Business School students win Marsden Prizes

Two recent graduates of Nottingham University Business School have each won a Marsden Prize for their exceptional academic achievements alongside outstanding character, conduct, and contributions to the university community.

Both Matthew Thompson (BSc Management with Placement Year) and Kovid Shiromany (BSc Industrial Economics) graduated in July 2025 and are among only eight winners from across the University of Nottingham of the prestigious Elizabeth and J D Marsden Prize.

Founded in 1953, the Marsden Prize is a legacy given to the university by Joseph Derbyshire Marsden of Nottingham, intended to “provide pecuniary help to students on leaving the university to enter upon their life’s work.” The university awards these prizes to students judged as the best students of the year, both in their academic performance and activities during their university career.

About the Marsden award winners:

Kovid Shiromany - BSc Industrial Economics

Among his many accomplishments at Nottingham, Kovid took part in arts and crafts events at his hall of residence that fostered a welcoming and inclusive environment for new students. In his final two years at university, he chaired three student-staff forums, effectively conveying student feedback and advocating for improvements to academic practices. His efforts led to meaningful changes, including the removal of an outdated course that no longer served student needs.

In both his second and third year, Kovid took the lead in organising the annual cricket match between Business School staff and undergraduate students, serving as vice-captain of the student team. Kovid managed to involve students from a variety of degree programmes and years, helping to foster cross-community engagement and school spirit. In his final year, he competed in Intramural Sport (IMS) football matches and contributed to an impressive unbeaten season for his team during the 2024/25 academic year.

Alongside his studies, Kovid also worked as a research associate, supervised by Professor Stephen Timmons, where he conducted economic analyses on the cost-effectiveness of NHS nursing and midwifery retention initiatives. This role involved the application of advanced econometric techniques to real-world NHS data, contributing valuable insights into the economic viability of national healthcare workforce interventions.

Kovid impressed academic staff with his rapid understanding of the complexities of the NHS, and how economics can usefully be applied to real world problems, even when the data available is less than perfect.

Inspired by his studies at Nottingham, Kovid will be starting an MSc in Behavioural Science at the London School of Economics. He has a strong academic interest in understanding moral inconsistencies in consumer behaviour and is particularly focused on how behavioural economics can inform public policy to promote more ethical and sustainable decision-making.

Matthew Thompson - BSc Management with Placement Year

Matthew joined Nottingham as a Tecnifibre-sponsored elite student athlete and has proudly represented the University of Nottingham squash team with outstanding commitment and professionalism. As a member of the first team competing in the BUCS Premier League Division - the highest level of university squash in the UK - he has demonstrated athleticism, discipline, and sportsmanship. In his role as Marketing Director for the university squash club, Matthew transformed the club through strategic promotion and compelling digital content. He significantly increased student participation, helping the club grow into the largest university squash club in the UK.

Throughout his time at Nottingham, Matthew demonstrated his exceptional commitment to improving campus life as well as community work that has had genuine social impact within Nottingham.

He became President of the Enactus Nottingham team and was a core member of the team that placed in the global top four for Enactus projects and represented the university at the Enactus World Cup in Puerto Rico in 2022. He played a key role in supporting the transition of a local food bank from a student-run initiative into an established charity project. This now supports over 2,000 individuals in the Nottingham community by selling surplus food at significantly reduced prices through low-cost social supermarkets. His efforts have strengthened student-staff relationships and contributed to a more engaged and vibrant university environment.

He organised a group of twenty-five students to attend the national Enactus Expo in London, where they competed against over sixty university teams. Under his leadership, Enactus Nottingham placed in the top 25 and secured a prestigious Ford C3 grant of over £3,500. This funding supports the team's impactful work in developing a charter for inclusive employment, expanding their reverse careers fair model - which this year reached 130 pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) across 13 schools - and creating an open-source toolkit to provide pathways into employment for these pupils. With fewer than 5% of SEND pupils entering employment post-graduation, Matthew’s contributions are helping address a critical issue with practical, scalable solutions.

Both students have demonstrated exceptional dedication to volunteering, social impact, civic responsibility, and compassion that the university aims to instil in all its students.

Find out more information about studying for an undergraduate degree at Nottingham University Business School by visiting our undergraduate programme page.