A student from Vietnam has been awarded the prestigious British Council Chevening Scholarships to undertake a postgraduate degree at the ICMA Centre for the 2009/10 academic year. The award has been jointly funded by the University of Reading, and will cover 50% of the course fees which will be provided by the ICMA Centre.  Mr Hung will be studying MSc Corporate Finance at the ICMA Centre.

Chevening Scholarships are prestigious awards which enable overseas students to study in the United Kingdom.  The Scholarships are offered in over 130 countries and enable talented graduates to develop strong links with the UK and with other schlolars in a global network.

Candidates are selected by the British Embassy/British High Commission and the scheme is managed by the British Council, on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Richard Homer, Political Officer at the British Embassy in Hanoi, stated:

“This really is excellent news and I wanted to pass on my thanks on behalf of the British Embassy in Hanoi and Mr Hung. We are all extremely grateful for your support for the Chevening programme in Vietnam.”

For more information on the other Scholarships that the ICMA offers, please visit http://www.icmacentre.ac.uk/msc_scholarships_and_prizes

Two of the ICMA Centre’s high flying students received the ICMA Centres’ Academic Achievement Award for the highest academic results for each of the MSc and BSc years.

Satchit Sagade, who graduated with Distinction from the MSc International Securities, Investment and Banking, and Daniel Osborn on the BSc International Securities and Investment Banking, both received the £500 prize for achieving the highest grades for their corresponding degrees.

There was also an added reason for celebration and recognition as Satchit not only gained the highest grade out of all those in his year, but also the highest ever seen on record from an ICMA Centre MSc student.

Satchit said of his winning the award ?I am really delighted to receive this award. I have thoroughly enjoyed the past 9 months at the ICMA Centre and I think coming here for my MSc has been one of the best decisions of my life. I would like to thank all the professors, researchers and the support staff for this.”

The pair were awarded the prizes at the ICMA Centre’s Graduation on 2^nd July 2009.

Photograph: Satchit Sagade with Professor John Board

Champagne and Celebration was the order of the day, as the ICMA Centre celebrated the success of its students in style. Students graduated at the ceremony on 2 July in the Great Hall at the University’s London Road Campus. Prior to the event, graduating students and their guests were invited to the ICMA Centre for a champagne reception.

One exceptional student was awarded a special prize at the reception; Adeola Deji-Olowe, (pictured above) who graduated with a Distinction in the MSc International Securities, Investment and Banking was presented with the ?Vetiva Prize’ by Professor John Board, Director of the ICMA Centre.

Vetiva – an investment banking boutique in Nigeria, – award this prize annually to the highest achieving African MSc student at the ICMA Centre. The prize includes the award of £1000, as well as the opportunity to work at Vetiva and other investment banking firms in Nigeria.