University of Bradford business graduate Sonya Byrne has been shortlisted for a top award after developing a concept to sell virtual copies of her own fashion creations.
Sonya, from Bradford, who enrolled on the School of Management’s Executive MBA in 2020, designed non-fungible tokens to go alongside bespoke women’s fashion items, which she also created.
The concept formed part of her end-of-year project and garnered a score of over 90% – and now her efforts have also been recognised by Masters in business accreditation body AMBA, which has shortlisted her for its MBA Student of the Year Award 2024.
Judges praised her “exceptional entry” and invited her to attend the final at Park Plaza London Riverbank Hotel, next January.
Sonya spent 15 years working for some of the biggest names in fashion – including Inditex, Miroglio and BESTSELLER – before starting her own business, Avie-studio.com, with husband Liam.
She said: “I’m thrilled to have been shortlisted for the AMBA Student of the Year Awards. It is a prestigious award from an organisation that is globally recognised; and of course, Bradford’s School of Management is AMBA-accredited.
“Completing my MBA at Bradford has been one of the best things I have ever done. I have already worked in industry and overcome many challenges, but what the MBA did was give me the tools, and a formal language to better understand some of those processes and management tools.”
