We were fortunate enough last week to be surrounded by friends of Consalia at The Wharf in Teddington as we celebrated some of our most outstanding master's graduates at the second Peter Critten Award.
The award was established in honour of the life and legacy of Dr Peter Critten, who contributed so much to both Consalia and our learners. Peter was a true believer in the power of combining academic learning with professional practice, and we continue to live by his ideals every day.
We believe he would be immensely proud to see the incredible successes of this year's award winners.
Graduates of our master's qualification are eligible to make a submission for The Peter Critten Award, which is given to those who have demonstrated the amazing impact the programme has had on both themselves and their organisations. Submissions take the form of a 3,000-word project as well as a 20-minute interview - so you can see how seriously both the judges and the candidates take the award!
After a drinks reception and welcome speech from Dr Louise Sutton we sat down for a delicious dinner before launching into the first awards of the night.
Heartfelt congratulations to David Bernie, Branch Manager at MKE Engineering Group, Caroline Williams, Strategic Account Director at The Access Group, and Nick Rose, Sales Director at Sharp UK, for everything they've achieved!
We then had some honorary awards to give to both Paul Devlin, COO at Causeway Technologies, and our very own Academy Director Dr Louise Sutton (she had no idea until the night!).
Both of these individuals live and breathe Dr Peter Critten's philosophy, and their acknowledgement at the ceremony was well deserved. Bravo!
Last but certainly not least was Gavin Coull, Service Sales Manager at SKF Group, whose entry not only received a Peter Critten Award but was also voted "outstanding" by the judges. Given their extremely rigorous standards this is an fantastic achievement!
Finally Dr Kate Maguire closed out proceedings with a moving speech on Plato's Garden and how we can all take the role of "gardener" in nurturing discussion and education. Dr Maguire was a long-time friend and colleague of Peter Critten and it was wonderful to hear her continue to evangelise for everything he stood for.
Once the awards were done and puddings were consumed it was time for everyone to head home after a magical evening. We'd like to thank everyone for coming, especially our brilliant award-winners, and look forward to seeing lots of you at the next Peter Critten Award ceremony!