Cambridge Judge MBA campaign wins Gold at Heist Awards

The award, which honours marketing excellence in the education sector, was presented on 10 July at the Royal Armouries in Leeds.

The winning campaign, Addressing Leadership Inequality, set a new benchmark for postgraduate recruitment by focusing not only on boosting application numbers but also on tackling persistent barriers to gender equity in business education. Sponsored by FindAUniversity, the Best Postgraduate Student Recruitment Campaign award celebrates innovation, impact, and measurable results in attracting top-tier students.

It's been said that gender equality is the unfinished business of the 21st century. Despite progress, we still face a persistent gender gap in leadership – only 35% of leadership roles are held by women. At Cambridge Judge we are actively working to close the gender gap – challenges such as pay disparity, biases in promotion, and the need for greater inclusivity – to recruit and inspire the next generation of female leaders to drive meaningful change in business and society. We are thrilled our work has been recognised by these prestigious awards.

Tracey Horn, Director of Corporate Communications and Marketing at Cambridge Judge and Executive Director of the Wo+Men’s Leadership Centre

A campaign with purpose

The goal was to increase the number of female MBA applicants and grow international diversity by delivering a multi-channel campaign that inspired, challenged and engaged global audiences. With its bold messaging and striking visuals, the success of this campaign reflects the synergy between Cambridge Judge’s vision for gender equity in leadership and student recruitment and Hunterlodge’s expertise in delivering audience-driven creative solutions.

We set out to create a campaign with real purpose – not just to drive numbers, but to challenge perceptions and encourage more women to see themselves as future business leaders. Winning this award is an honour, alongside the achievement of helping to shift the narrative and inspire the next generation of women to lead with confidence and impact.

Anne Chapman, Head of MBA Marketing & Communications

For over 30 years, the Heist Awards have been synonymous with excellence and innovation in education marketing. The awards are hosted by Havas Education, part of Havas People – one of the world’s most integrated, collaborative and meaningful communications groups, comprising over 20,000 people across 100 countries.