Rosemary Leach MBE
Rosemary Leach, Principal Lecturer and Lead for Employability and Industry Engagement within the Academy of Sport and Physical Activity at Sheffield Hallam University, has been awarded an MBE for services to education. Rosemary single-handedly secured work placements for her students at some of the world’s most high profile sporting events including the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Following these successes, Rosemary managed to secure a unique agreement with the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Organising Committee which enabled 30 undergraduate sport students to attend the event and volunteer in the press operations team.
Since then there have been Hallam students involved in the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, the 2015 Rugby World Cup and the 2016 and 2017 London Marathons. Students were also involved in the World ParaAthletics Championships and the IAAF World Championships in the summer of 2017.
Looking to the future, Rosemary is currently working on a programme to take a group of 20 students to the Gold Coast (Australia) Commonwealth Games taking place in April 2018, as well as students again supporting this year’s London Marathon.
Rosemary says that the reason she engages students in these major events is to provide them with a unique learning environment and career building opportunities. Involvement offers students the chance to develop new ideas and approaches that enables them to be effective and efficient in both their studies and professional development. They make some really important contacts and a significant number have gone on to gain really impressive jobs with some of the major sport organisations.
It’s great to get a bit of recognition but I couldn’t have received this (award) without the strength of our students.
Former Dean of the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, Professor Karen Bryan, was awarded an OBE for services to higher education. Professor Bryan, a speech and language therapist, led the faculty for more than four years before leaving to take up the role of Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Greenwich last month.
Finally, visiting Professor at Hallam, Hilary Chapman, and chief nurse at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, receives a damehood for services to nursing.
Huge congratulations from all of us at Sheffield Hallam!
