University of Derby takes top honour at the Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards

By Sarah Cunnane

The spirit of #loveHE was displayed in abundance in Mayfair last night as an awards ceremony showcased the best in administrative excellence in the sector.

The second annual Times Higher Education Leadership and Management Awards (Thelmas) saw the University of Derby pick up the top accolade for Outstanding Leadership and Management Team. Derby’s triumph was witnessed by more than 1,000 people who gathered at the Grosvenor House Hotel for the awards, held in association with the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education and supported by the Joint Information Systems Committee.

Other winners included the University of Exeter, which picked up two awards for Outstanding Marketing and Communications Team and Outstanding University Fundraising Team; Lancaster University, which won Finance Team of the Year; and the University of Leicester’s School of Museum Studies, which took home the Outstanding Departmental Administration Team award.

The University of Greenwich was the victor in the Outstanding International Strategy category, while The Open University picked up the award for ICT Initiative of the Year.

The awards are separate from the annual Times Higher Education Awards for academic achievements held in the autumn. The accomplishments showcased at the Thelmas have helped to bolster THE’s #loveHE campaign championing the glories of UK higher education.

The ceremony coincided with Universities Week, which is being run by Universities UK to highlight the “unsung success stories” of the sector.

Ann Mroz, editor of Times Higher Education, said she hoped the awards had played a role in highlighting the excellent work being done in Britain’s universities.

“The UK’s academics are rightly feted as some of the most creative and innovative in the world. But universities in this country are also host to many hard-working and equally brilliant administrators working behind the scenes to ensure that our sector remains world-class. That is what we aim to recognise at the Thelmas,” she said.

After the awards, a charity casino was held in aid of the charity Recourse, which offers support to higher education staff facing problems at home or at work.

A full list of winners can be found at www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/lmawards

sarah.cunnane@tsleducation.com