After a busy day of insights, discussion, and connection, it was time to celebrate. Stephen Beaumont, Flywire’s Head of Sales, UK & IE, Education, and Tom Wilmot, Director, Global Expansion, Education, once again stepped up to the plate to host our Annual Awards Ceremony, which recognised 11 U.K. institutions and professionals for their efforts and achievements throughout the past year.
Commenting on the awards, Flywire’s SVP of Education, EMEA Simon Read said, “the institutions and individuals recognised in the 2026 awards have made great strides this year, driving change that has helped improve resilience in a challenging environment. They do this to no fanfare, so it is only right that we celebrate their achievements tonight.”
Here are the deserving winners for 2026:
eStore Excellence Award - Lancaster University
Lancaster University helped spearhead development of the Flywire eStore after they identified a significant hurdle for their on-site contractors – difficulty in claiming purchases made with corporate expense cards.
This initiative dramatically improved the experience for corporate expense card users worldwide, demonstrating that a willingness to listen to all payers, not just students, can have a profound and far-reaching positive impact.
Best Individual Newcomer Award - Chris McDermott, University of Greenwich
University of Greenwich Financial Controller Chris McDermott exemplifies the collaborative spirit within the U.K. higher education sector. In his role as project manager for the university’s implementation of Flywire’s Student Financial Software (SFS), Chris McDermott’s collaborative leadership secured full stakeholder engagement and buy-in, including from the IT department. Flywire’s Ellucian Banner integration broke new ground to enable multi-account ledgers in SFS and allow payment plans for both tuition and accommodation payments, all functionality requirements were tested end-to-end, and the project was delivered on-time. The success of McDermott’s approach has been clear: over 10,000 students have completed payment plans since go-live, and the positive impact of SFS has been reported within the university’s mental health charter assessment.
Payment Security Award - University of Kent
The University of Kent team have made significant strides in achieving ongoing PCI DSS compliance, meeting acquirer obligations and making payment security a part of their regular business practices. Despite competing priorities, they have successfully reduced the scope of their payment environment by migrating key payments to Flywire and adopting a strategy of outsourcing payments to trusted third parties. Throughout, they have demonstrated resilience, teamwork and commitment that positively impacted the outcome.
Best Practice Leader Award - Nick Brierley, University of Lancashire
Nick Brierley is always focused on continuous improvement, and consistently looks for ways to strengthen the University’s outlook through smarter processes and innovation. In embracing Flywire best practice advice, and deploying a number of direct Flywire integrations, Nick has delivered measurable operational benefits while enhancing the end-to-end payer experience for the University of Lancashire.
Integration Excellence Award - University of Hertfordshire
The University of Hertfordshire is a shining example of implementation best practice. In working with Flywire to transition all student income, including domestic payments, to Flywire, they built a transformative solution involving a critical two-way data exchange for multiple cohorted students using recurring payments.
While the project was not easy or straightforward, the IT, finance and student experience teams collaborated closely to complete the project.
Payer Journey Innovation Award - University of Strathclyde
The University of Strathclyde is a strong example of payer journey transformation, consistently focusing on continuous improvement and seeking ways to strengthen the university's outlook through smarter processes and innovation. The team at Strathclyde have shown outstanding leadership to drive meaningful change.
They have embraced Flywire best practice guidance, deploying a number of direct Flywire integrations to deliver measurable operational benefits—improving internal efficiency and reducing external costs—while enhancing the payer experience significantly.
New Product Collaboration Award - Kingston University, London & University of Oxford
Kingston University, London, and the University of Oxford were clear winners of this new category for 2026, having been vital development partners for the U.K. launch of Flywire’s Financial Aid Disbursement solution. The successful launch of this product highlights the crucial role of client collaboration in product development.
Both institutions dedicated their time and expertise, offering valuable insights that helped simplify complex issues and ensured Flywire could effectively address the challenges U.K. institutions face with U.S. loan disbursements.
Process Improvement Award - University of Edinburgh
By embedding sustainable improvements across systems, processes, and communications, the team at the University of Edinburgh has delivered measurable impact and lasting value.
Following a comprehensive review of internal processes, they successfully integrated Flywire within Tribal SITS, creating a more streamlined and reliable payment journey while reducing manual intervention and associated external costs. Alongside system improvements, a thorough review of their webpages and student communications ensured clearer guidance, improved accessibility, and a more user-focused experience. These changes have empowered staff, boosted efficiency and provided clarity and confidence to students and payers throughout the payment process.
Process Innovation Award - University of Hertfordshire
This year, the University of Hertfordshire undertook a major project to completely redesign their payment strategy and the student/payer experience after recognising the opportunity for improvement.
Not only were they committed to revolutionary change but they also made one major pivot, and a couple of minor ones, part way through the project to implement further improvements identified as the project progressed. These pivots were made collaboratively, demonstrating the University’s commitment to excellence, and continuous improvement.
Trailblazer Award - Jamie Warner, Goldsmiths, University of London
The combination of bold thinking, early adopter energy, and genuine impact makes Goldsmith’s Jamie Warner a genuine trailblazer. His strength lies in the ability to distill complex and overwhelming issues—such as regulation changes, shifts in student expectations, or operational challenges—so others in the U.K. higher education sector can make sense of them and take action.
He openly shares his insights, explores new ideas and asks thoughtful questions to spark conversations and provide new perspectives. In doing so Jamie Warner has helped many in the sector make stronger decisions and feel more confident tackling difficult challenges.
Outstanding Contribution Award - Chris Billington, Kingston University
With his extensive experience managing continuous improvement projects at Kingston University, London, Chris Billington generously extends his time, expertise and leadership to support the U.K. higher education sector. He is a valued member of the Flywire Advisory Board and a regular speaker at Flywire conferences. He is also a keen adopter of Flywire solutions and best practice recommendations. But crucially, his active participation in the development of Flywire solutions benefits the wider sector significantly.
In the past few years, under his leadership, Kingston University has been a development partner, refining Flywire’s Student Financial Software and Financial Aid Disbursement solutions to best meet the needs of the U.K. higher education sector.