29th June 2009

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Chris Cupples, Stello so, Chris Halliday, Laura Tate, Leanne Leighton and Matthew Gray


A group of Ulster business students beat 29 other universities from across the UK to lift the Flux 2009 student enterprise trophy in Plymouth earlier this year. And today the six students who made up the team, receive their degrees at a ceremony on the University of Ulster’s Coleraine campus.

They are: Leanne Leighton, Matthew Gray, Laura Tate, Chris Halliday, Stello So and Chris Cupples from the Department of Business, Retail and Financial Services in the Ulster Business School at Coleraine.

FLUX is the UK's largest inter-university enterprise event, drawing the most talented teams together to compete against each other in a demanding business challenge.   

Ulster Business School academics – Dr Karise Hutchinson and Dr Emma Fleck – travelled with the team to Plymouth. 

Dr Hutchinson said: “We were absolutely thrilled to win – the competition was very tough and, considering this was the first time we entered, it’s a great achievement.” 

Dr Fleck explained: “The students came up with the idea of an online traveller’s social networking website. It was based around the idea that backpackers could stay abroad with residents in exchange for doing odd jobs.  

“Not only did the students have a very short space of time to come up with a viable idea and develop a business plan, but they also had to do a final pitch to 47 dragons and 200 students.” 

Professor Barry Quinn, Head of the Department of Business, Retail and Financial Services said: “In all of our courses we place a lot of emphasis on core skills such as enterprise, entrepreneurship, communication and team work, and so this was a great opportunity for the students to demonstrate these attributes in practice.     

“This achievement is a great endorsement of the abilities of our students in relation to their peers from other universities, and the efforts and expertise of the staff involved.” 

For further information, please contact:

Press Office, Department of Communication and Development
Tel: 028 9036 6178
Email: pressoffice@ulster.ac.uk