From classroom to career: celebrating placement success at Cardiff Business School
14 April 2026
On Thursday 19 March 2026, Cardiff Business School hosted their annual Undergraduate Placement Awards, dedicated to celebrating the incredible achievements of our placement students.
Each year, the Cardiff Business School Placement Awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of students who have contributed to the success of businesses locally, nationally and globally. The event recognises the dedication, professionalism, and impact of students on placement, as well as the invaluable support provided by partner employers.
Bringing together over 45 talented students and 9 employers, the evening was a testament to their dedication, hard work, and the meaningful impact they have made in their respective placements.
We are exceptionally proud of the way in which our Placement Students represent the Business School and wider university when undertaking an internship; the Placement Awards highlight the incredible feats these students achieve year upon year.
The Placement Team were delighted to receive an exceptional response to this year’s awards, with 51 students submitting applications that demonstrated the impactful, meaningful, and often transformative work they completed during their placements.
The standard was incredibly high, making shortlisting a challenging task; from this impressive group, 20 finalists were selected. On the evening, awards were presented to four outstanding winners, along with three highly commended students - each recognition thoroughly well deserved.
Award Categories
- Placement Student of the Year
- Winner – Joyce Li
- Highly Commended - Harriet Jones
- Best Contribution to an SME
- Winner - Eloise Hughes
- Highly Commended - Louie Bould
- Best Intern
- Winner - Benjamin Shaw
- Highly Commended - Toma Seronaite
- Cardiff Business School Special Recognition Award
- Winner - Kyle Fourie
Joyce Li, winner of Placement Student of the Year, said:
“It was an honour to receive the Placement Student of the Year Award!
My experience at Oracle allowed me to apply the knowledge I gained at university in a real world workplace setting, which has been invaluable to my personal and professional development.
The transferrable skills I gained, network I built, and the experience of working within a global company have given me the confidence and skills I need to transition into the world of work after graduating.”
Eloise Hughes, winner of Best Contribution to an SME category said:
“I am super grateful to the Business School and proud of myself for winning Best Contribution to an SME 2024/25. This award is a reflection of my whole years' experience where I was wonderfully supported both by my amazing employer and CARBS awesome Placement Team.
Going on placement has allowed me to consolidate my professional skills, establish a meaningful network and learn so much about myself in a workplace context – all of which have been invaluable as I look towards the start of my career.
I am especially thankful to the Placement Team for their unwavering support, not only while I was searching for a placement but throughout my entire year in industry; their guidance made a huge difference to my confidence as a entered the professional world.”
Benjamin Shaw, winner of Best Intern, said:
“I felt very honoured to receive Best Intern at the Cardiff Business School Placement Awards. It’s a good feeling and a reflection of the effort I’ve put in over the past year.
The support and guidance from both Pineshield and the business school have helped me maximise my development both professionally and personally during the experience.
The placement has given me a direction for my future career and a strong foundation to build on as I transition into a full-time role. I’m excited to build on what I’ve learned and keep growing moving forward.”
We extend our sincere thanks to all the businesses who attended and supported this year’s Placement Awards. Their continued partnership is invaluable in creating meaningful opportunities for our students, and we are grateful for the time, mentorship, and expertise you invest in them throughout their placements.
We would also like to give special recognition to our event sponsors; Hazlewoods, ICAEW, 7 Steel UK and Enterprise Mobility - whose contributions played a key role in making the evening possible. We look forward to continuing to work together to support the next generation of talent.
Carol Warburton, Group M&A Compliance Director at AZETS, said this on behalf of ICAEW:
ICAEW were delighted to sponsor the award for Best Intern. The standard of applications was extremely high and the winner, Benjamin Shaw and highly commended student, Toma Seronaite were just two of many excellent examples of successful internships celebrated that day.It was a privilege to present these awards but also to speak with some of the students who had undertaken internships. The experiences they shared with me were impressive and their passion for internships and Cardiff Business School noteworthy.We wish them all the very best for their upcoming graduations this year. We would be happy to see any of them undertake training towards the ICAEW ACA in the future!
Ryan Whitlock, Talent Acquisition Marketing Specialist at Enterprise Mobility, said this about the event:
We are always impressed by the skills and work ethic of placement students from Cardiff Business School. They arrive ready to learn and often provide innovative perspectives that help drive our business forward with many students securing careers with Enterprise Mobility following graduation.
All Cardiff Business School undergraduate degrees are available with the option of a professional placement year. Business Management (BSc) also offers the opportunity for students to complete an integrated placement in the spring semester of their second year.
Contact the Placements Team at Cardiff Business School for more information on the opportunities we offer.
