UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 18 AUGUST 2015
Thomas O’Connell is the 2015 winner of Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) Midlands Student of the Year and joins an illustrious list of Birmingham City University Media and Communications (Public Relations) graduates who have been awarded this prestigious accolade.
The University is celebrating setting a record for students winning the CIPR Midlands Student of the Year every year from 2006 to 2015, which is the first time that an organisation has won the same CIPR award ten times in a row.
24 year old Tom impressed CIPR judges with his successful PR campaign work with the testicular cancer charity Balls To Cancer. During April, Testicular Cancer Awareness Month, the charity was working hard to push awareness of cancer with the #RealityCheck campaign. Tom was part of the team working with TV reality stars to generate massive media coverage and secured column inches in The Sun, Daily Mail and OK magazine.
Congratulating Tom on his success, his tutor and PR Course Director, Dr Pete Wilby sees the award as a result of Tom making the most of the opportunities that the course provides. Pete says: “We work closely with the industry to ensure that our PR students build up the relevant skills and knowledge to graduate as professionals. Tom’s passion for the subject developed not just in the classroom but also through work experience and regular contact with journalists and PR practitioners.
Tom added: “What sets the Birmingham City University Media and Communications degree course apart from the others is the confidence staff have in their students - the opportunity to devise and implement my own campaign with a real client is something that has truly impressed employers.”
Tom is now working as an Account Executive for The Bright Consultancy in Birmingham and follows a succession of Birmingham City University graduates and CIPR Midlands Student of the Year winners who are now successfully carving out their PR careers in companies including Vodafone UK and the Red Consultancy.