Celebrations took place last night after the University of Aberdeen won a prestigious award at an education ceremony in London.
Aberdeen won in the Outstanding Contribution to Leadership Development category at the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel.
It was unanimously chosen by the judges for its "great focus on international leadership development". They also praised its "practical activities and projects in an international context" such as knowledge transfer.
THES said the application demonstrated "strong strategy development and implementation" including a "thorough and coherent approach to stakeholder management."
Aberdeen beat off stiff opposition from the universities of Oxford, Hertfordshire, Derby, Edinburgh and Teeside to land the Outstanding Contribution to Leadership Development award, which was created to reward schemes that foster leadership development at any level of management – from governors to departments.
Senior Vice-Principal Stephen Logan said, "We are proud to be one of the UK's leading institutions and are delighted to be recognised in this way.
"As an institution committed to operating globally, it is crucial that we not only attract leading academics from around the world, but also that we strengthen our strategic leadership in an international context."
The Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of UK universities and the academics who work in them. A total of 20 awards were made.
Aberdeen won for its International Leadership Development Programme (ILDP), which was developed to strengthen the operational and strategic leadership skills of recently appointed and aspiring leaders as part of the University's succession planning strategy.
The University was also short-listed for the Business Initiative of the Year for B1 Medical Ltd, a North-east spin-out company from the University of Aberdeen, the Robert Gordon University, and NHS Grampian. Founded in July 2006 with a £1.3 million investment, it already has five new orthopaedic products under development.