21 June, 2024

Hichem Birem, an Engagement Intern at Accenture has been selected as MTU Marketing Intern of the Year, with Sophie O’Keeffe, Sales and Marketing Intern at The Montonette Hotel a close runner up.

Each January, almost 90 students from the department of Marketing and International Business embark on industry placements, gaining hands-on experience and invaluable insights into the marketing field. The MTU Marketing Intern of the Year award is a testament to the dedication, hard work and initiative displayed by these students.

In Hichem's role he collaborated on the service design for workshops to be delivered to industry clients, was involved in the setup of various events for Accenture employees and facilitated workshops to C-suite employees from various client organisations. 

Hichem, Sophie and finalists Michelle Butler, Marketing Intern at Keary’s Motor Group and Stephen Riordan, Loyalty Intern at Musgrave were interviewed by judges Kelly Derby, Early in Careers Recruiter at NetApp and Ezara Ahern Easter, Chair of the Marketing Institute of Ireland (MII) Cork Branch and Senior PR Manager at Hopkins Communications.

Speaking at the event Kelly said “NetApp were delighted to sponsor the 2024 Marketing Intern of the Year award at MTU. With international headquarters in Cork City and a growing intern program, seeing the calibre of interns from this program was an invaluable experience. It was an honour to speak with the 4 exceptional finalists about the impact they’ve had in each of their internships Based on conversation and employer feedback, it was evident that both Hichem and Sophie went above and beyond to support their teams, learn new skills, and demonstrate leadership capabilities. We look forward to seeing what amazing things they will do in the future!”

Ezara commented on the MTU's Intern of the Year finalists with high praise, saying "Speaking to the finalists for MTU's Intern of the Year was nothing short of inspirational, and it was clear why they had received this nomination. Choosing a winner was very difficult - each one of them demonstrated how much they developed in their internship, and the value they added to the respective organisations, who I think were very lucky to have them. They should be incredibly proud of this professional recognition outside of the classroom. They have bright futures ahead of them.”

Katie Power, Head of Department, Marketing and International Business at MTU, expressed her pride in all the finalists, saying, “It is both rewarding and exciting to see our Marketing students blossom while on internship with industry partners.  I am proud of all the 2024 Marketing Interns, and I know they will go from strength to strength in their studies and careers.  Congratulations to the four finalists Hichem, Michelle, Sophie and Stephen.  Thanks to the esteemed judges, Ezara and Kelly for their time and commitment in meeting the finalists and ultimately choosing Hichem as the winner.  This recognition highlights the talent and hard work of our Marketing students.”

First prize was generously sponsored by NetApp and second prize was kindly sponsored by Hopkins Communications.

To find out more about the MTU Marketing Industry Placement Programme or to offer an opportunity to an intern, you can contact mibcork@mtu.ie