Originally published 2 February 2004

Tim Sullivan, a student from the Warwick Institute of Mathematics, was among 50 top students from Europe and the Middle East who gathered at Hursley Lab in the UK for a three-day recognition event hosted by IBM EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa).

The event was part of IBM's core goals of searching and celebrating the best, and recognising achievement.

“He was recommended by his tutors as an outstanding student and we were very pleased to have a representative from the University of Warwick. There were 7 UK students - one from each top university including Oxford and Cambridge,” said Yvonne Billingsley, IBM Campus Relationships Manager at the University of Warwick.

Tim, along with the other talented students, was treated to at taste of the high life, beginning with a luxurious meal and 2 nights stay at the Botley Park Hotel, hosted by IBM UK's General Manager, Larry Hirst.

This was followed by a visit to IBM’s Software Development Laboratory at Hursley where he gained a unique introduction to upcoming technologies, latest developments, and a taste of what it's like to work for IBM from a rich menu of IBM speakers from across the world. The event culminated with an experience of London life with a trip to London Eye and lunch at Covent Garden.

According to Tim:

“The experience was a little hectic and non-stop, but very exciting. It was great fun to be with so many people from different countries. One of the most important things I learned was the IBM ethos, or at least the aspects of it that were on show. The company's interest in the event was clearly visible from the number of senior IBMers present; the choice of personal responsibility as a core value was one that struck home with me.”