(L-R): Tristan Garland and Thea Hughes (2nd place); Benjamin Swistun and Kenny May (1st place); Carl Ortega and Lily Francis (2nd place)
Asper case experience goes around the world
Team Asper starts the new year with podium placements and wins
Asper School of Business and Stu Clark Graduate School students competed in the fall case season. Supported by alumni, faculty and members of the Associates, and guided by coaches, mentors and judges, the Asper case experience continues to thrive and represent the School around the world.
Competitor Thea Hughes explains how the case experience has enriched her Asper studies. “Participating in case competitions has allowed me to apply my in-class learning to real-world business problems to create solutions. It works hand-in-hand as my case competition experience has in turn made my classes easier.”
Inter-Collegiate Business Competition (ICBC) – Finals: January 12-14
Three Asper undergraduate teams competed in the finals of ICBC, Canada’s longest-running business case competition.
Kenny May and Benjamin Swistun won first place in Digital Strategy, while Carl Ortega and Lily Francis (HR), and Thea Hughes and Tristan Garland (Debate), brought home second place in their respective categories.
May, who competed in ICBC for the first time last year, explains the real win during his second shot at the competition.
“It feels great to win of course, but our goal was to put together a strong solution that we could be proud of. It was about applying our coaching to these new problems. Case is all about making sure that you’re continuously improving, developing yourself and striving to be the best student or business professional you can be,” says May.
Creative Shock – Finals: November 25-26
Fifteen Asper students participated in Creative Shock, a global social business case competition.
MBA students Julie Xue and Ryan Nykvist, MSCM student Shivam Patel and BComm student Anmoldeep Malhotra made the top ten. Cases included consulting an agricultural co-op based in South Africa and marketing a Lithuanian board game designed for people with visual impairments.
Pedro de Souza Quadros, Evan Adair, Gustavo de Souza Quadros, Riley Kotzer, Karimot Abodunrin, Shivam Sabharwal, Erika Hunvinger, Joy Okafor, Harsh Chapatwala, Bo Wen and Agwuncha Maureen Ifunanya also competed in preliminary rounds.
PrimeTime Sports Business Case Competition – November 12
This competition invites future business leaders to Toronto to tackle cases related to sports and entertainment.
Alyssa Houde, Christina Tines, Dalton Reidke and Evan Adair made the semi-finals, and MBA team Mark Roy, Nicole Buckle [BComm(Hons)/21], Shorya Angrish and Steven Regeher [BComm(Hons)/12] competed in the preliminaries.
DeGroote Innovative Solutions Challenge (DISC) – November 11-12
DISC is a first-of-its-kind, virtual case competition, open to graduate students. This year, Stu Clark Graduate School students Aliasgar Sanwarwala, Hans Suri, Sravani Kalva, Khashavar Khosrowabadi, Eli Koulack, Laura Kroeker, Ramy Penner and Raza Jamil tackled cases on the likes of Scotiabank and KPMG.
Says Sanwarwala, an MSCM student, “the experience gained through this competition was invaluable, helping me understand the complexities of business decisions. I feel better equipped to take on future competitions!”
Ted Rogers National Ethical Leadership Case Competition (TRELCC) – November 3-11
The TRELCC is a national case competition centered around the importance of ethical practices and leadership in the dynamic world of business. Asper students Nicole Blatta, Olivia Velasco, Nikol Sokolsky and Melani Fernando proudly represented Asper in Toronto.
Business and Management Case Competition (BMCC) – October 29-November 4
Hosted at Universidad Panamericana in Guadalajara, Mexico, BMCC is a prestigious event that enables universities to collaborate and tackle business challenges from a global perspective. Students work with their Asper cohort, but also join mixed teams in the second round. Asper students Avery Groeneveld, Christina Tines, Eric Bao and Logan Basarowich competed together before breaking off into new teams.
In the mixed case round, Groeneveld took home first place alongside students from universities around the world. She describes the benefits of the unique format.
“I was able to employ skills that I had learned in the four-hour case to the final round—that’s case: you’re always learning new things and gaining new skillsets, so long as you put yourself out there!” says Groeneveld.
Bensadoun School of Retail Management Retail Innovation Challenge (RIC) – October 18-November 4
Hosted by the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University, the RIC presents students with challenges related to the new realities of retail. Asper students Benjamin Swistun, Darbara Kaushal, Udit Gopalk, Ravneet Brar, Chaitanya Maggo, Aliasgar Sanwarwala and Karimot Abodunrin worked on cases related to sustainability and the retail circular economy. Both teams advanced to the semi-finals in the competition.
Thammasat Undergraduate Business Challenge (TUBC) – October 11-15
TUBC is an international business case competition hosted by Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand. Asper students Alyssa Houde, Dalton Reidke, Harsh Thakkar and Braden Hargreaves competed in the 26th TUBC.
For Hargreaves, the Asper case experience is a highlight of his studies.
“My experience with case competitions has completely changed my perspective of business. Being able to take what we learn in the classroom and apply it to real world issues had made my time at Asper so much more valuable. Being able to meet and connect with some of the top business students across the globe is something I never thought I would be able to do!”
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Case competitions can allow you to strengthen your public speaking and problem solving skills while demonstrating your acumen as a business professional. For information on upcoming case competitions and to join a team, read more here.