Anna Gilfillan, Assad Baker, Alana Moffat and Nick Gamble
Private-public partnership model wins tight MBA competition
For the second year in a row, Asper team places first at Reimagining Women in Leadership Case Competition
Asper MBA students Anna Gilfillan, Nick Gamble, Alana Moffat and Assad Baker placed first in the Reimagining Women in Leadership MBA Case Competition hosted by the Ted Rogers School of Management. The unique, international competition challenged MBA students to explore digital disruption, data privacy, as well as business, government and consumer relationships. The Asper School of Business team – Polar Collective, competed against students from the UK, USA and Canada. Telfer School of Management, Schulich School of Business and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business were amongst the finalists.
The teams were required to provide a recommendation to the Bank of Canada on how to implement central bank digital currency (CBDC) in Canada. Students had to provide solutions to a number of different challenges including navigating the governance and regulatory process, infrastructure modernization, stakeholder engagement and consumer awareness.
Team Polar Collective proposed a private-public partnership model that would provide value to all members of Canada’s financial services consortium, as well as enterprise and consumers including the underbanked. Their proposed model leveraged the Bank of Canada’s core competencies through a hybrid approach, distributing a retail and wholesale CBDC with a tiered account model. The industry judges, executives representing all the relevant stakeholders such as Interac, Bank of Canada, Commercial Bank and other fintechs, were impressed by the level of depth and breadth of the Asper student’s presentation.
“This case competition was one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences of the MBA thus far. As a team, we relied heavily on each other’s diverse backgrounds and experiences to bring our idea to life. The skills gained from this competition will extend beyond the classroom and will stay with us as we advance in our careers,” said Polar Collective team member Alana Moffat. “Congrats to my teammates for the weeks of hard work leading up to a stellar presentation. Thank you to our advisors for pushing us to the next level. Lastly, thank you to the women and men who continue to celebrate women’s achievements and push for gender equality in the workplace.”
The Reimagining Women in Leadership MBA case competition provided students an opportunity to connect with peers and industry leaders from across fintechs, financial institutions, academia, and consulting and legal firms.
The team received support in their competition preparation by advisors Judith Jayasuriya [MBA/14], Arly Akerstream [MBA/17], Aditya Kedia [MBA/18] and Trevor Lewarne [MBA/19]. The team was also supported by Gabriel Woo, Chris Nepomuceno [MBA/09], Darren McGill [BComm (Hons.)/10], Howard Harmatz, Nadine Pinette and Diana Dela Cruz [MBA/22].
For more information about how to participate in case competitions please visit student experience or contact Judy Jayasuriya, Lead, Experiential Learning at Judy.Jayasuriya@umanitoba.ca.