UCLan professor wins second European entrepreneurship award

A University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) professor has won a European entrepreneurial award for the second consecutive year.

Ahmed Onsy, professor of mechatronics and intelligent systems engineering and associate dean of the School of Engineering and Computing for Business Development and Partnerships, won the Male Entrepreneurial Leader of the Year Award at the 2023 ACEEU European Triple E Awards in Higher Education.

After winning the People’s Choice award in the same category last year, this year he claimed the top prize in a category which recognises outstanding leadership performance in the development of an institution’s entrepreneurial profile.

Prof Onsy, who was recognised for his diamond leadership model which has brought multi-faceted entrepreneurial leadership to higher education, said: "During the past 30 years of my career in HE and industry, my aim has always been to develop people within education, scientific research and industry and serve society, at local and international level with UCLan, with the aim of achieving a better future for our children and our communities.”

His holistic leadership model combines visionary and coaching approaches to support young leaders and people.

He said: “I use the visionary approach with long-term goals, so the team members engage with these goals at different levels with different roles, while I use the coaching approach to create a positive supportive environment with devoted time to support staff in achieving the key performance indicators.

“Many examples of how I've successfully utilised the Diamond leadership model, include growing school recruitment, gaining places on Industrial Advisory Boards, securing £2m for externally funded for staff and student exchange worldwide projects and developed engineering clubs.”

The Triple E Awards, which are organised by the Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurial and Engaged Universities (ACEEU), took place in Barcelona and were open to all higher education institutions in the European region. They are a global recognition of efforts towards the quest for entrepreneurship and engagement in higher education.