Congratulations! Celebrating our undergraduate class of 2026

Graduates from the Management School celebrated their achievements in style on 23 July at the University’s prestigious Firth Hall.

This year’s event marked a memorable milestone, as for the first time, the entire Management School graduating cohort was invited to gather under one roof to celebrate their hard work and success.

A warm welcome

The event began with a lively reception as new graduates, their families and friends, and Management School staff gathered to join in the celebrations over sparkling drinks and a traditional sweet treat - scones with jam and cream!

Once guests were settled, Professor Eleanor Davies, the newly appointed Dean of the Management School, officially opened the event. Eleanor shared her congratulations to all those graduating and extended her thanks to their families and friends for supporting them on their journeys throughout their time at Sheffield.

Guests then heard from guest speaker, Sanjay Parekh, Member of the Management School Advisory Board and alumnus (BA Business Studies, 1992).

Sanjay shared valuable lessons from his career as a tech entrepreneur and business leader, encouraging the new graduates to embrace adaptability, resilience, and lifelong learning as they step into the next chapter of their careers.

Awards and prizes

The formal presentations began with the Dean’s List, recognising students’ exceptional impact and development in social responsibility and employability. This year, eight winners were welcomed to the stage by the Dean, who shared highlights of just some of their impressive achievements during their time at Sheffield:

Ariel Arnau Habed Saballos
Iris Kirkland
Syarifah Qistina Balqis Anuwar
Chloe Wincott
Samuel Falek
Martin Forsythe
Sherry Tahoon
Iman Binti Irwin

Next, Dr Melanie Hassett, Associate Dean for Education presented University and sponsored prizes winners:

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Prize was awarded to Stephen Lin for the best overall performance in Marketing
The Idris Hicks Memorial Prize was awarded to Farah Lydia Binti for the best performance at level 2 in Accounting and Financial Management modules
The Mary Bowerman Memorial Prize was awarded to Samuel Carter for the best overall performance in Accounting and Financial Management

Melanie concluded the presentation by presenting the Top Performer awards to Samuel Carter, Siavash Mahmoud Poor, Martin Forsythe and Ryan Holmes, each for the best overall performance on their respective programmes.

Good luck for the future!

The evening ended with guests and their families enjoying drinks and photo opportunities with each other and staff at Firth Hall.

Congratulations and thank you to all our Prize Winners and the class of 2026! A special thanks to our sponsors, guest speakers and presenters, family and friends for making this such a special celebration.