TUS graduate and former Longford secondary school student wins prestigious marketing award

Molly Carleton, from Tarmonbarry, Co. Roscommon, was announced as the Lepere Elevate Award winner at the Marketing Society of Ireland’s Research Excellence Awards at the Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin, for her final-year Live Digital Marketing Capstone Project with DNG McGill.

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The Capstone initiative connects final-year digital marketing students from TUS’s Athlone campus with industry partners, giving students invaluable hands-on experience while delivering impactful digital marketing solutions for participating organisations.

Under the mentorship of Senior Lecturer Louise Murray and Lecturer Tom O’Donoghue, students design and implement tailored strategies aligned to each company’s commercial goals.

Molly – a past second-level student of Meán Scoil Mhuire in County Longford - received a €1,000 cash prize, while lecturer Louise Murray, who submitted the case study on Molly’s behalf, received a €500 prize.

Speaking after receiving the award, Molly Carleton said:

“I’m honoured and so delighted to have won the Lepere Elevate Award presented by the Marketing Society of Ireland. This award, honouring the late John Lepere, recognises academic excellence in marketing and celebrates future leaders in the industry.

I’m proud to be the first student from Technological University of the Shannon to win this award. It’s a testament to the incredible digital marketing programme at TUS and the support of the Faculty of Business and Hospitality.

“A special thank you to my lecturer, Louise Murray, for leading the live digital capstone project and for her support throughout this application. Your encouragement meant so much. Thank you also to the team at DNG McGill for trusting my strategic vision — your participation was integral to the project’s success.”

Molly said the experience has been “the highlight of my academic and professional career so far,” adding that she left the ceremony “inspired and excited for what comes next.”

Senior Lecturer Louise Murray described the award as one of the proudest moments of her teaching career:

“Watching Molly accept the Lepere Elevate Award in the Shelbourne was an incredibly proud moment. She stood out among strong undergraduate and postgraduate entries from universities across Ireland, demonstrating true academic excellence in marketing.

Our live digital capstone projects have grown tremendously over the past eight years. To see one of our students recognised by the Marketing Society of Ireland in this way is a powerful endorsement of our industry-led approach. While it is not the first award our students have won, this one is particularly special.”

“Molly is a wonderful ambassador for TUS and for her family. She epitomises what hard work, passion and focus can achieve, and she is also a genuinely great human being. We are so proud to have played a part in what will undoubtedly be a long and successful career.”

Murray also thanked the Marketing Society of Ireland, the Lepere judging panel, and colleagues across TUS who supported the submission.

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The Lepere Elevate Award invites final-year undergraduate and postgraduate marketing students to showcase their applied research projects to address real-world challenges faced by commercial, social, and charitable organisations.

The award recognises the role of rigorous market research in shaping successful marketing strategies and is regarded as a national celebration of academic excellence and industry-ready talent.