Alumni engagement and philanthropy



WINNERS OF GRADUATE 'GREEN ENERGY' PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION ANNOUNCED   Three giant wind turbines on a hill in a forest, with blue sky behind and - inset - images of competition winners Clare Rhine and Colin McNicholl

03 September 2021

The graduate winners in a special green energy photography competition – supported by GWA Supplies in Banbridge, County Down – have been announced.

The two recipients, who will each receive a pair of Bose noise cancelling Soundlink Headphones worth £200, are Clare Rhine (MBA, 2020) from Oregon, USA and Colin McNicholl (MEng Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, 1991) from North East Lincolnshire, England.

Queen’s alumni around the world were offered the chance to take part in the competition earlier this summer celebrating green energy, thanks to fellow alumnus Clifford McSpadden (BSc Aeronautical Engineering, 1985), Founder and CEO of GWA Supplies. The company is the market leader in providing innovative supply chain and maintenance solutions to the global wind energy industry, for over 10 years.

Offering his personal congratulations to the two winners, Clifford McSpadden from GWA Supplies said:

“Huge congratulations to Clare and Colin on winning this special competition.  

“GWA Supplies specialise in developing ways to help our clients – both on and off shore – around the world, improving efficiencies and allowing them to work safer, smarter and simpler.

“As the global wind energy industry continues to grow apace, so too does the requirement for innovative, value adding maintenance solutions for out of warranty turbines. Through our international expansion programme we are offering licensing opportunities to join our team, and be part of this fast growth industry.

“Competitions like this help to highlight the importance of wind energy. I hope Clare and Colin really do enjoy using the Bose headphones.”

Passing on his good wishes to the competition winners, Queen's Alumni Engagement Officer Andy Nisbet Friel said:

“Huge thanks to all our graduates who submitted photographs in our latest alumni competition, and a very special congratulations to our winners Clare and Colin.

“Competitions such as this are just one of the ways that the University’s Development and Alumni Relations Office maintains contact with over 140,000 Queen’s graduates around the world. We also issue regular alumni publications, organise events – online and (pre-Covid 19) in person – and engage online and via social media.

“We are hugely indebted to Clifford McSpadden and his team at GWA Supplies for leading the way in green energy and supporting us on this occasion.”

Clifford McSpadden was formerly General Manager at Bombardier and VP/MD at B/E Aerospace, before launching GWA Supplies in 2011. With a knowledge base of over 21,000 parts the company works with clients ranging from small onshore to large offshore wind farms covering Europe, as well as Australia and New Zealand and America.

As the business continues to grow internationally, they are now looking to expand their existing operations within Central Europe (France, Germany, Poland and Scandinavia), as well as further afield, through new Strategic Partnerships. 

If you are interested in joining the GWA Supplies team, or would like to know more about the company’s innovative maintenance solutions, please contact arran@gwasupplies.com. To discuss franchise opportunities in your region email franchise@gwasupplies.com.

For further information, or queries relating to the GWA Bose Soundlink Headphones competition please contact Queen's Alumni Engagement Officer Andy Nisbet Friel

For general enquiries about this story, or to submit graduate news items, please contact Gerry Power, Communications Officer, Development and Alumni Relations Office, Queen's University Belfast.

Main image courtesy of GWA Supplies

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