Students win project management challenge

The winning team, United for Impact, consisting of Chinmay Darji, Ignatia Manjong, Ifrah Abdi and Oluwafunmito Babatunde, impressed judges with their project, Give What You Can, an initiative designed to tackle student food insecurity.

The project brings together donation drives and the development of a Students’ Union food pantry, creating a sustainable and compassionate support system that encourages staff, students and the wider community to donate food and essential items to those in need. In doing so, the team demonstrated not only strong planning and delivery, but a clear focus on student wellbeing and social responsibility, aligning with key UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The APM Wessex Project Management Challenge brings together university and industry teams from across the region to apply professional project management principles to real-world issues. Teams are assessed on their ability to plan effectively, engage stakeholders, work collaboratively and deliver meaningful, measurable impact.

Dr Richard Gibbs, who supported the team, said: “We are incredibly proud of our students for this outstanding achievement. Winning the APM Wessex Project Management Challenge is a testament to their creativity, professionalism and commitment to using project management as a force for positive social impact. Their work reflects the applied, collaborative learning that sits at the heart of our MSc Project Management course.”

Reflecting on the experience, team leader Chinmay Darji said: “This challenge is not just about project management, it’s about learning, growing and celebrating what we can achieve together.” The team added that the project deepened their understanding of project management as a people-focused discipline, underlining the importance of empathy, collaboration and purposeful leadership in delivering meaningful change.

Andrea Faustino, Deputy Director of Education in the School of Business, Law and Society, said the success is a “hugely proud moment” for the University. “Chinmay, Ignatia, Ifrah and Oluwafunmito have shown exceptional professionalism, resilience and teamwork throughout the competition. Their achievement highlights the strength of our industry-focused teaching and the opportunities we provide for students to apply their skills in real-world settings.”

Following their success, the team will now go on to represent the region at the APM National Awards. Find out more about the courses available via Solent’s School of Business here.