:

"To win three awards is a huge testament to the many people across the University of Manchester who work on these important areas. The University puts creating opportunities for students at the heart of what we do - whether that's through their day-to-day experience on campus or through the many other activities, such as sports and volunteering, that we offer. We extend this social responsibility to the partners, businesses and local communities we work with, so to be named business partner of the year for the work we do with the National Cycling Academy is also extremely pleasing."

Kevin Stuckey, Director of Commercial Services, University of Kent, commented:

"We are delighted to win CUBO 'Commercial University of the Year' 2018 award. The combination of the excellent offering and on-going investment across our Commercial Services portfolio - Kent Hospitality, Kent Sport, Gulbenkian and University of Kent Music – are key to our success.

This important accolade is first and foremost a great credit to our highly dedicated staff, who work so hard to provide all our students, staff and visitors with consistently high standards of service and experience – so I thank each and every one of them.”

Marc Goodman, Business Development Manager, Solent University, said:

"We are extremely pleased to have won the Business Team of the Year Award for 2018. It is a direct result of all the hard work undertaken by the team at Solent and the focus on innovative event management, creating unique experiences and exceptional customer service.”

CUBO thanks the winners, nominees and all entrants who took the time to send in entries and share examples of their excellent work. Gillian Almond, Director of Commercial Services at Royal Holloway and Chair of the CUBO Awards, expressed her gratitude:

“Once again, the awards are a showcase for the exceptional work and dedication of colleagues across the sector. All categories received a high number of outstanding entries with the bar being raised ever higher each year. The award winners should be proud of their achievement in demonstrating their commitment to supporting outstanding service and the student experience. It was a pleasure and a privilege to be involved and I look forward to seeing how next year’s awards will raise the bar even higher”.

This year’s Awards Ceremony took place on 27 June at the Business School of Manchester Metropolitan University, with actor and presenter Ted Robbins as Master of Ceremonies. The Awards form part of CUBO’s annual three-day Summer Conference, this year exploring the theme Universities Challenged: Building Business Agility in an Uncertain World.