The 2014 Appleby Academy title has been awarded to Matthew Davies following an inspiring final.

Matthew, a Year 12 student at Queen Elizabeth II High School in Peel, was selected as winner by a panel of four judges for his presentation on Human Resources, focusing on integration and staff morale. The high quality of the presentations by Matthew and his fellow finalists, Rebecca Nathan (QEII) and Bronte Swaby (St Ninian’s High School), ensured the judges had a tough job choosing the victor.

The Appleby Academy, in partnership with Junior Achievement Isle of Man, aims to give sixth form students in the Isle of Man real life experience of working with an international organisation. With the help of an Appleby mentor, students from the Island’s high schools present their ideas on how they would meet a particular business challenge for the chance to win a paid summer placement at Appleby.

Each finalist delivered a 10 minute presentation on their business solution and took questions from the panel of judges, comprised of Della Fletcher, Director of the Crown and External Relations at the Cabinet Office, Isle of Man Advertising & PR Managing Director Helen Summerscales, John Danielson, Advisory Lead at Crowe Clark Whitehill, and Sean Dowling, Managing Partner of Appleby (Isle of Man) LLC.

After lengthy deliberation, the judges announced Matthew had secured the 2014 title.

Sean said: “On behalf of Appleby, I would like to congratulate all of the students who took part in this, the third year of the Appleby Academy. It is challenging to stand up and present a solution to an audience, but the students did remarkably well.

‘It is never easy selecting the winner, and this year the competition was closer than ever. The panel concluded, after much discussion, that Matthew had shown great confidence and judgment in his approach and we look forward to welcoming him to the firm next summer to begin his work placement.”

Junior Achievement Chief Executive Sue Cook said: “It is extremely important that if young people want to secure employment when they leave education that they combine work experience with study. Participating in the Appleby Academy gives students the opportunity to develop skills valued by employers.”

She added: “Junior Achievement is extremely grateful for the continued support of Appleby and their staff.”

Photo - from left, Sue Cook, Matthew Davies and Sean Dowling.