BComm Spotlight
Asper student Lily Francis brings home public speaking award at international case competition
When Lily Francis is presenting a case in competition, something clicks into place, and suddenly it’s just her and the judges.
She isn’t thinking about the hours of practice and case preparation; she isn’t worried about being “too much” (a holdover from a lifetime of being a big talker); she isn’t fixated on the ideas that didn’t make the cut; and she isn’t second-guessing her delivery.
No, as Francis puts it, when she is presenting, everything else goes away.
“I honestly hit a state of flow,” she says. “It feels like I’m just having a conversation with the judges.”
When she finishes a strong introduction or a persuasive pitch, she knows when she has crushed it. Looking to coaches for the confirmatory thumbs up is all she needs.
“I feel on top of the world and like I can do anything after public speaking,” she says.
This year at the Business and Management Case Competition (BMCC), hosted by the Universidad Panamerica in Guadalajara, Mexico, Francis’ gift of gab earned her an individual honour as the 2024 competition’s Best Presenter.
“I always joke that I’ve been practicing for this for 20 years,” she says. “Anyone who knows me—certainly my parents—know that I am always talking; if someone will listen, I’ll talk.
“Earning that recognition was very cool because sometimes being talkative can be viewed as a negative, but with case, you’re rewarded for being good at communicating. People listen to hear you talk, and they’re very engaged.”
Since her first case competition last year, Francis has been feeling this fit with case competitions (although case found her rather than the other way around).
After her instructor, Rakesh Mittoo (Sessional Instructor, Business Administration) recommended her for the 2023 Intercollegiate Business Competition (Smith School of Business), Francis dove into case, participating in the 2024 selection weekends, earning a place on the BMCC team, and dedicating hours to preparing for this dynamic international competition.
“We did a lot of research into the Mexican business environment to understand what was unique about this context and how it might be different from what we know about the Canadian business landscape,” she explains.
Months later, she and her team of fellow BComm students tackled problems like how to help a Mexican candy company expand into Chinese markets, how to grapple with the ethical quandaries of animal welfare in farming, and how to get Lucha Libre wrestling culture into digital markets without losing the in-person intensity.
Francis shares the highs and lows of case, the sum total of which keeps her coming back since her first competition last year. Her tips for success? Prioritize sleep even in crunch time, eat well, take that 10-minute break (especially poolside in Mexico), don’t take things too personally, and most important: remember what you practiced and focus on the goal.
“When it gets hard, keeping your eye on the prize is important. We haven’t done all these practices for nothing, and we’re here to work together to present the best possible case we can,” she says.
Post-competition, Francis has had time to see the real impact of her case career so far as she works her way through law school applications.
“I had no clue that it would help me so much, but here I am writing these applications and being able to lean on all these experiences and see how everything—case, my BComm, public speaking—ties perfectly into my journey,” she says.
In those moments when Francis was presenting in Mexico, when doubts and anxieties fell away, all that was left was a talented, passionate public speaker who learned through case to trust her practice, her process, and her delivery. It was just her and the judges, and as one judge said of her award-winning delivery, it was ‘captivating.’
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Experiential learning is a cornerstone of any Asper School of Business Bachelor of Commerce journey. From a robust internal and external case competition season to co-op work placements, international exchange, entrepreneurship, and the Price student-managed investment fund, there is something at Asper for every student and every career path. Learn more about undergraduate programs at Asper today.