College Marketing Manager Scoops Top National Award

Kate Bishop, Marketing Manager at Southgate College in North London was awarded the FE Marketing Professional of the Year Award.

The College Marketing Network's FE First Awards are now well established as the sector's annual opportunity to celebrate marketing best practice.

They showcase the excellent and imaginative work that is being achieved in further education colleges across the UK.

The Award Ceremony was held at the Hilton Hotel, Warwick on Monday 24th November and was presided over by Chris Hughes CBE (pictured, with Kate), Chair of the Learning and Skills Network.

Chris said that Kate was selected for the prestigious award, despite the fact that she started at the College (her first job in FE) just last year. Kate came to the College from the commercial sector and brought with her clarity of focus, achieving excellent results through determination, marketing skills which are second-to-none, and an ability to motivate both her team and staff throughout the College. She came to the College with a clear goal to fully engage with marketing activities to recruit excellent students to targeted volumes.

Kate's innovative ideas and expertise have given us a fresh new image, increased the profile of the College, attracted record numbers of visitors to Open Days and contributed to increased numbers of applications.

Southgate College's Director of Business Development, Hilary Robinson, who attended the ceremony with Kate, said 'Kate winning the top national award for best Marketing Professional was excellent news and well deserved, particularly for the exciting events she has organised at the college. Olympic Kayak Gold medal winner Tim Brabants and Martin Doel, Chairman of the Association of Colleges, both presenters at the College's recent annual student award ceremony, said that the Winter Wonderland themed event was the best they'd ever attended, a view shared by staff, award winners and their families.'