However, they might start to be in higher rotation after a team of four Asper BComm students earned a second-place finish at the Thammasat Undergraduate Business Competition (TUBC).

Competing against some of the world’s top business schools, the team—consisting of Kayla Odidison, Ben Penner, Nikol Sokolsky, and Olivia Velasco—demonstrated that Asper’s commitment to experiential learning opportunities is truly spreading the Asper name across the globe.

The second-place finish marks the Asper School’s highest placement at this level of the international case competition stage.

The first two rounds: an uphill (and nearly sleepless) battle

The time: October 6-12, 2025. The location: the five-star Amari hotel in Bangkok (side note: Odidison is still thinking about the top-notch complimentary breakfast).

The facts: getting to the final competition at TUBC is not a given. Twenty teams compete to get the most points in two rounds of presentations; the top five make it to the finals.

In the first round, where competitors are given five hours to prepare their presentation, the team analyzed how Lazada, a Thai e-commerce platform similar to Amazon, could upscale their brand into selling more premium items. This round was worth 30% of their points.

With 24 points out of a potential 30, Asper earned second place in their division, which was a solid result, but one that turned getting to the finals into an uphill battle; they would have to score much better in the second round if they wanted to advance.

With twenty-four hours to prepare their second presentation, the team harbored themselves in their hotel room to study how a major construction contractor in Thailand, Stetcon, could make high-margin, sustainable growth.

With papers plastered onto every wall of their hotel room (“It was a total tornado in our room,” says Odidison), the team pulled an *almost* all-nighter: they only slept for an hour-and-a-half during the 24-hour crunchtime.

The way the hotel was set up, they could see the light from their competitors’ windows. Penner says their mantra was “If they’re up, we’re up.”

Running on adrenaline, they were able to score a perfect score of 70 to win their division and advance to the finals.

Case Competition Tip #1: Go one level deeper

Kayla Odidison: When you’re studying an industry that you’re not very familiar with, it can be hard to take your real-life experience and apply it to your analysis. How low should you go in detail? How intimate should I go? Judy would always say, “always think one level deeper”

The finals: putting Asper on the map

In the finals, team Asper again delivered their second-round presentation for a board of judges and the Stetcon C-suite. Even the son of Thailand’s Prime Minister was in attendance as a Stetcon executive.

As the nerve-racking finals began, their presentation seemed to be going well, until three minutes in, when, as Velasco was speaking, they were forced to face yet another rigorous challenge: technical difficulties.

“The slide deck on the screen behind us shut off, went totally black,” says Velasco. “But the judges still have our slides, and the timer is still going. So we’re like, ‘Just keep going. No slides.’ And I think it was amazing we were able to do so.”

Eventually, they were stopped and had to restart their presentation, but the fact that the outage didn’t phase them won them numerous compliments.

After they presented, Sokolsky recounted the story of how when the judges began giving their feedback, the team’s stomachs dropped as one judge said, “your content was hard to follow” followed by a too-long pause, and then excitedly said “…because your storytelling was just so great.”

Case Competition Tip #2: Tell a good story

Nikol Sokolsky: At the beginning, we tried to throw everything in the kitchen sink in our recommendations and try to fix all the world’s problems. Our coaches helped us funnel it down, and find our main problem. When you focus on one section it makes your ideas much more nuanced and fully digestible.

 

Knowing that in their hearts, they had nailed their presentation and question period, a podium finish would’ve been just a cherry on top.

To their delight, as the awards were announced, Kayla Odidison won best speaker of the competition, and the team placed second.

“Obviously there was jumping, and a bit of screaming,” says Penner with a laugh.

While they’re proud of what they achieved, their pride stems from the people and the place they represented.

They described representing Manitoba in Thailand as an underdog story—as very few of the other teams they talked to even knew where Manitoba was.

Velasco says that seeing the Asper School of Business as the second-place team in a group of “heavy hitters” like Rotterdam School of Management (the Netherlands) and Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) filled her with a tremendous sense of pride.

Even more than representing home on the global stage, they were just happy to make their coach, Judy Jayasuriya, proud. She is also the lead of case competition program at the Asper School.

“It was so good to see Judy so excited because she’s put such a tremendous amount of work into not only us, but every case competition team,” says Penner.

Case Competition Tip #3: Practice makes perfect

Olivia Velasco: Get those reps in. When it comes to speaking, building the confidence to speak naturally is a huge thing that only comes with practice. And when you’ve spent 24 hours with the material, it’s really ingrained in you and you know what you’re talking about.

Teammates to Friends

Case competitions are key experiences that put learning into action, as you learn to think critically while under pressure (and sometimes, sleep deprived) and gain confidence.

Jayasuriya says that it’s because of the Asper School of Business’ commitment to experiential learning that students get to (a) experience competitions like Thammasat and (b) get the support they need from the case competition office and volunteers, to allow students to grow, and eventually excel along the way.

Odidison, who won best speaker of the competition, says “the very first case I did, I’m like ‘why am I even on this team?’ and now I feel like I’ve grown into a leader. […] It allows you to grow as a person, but also as a young professional.”

Case competitions are also community-builders, as you form a potent bond with a team of collaborators, just as you would in the workplace.

Case Competition Tip #4: Never silo yourself off from the team

Ben Penner: In case competitions, you see a lot of teams who maybe have really strong people on them, but they’re sitting in opposite corners of the room when they’re working. For us, what worked so well is that we never had silos. We’re always working together.

 

Certainly part of the reason Odidison, Penner, Sokolsky and Velasco were successful is the undeniable chemistry between them.

Their skills were highly complimentary. Jayasuriya interviews students and assembles the teams so they can thrive (the team refers to her as “the mastermind”).

As the team describes it, Penner is technical and can learn the ins-and-outs of the concrete industry like nobody’s business; Odidison is the storyteller who threads all the data into a consistent narrative; Sokolsky brings creative ideas and ensures the energy is always sky-high; and Velasco has deep analytical thinking skills that turn numbers into stories.

“The team’s work ethic, dedication and commitment to both the competition and their team allowed them to represent Asper to the best of their abilities” says Jayasuriya.

Throughout their month-long prep for the competition and the trip itself, the bond between them became equal parts genuine collaboration and genuine friendship.

On their bags, each team member still sports their matching Labubu dolls from Thailand, and they talk about their pre-presentation dancing routine to Rihanna’s “Breakin’ Dishes,” like it was 10 minutes ago.

Through all the challenges they faced on the way to a historic finish, the greatest reason for their success might just be that they’re always laughing.
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The team was supported by an incredible group of mentors of Asper professors, Asper alumni, and subject matter experts from various fields who volunteered their time: Bhaumik Gandhi, Lukas Neville, Byron Wright, Arly Akerstream, Cole Hutchison, Nick Sutton, Daniel Kokan, Thea Hughes, Garrison Glatz, Nolan Ward, Tyler Roslinsky, Richard Watson, Cody Nowell, Eli Koulack, Geoffrey Hurd, Priyanji Mediwake, Shihhan Iwasaki, Chelsea Kokan, Ramy Penne, Tien Nguyen and Melani Fernando
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Case competitions give students an opportunity to showcase complex problem-solving skills in diverse teams. One of the many experiential learning opportunities available to students at the Asper School of Business, case competition connects students to top business school and industry experts around the world and right here in Manitoba. Learn more about case competition opportunities at the Asper School of Business.

Graduate students brought home five first-place trophies after outstanding performances at the International Business Ethics Case Competition (San Francisco State University) and the International Business Ethics and Sustainability Case Competition (Loyola Marymount University).

International Business Ethics Case Competition (IBECC)

Asper MBA students Priyanji Mediwake, Zohreh Gervais, Geoffrey Hurd, and Shubhansh Bansal swept the podium across all three categories at IBECC in San Francisco, earning the top spot in their 25-minute, 10-minute, and 90-second presentations.

IBECC challenges teams to identify and research an ethical issue a company or industry is currently facing. Teams then present their analysis of the legal, financial, and ethical dimensions of the problem and propose a solution.

The team examined a telehealth organization operating in the United States. They prepared a presentation assessing the firm’s current model for patient care, highlighting the risks to patient safety and ethical concerns despite efforts at increasing healthcare accessibility.

Innovation and ethics, up to the minute

Mediwake, who is completing an MBA with a focus on Leadership & Organizations, brings her years of experience in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), human resources, project management, and change management to the team.

She explains that one of the biggest challenges of the case, of ethical questions generally, is responding quickly to a dynamic context.

“The case focused on a current ethical issue, with new developments unfolding in real time. We had to continuously adapt our thinking and stay on top of emerging information,” she says.

The team impressed the judges by showcasing the depth of their research and the impact of their storytelling in three presentations of varying lengths.

“We knew it wasn’t enough to have a well-researched and put-together presentation,” Mediwake explains. “The way we communicated it had to be clear, engaging, and memorable.”

International Business Ethics and Sustainability Case Competition (IBESCC)

In a similar style of case competition, Shihhan Iwasaki, Janna Woelk, Erika Hunzinger, and Tien Nguyen placed first in the 25-minute and 10-minute presentations at International Business Ethics and Sustainability Case Competition (IBESCC) in Los Angeles.

At IBESCC, competitors explore the moral imperatives of sustainable development, selecting a topic that relates to at least one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

To bring home their golds, the team examined a mining company project in British Columbia. The team made the case that the company’s approach to stakeholder engagement and environmental responsibility created significant business risk.

They assessed how financial pressure led the firm to overlook concerns of a local First Nation and proposed that the mining company focus on relationship-building and shift company culture to understand and consider Indigenous rights.

The IBESCC team, left to right: Tien, Janna, Shihhan, and Erika

Coaching down a path of continuous improvement

Iwasaki currently works in taxation for the Canada Revenue Agency and is in her final term of the MBA program, studying International & Emerging Markets and Leadership & Organizations. She shares how the competition challenged the team as a unit, but also as individuals, highlighting her own struggles with imposter syndrome and confidence.

Coaching, she says, played a big role in building momentum beyond individual doubts.

“Working with our coaches was a turning point in this process. Each conversation brought clarity and breakthroughs that helped us refocus. Their feedback was energizing—when we found ourselves stuck or going in circles, a check-in with our coaches always helped us break through the barriers.

Break through they did, impressing the judges by how strongly they connected the complex sustainability, ethical, financial, and legal issues at the heart of their topic. And the confidence they developed throughout the competition helped carry them through a tough Q&A.

“The judges pushed the team during the question period, but they didn’t waiver,” says coach Jayasuriya. “They were commended for their commitment to the issue and their stance.”

Jayasuriya and Arly Akersteam supported both the IBECC and IBESCC teams, with Chelsea Kokan supporting IBECC as well.

Building confidence, redefining leadership

Mediwake and Iwasaki both emphasize how the intensity of competition outputs real impact personally and professionally.

For Mediwake, who is also at the end of her MBA journey, case allows her to bring refined skills and the ability to deliver big results under pressure into her career. “I’m leaving the MBA with not just stronger academic skills, but deeper confidence in my resilience, leadership abilities, and problem solving,” she says.

Iwasaki, who took on this experiential learning opportunity to build confidence, found that her participation in case taught her not just that she could be a leader, but also about what kind of leader she wanted to be.

“I learned that leadership isn’t about having all the answers,” she says. “It’s about creating space for diverse input, leaning on the strengths of others, and guiding the team toward a shared outcome.”

Five trophies—more wins

The Asper School of Business 2024-25 Case Competition season wraps up with an impressive 37 podium placements to add to the School’s record and a number of trophies, plaques, and medals to add to the display.

But as students like Mediwake, Iwasaki, and their teams demonstrate, the wins extend beyond the podium, the credit goes to more than the presenters, and the impact is felt in personal journeys and in continuous efforts to create value and solve problems for the betterment of all.

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At the Asper School of Business, experiential learning empowers our students to build community and inspire innovation. We take pride in offering accessible, varied, and relevant experiential learning opportunities through our case competition program. Stay up to date on the Asper School of Business case program and view all 2024-25 results on our webpage. Congratulations to all the competitors, supporters, coaches, and more!

Hosted by Ivey Business School (Western University), SICC challenged teams from five continents to vie for the top prize in the preliminary round and two rounds of live competition.

The first round: AI-enhanced medical technology

Tenomix, a medical technology company, was the focus of the first round. Adair, Glatz, and Odidison had five hours to prepare a market strategy for the firm’s flagship product. The “Lymphonator” uses artificial intelligence (AI) and ultrasound imaging to refine cancer screening and staging.

Kayla Odidison. Photo by David Lipnowski.

With an hour to practice and just 15 minutes to convince the judges of their strategy, the team focused on the quality of their research and their biggest strength as a team.

“We knew it was our presentation style that set us apart,” says Odidison.

A new way to present

At the suggestion of their coach, Judy Jayasuriya (Instructor and Lead, Experiential Learning), the team tried out a new presentation style for this competition.

Instead of each team member speaking on separate sections and slides, they made an effort to hand off the mic more frequently. With each slide, every team member spoke.

“In the earlier practices, when we were first trying to implement this style, it was very chaotic,” Adair notes.

Evan Adair. Photo by David Lipnowski.

But with practice and polish, transitions were smoothed and chaotic became dynamic. And the judges noticed.

The final round: Standing out in AI-saturated markets

After coming in a close second in the first round, the team tackled a second and final case featuring Armilla AI. Armilla provides AI model risk detection.

“So, if you have an AI model that you’re building, you would go to this company and they test it to find out whether its prone to bias or another kind of error,” Glatz explains.

The team was challenged to drive growth and determine if the firm should focus solely on detection or expand to offer more insurance services as well.

Securing their place in the finals, Adair, Glatz, and Odidison offered a strategy that pursued both options—build on the strength of the detection service while standing out in the newer market of AI liability insurance.

Garrison Glatz. Photo by David Lipnowski.

As it turns out, a strong idea with exceptional delivery is a recipe for success.

“The judges loved the structure and sense of organization of the presentation. They felt that our team was the most cohesive and presented the strongest business case for the firm,” said Jayasuriya [BComm(Hons)/10, BA/12, MBA/14]. And the Asper team earned first place, beating out Ateneo de Manila University and the University of Alabama on the podium.

A case for career growth

With travel, intense practice and preparation sessions, and high-intensity presentations (all under a tight timeline!), a case competition can be a whirlwind.

Once they returned to Winnipeg, trophy in tow, the team reflects on the experience, as students and team members.

Adair and Odidison, both hoping to graduate in 2026 and pursue their CPA designation, see case as a valuable experience in their respective career journeys.

“Being able to complete cases has really allowed me to understand how to analyze a business, both qualitatively and quantitatively, helping me prepare for the case-based CPA program,” says Odidison.

Adair highlights the soft skills (collaboration, teamwork, public speaking) as well as the key technical skills he has developed through case. “PowerPoint, financial modeling, Excel shortcuts, research—these are all examples of hard skills that I felt I dramatically improved since I started doing case,” he says.

For Glatz, a finance major graduating this year, case feels like a natural fit for his ambitions to work in the industry before branching out into something broader—politics, economics, central banking policy.

“Case gives me an opportunity to learn about a lot about different companies and fields and sharpen my critical thinking skills in the process,” he says.

What’s in a team

As Adair, Glatz, and Odidison recount their case experience, there’s a familiarity and exchange; it’s inviting, persuasive, fun. They can laugh about a team member’s quirks (Glatz’s flexible relationship to urgency, Adair’s “crashing out” pose, Odidison’s preferred snack and full-time role as devil’s advocate) and in the same breath earnestly highlight what they bring to the team. Glatz knows how to come up with ideas, a lot of them; Adair can present the most complex numbers like it’s a conversation; Odidison knows how to refine an idea and delivery it flawlessly.

As they share their case story, it’s not hard to see what the judges saw.

Adair, Glaza, and Odidison. Photo by David Lipnowski.

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Coached by Judy Jayasuriya, the SICC team was supported by Howard Harmatz, Nolan Ward, Cole Hutchison, Chelsea Kokan, Bhaumik Gandhi and Tamara Nelson.

Case competitions give students an opportunity to showcase complex problem-solving skills in diverse teams. A cornerstone of experiential learning at the Asper School of Business, case connects students to top business school and industry experts around the world and right here in Manitoba. Learn more about case competition opportunities at the Asper School of Business.

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.

As part of Asper School of Business’ commitment to offering diverse experiential learning opportunities to students, case competitions combine the excitement of live presentations, the intensity of deadline-driven preparation periods and the unique chance to apply classroom knowledge to real problems faced by organizations today.

The second half of the season rounded out Asper’s success with a total of 37 podium spots, including 15 first-place wins. Visit the Asper Business Case Competitions webpage for a full list of 2023-24 results.

1^st Place – International Business Ethics Case Competition

Eli Koulack, Laura Kroeker and Ramy Penner represented the Asper School of Business at the International Business Ethics Case Competition (IBECC), bringing home gold in the 25-minute division and 10-minute division as well as silver in the 90-second division.

For IBECC, teams prepare a presentation in which they explain the legal, financial and ethical dimensions of a business problem, recommending a solution that addresses each element.

Koulack, Kroeker and Penner’s presentation “All Bets Are Off: DraftKings and the High Stakes Race for Consumer Protection,” tackled the online gaming and sports-betting industry. Their choice of a timely and controversial subject grabbed the judges’ attention, and they “highlighted the tangible good that regulated gambling provides society and define the ethical issue of consumer protection,” as Penner explains, raising a discussion with high stakes for “government, the business community and the public,” adds Kroeker.

Kroeker explains the value of competitions like this.

“Participating in a competition that couples ethics and business underscores the fact that the ethics of a business strategy don’t need to be—and shouldn’t be—a secondary consideration,” she says.

1^st Place – JDC West, Not-for-Profit Division

For Lead of Experiential Learning Judy Jayasuriya [BComm(Hons)/10, BA/12, MBA/14], the biggest achievements for the Asper case competition program this year include continued international success, coupled with renewed efforts to connect case to the local community. She notes the impact of investing in community involvement in internal competitions and practices.

“By changing our internal competitions to feature real Manitoba organizations, we’ve helped spark early interest in case competitions and set students down a pathway of exploring more challenging external opportunities both nationally and internationally,” she explains.

Eric Wagner, Skyler Delaurier and Abrianna Graham at JDC West.

Asper BComm students Eric Wagner, Abrianna Graham and Skyler Delaurier echo this sentiment following their first-place victory in the Not-for-Profit division of JDC West.

“We believe our success in this division reflects the strength of Asper’s business community and the growing commitment of our School to Winnipeg’s not-for-profit sector. It was an incredible experience for all of us, including the connections, networking, life-long friendships, the fun of that weekend and skills for our lifelong careers,” they say.

The community that case built

These connections define the Asper School of Business case experience, as this year, the hundreds of students who competed were supported by 26 Asper faculty and staff members, 86 industry judges and 165 mentors and coaches. It’s a community that IBECC winner Penner describes as “dedicated, passionate and inspiring.”

Many of these supporters and community members are Asper alumni who themselves participated in case competitions. As IBECC winner Kroeker explains, it’s not surprising that so many case alumni want to come back to give back.

“I definitely plan to stay connected to the Asper case community. This experience was the highlight of my MBA program, and it wouldn’t have been possible without all the coaches and volunteers that dedicated their time to mentoring us,” she says.

Reflecting on another incredible year, Jayasuriya also turns to the value of connection. “Building on our community connections and continuously enhancing our training and coaching methods are key to continuing this momentum,” she says.

“Enhancing student experience is at the heart of everything we do, and our community connections enrich, define and sustain this experience.”

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For more details about an amazing season of case competitions at the Asper School of Business, download the 2023-24 Case Impact Report here.

ENGCOMM brings together students from engineering and business for a hands-on learning experience, tackling timely issues at the intersection of technology and commerce. Teams worked on three cases, from automating and monitoring aircraft repair to cleaning space debris, culminating in a final case about how drones could be used to fight wildfires in Canada.

The competition was grueling; students had six hours each for the first two cases, and an intense twelve hours to prepare their final presentation. Habiba Mahmoud, who is studying computer engineering, describes the team’s motivation amid the competition’s mounting pressure.

“We felt the responsibility of representing the Price Faculty of Engineering and Asper School of Business on an international stage. Our main goal was to showcase our faculties and university as best as we could, while focusing on personal growth and learning. Winning first place was a wonderful surprise that added to our experience. I believe our success came from this shared goal and dedication.”

As representatives of UM, the team showcased insight, talent, strategic thinking, technical savvy and exceptional presentation skills. As Marcia Friesen, P.Eng., PhD, FEC, FCAE, Dean of the Price Faculty of Engineering, notes, the team also demonstrated the longstanding legacy of this inter-faculty partnership.

“The ENGCOMM competition is a great example of collaboration across Faculties, and it is evidence of the powerful combination when business and engineering minds get together. Our team comprised of students from the Asper School of Business and the Price Faculty of Engineering who have found a lot of success in this competition over the years, and I’m very pleased to support such opportunities.”

Bruno Silvestre, PhD, Dean of the Asper School of Business, adds that the students’ win demonstrates the value of experiential learning, embraced by both faculties.

“Experiential learning opportunities prepare students for the realities of the business world—a business world that is interdisciplinary and multifaceted. We are very proud of this successful collaboration between the Asper School of Business and the Price Faculty of Engineering. Through this initiative, our students can learn by doing, test their skills across areas and get better prepared for the challenges they will face in the job market. Congratulations to Ethan, Kenny, Habiba and Mustafa for representing UM so well and earning this first-place victory!”

Kenny May, an accounting and finance major at Asper, explains how the competition enriched not just what students learn, but also how they learn. The team was coached by Nish Balakrishnan [BSc/12, MSc/15] from the Price Faculty and Bhaumik Gandhi [MBA/19] from the Asper School, and supported by Trent Vos, Judith Jayasuriya [BComm(Hons)/10, BA/12, MBA/14], Shannon Campbell, Kevin Klimchuk [BSc/23] and Adriana Ong.

“Our coaches’ feedback allowed us to put things in perspective and open our eyes to new ways of thinking. When you’re working so closely on your solution, it’s easy to take your approach for granted, but when you’re challenged to explain your thought process, you see gaps more clearly and the choices you could still make.”

Beyond rethinking their own solution, both Mahmoud and May express the value of working with students from other disciplines, from being able to balance “solutions that weren’t just technically sound, but also feasible,” as Mahmoud explains, to getting a glimpse into the student experience of another faculty, as May articulates. “I think that was a highlight for me: also seeing how our experiences of UM were similar and different,” he says.

As the students celebrate an impressive win, they can also celebrate the realization of their shared goal to represent UM well, living up to a vision of inter-faculty collaboration, interdisciplinary knowledge exchange, innovative and practical training for future careers and an investment in student success.

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ENGCOMM represents the close ties between engineering and business and reflects the reality of the business landscape today.

For students interested in learning more about the productive synergy between business and engineering, the IDEA Student Presentation featuring Gerry Price is sure to impress. A Manitoba business icon with close ties to the Asper School and namesake of the Faculty of Engineering, Price will share his career journey in an intimate, student-focused session. RSVP here to this exclusive event taking place at the Asper School of Business on May 30, 2024.

“We donated the prize back to CanU Canada, which does a lot of amazing work with high school students. They were also a great partner in helping us prepare for this competition, volunteering their time to create a practice case for us.”

CanU Canada representatives actually brought the team’s practice case to executives, giving students valuable feedback on their presentation.

The generosity at the heart of CanU’s practice participation and the students’ winning gesture is fitting given the focus of the competition that Peterson, Roslinsky, Bially and Sabu won.

Alberta Not-for-Profit’s competition is the only live, not-for-profit (NFP) business case competition in Canada. The team worked on a case about the CapitalCare Foundation, an organization that supports long-term care initiatives in Alberta. Together, they tackled funding, operational and awareness challenges, competing against teams from across North America.

Roslinsky, an Asper student majoring in finance and HR management, reflects on the team’s success.

“As a team, we were realistic about what was possible, which is very important when looking at an NFP. We have to approach these problems differently than a for-profit business, but at the end of the day, an NFP still needs enough resources and revenue to sustain itself. Successful and great NFPs focus on doing one thing or a small number of things very well rather than trying to do everything just okay.”

Bially, who is majoring in marketing and management information systems at Asper, adds that NFPs require a unique approach.

“Our coaches and mentors really helped us to adjust our mindset, encouraging us to focus less on making money and more on creating value.”

Roslinsky and Bially learned throughout the competition that NFPs must balance practicality with idealism—a change- or issue-driven organization might not need to maximize profit, but it does need to consider how to generate enough revenue, resources and connections to keep its doors open.

Discussing their reasons for joining case at Asper, Roslinsky and Bially strike a similar balance; both acknowledge that case looks great on a resume, but also that it offers amazing opportunities to work on real-world business problems, sharpen collaborative skills, improve confidence in public speaking and meet fellow students from across Canada and beyond.

Roslinsky, Bially, Peterson and Sabu were supported by a team of Asper advisors including Howard Harmatz, Robert Biscontri, Judy Jayasuriya, Melani Fernando, Laura Effinger and Steven Harrison.

“They helped us see things through a different lens, thinking more about what NFPs need rather than treating them like traditional businesses,” says Bially. She also comments on their ability to home in on seemingly minor details that made a big difference. Roslinsky echoes this praise.

“Once we had the overarching structure down, they helped us to really get into those fine, granular bits because those are the things that change a team from being good to being great.”

The little things, it turns out, matter. Both students share how a surprise delivery while they toiled away on their case presentation might not have won the competition for them, but certainly left an impression.

Biscontri, Asper associate dean of undergraduate and international programs, took some dessert to-go (“one of everything,” he explains) while out to dinner with rest of the advising team. Barred from any contact with the students while they developed their solution, he delivered the pile of cakes and other goodies by way of the hotel front desk, leaving nothing—not even a note—to explain the gesture.

There is a practicality to case competitions—they prepare students for the real business problems they will face in their careers, they introduce students to invaluable networks of advisors, industry judges and colleagues and they help refine core skills from public speaking to problem solving.

That said, whether it be a local organization giving their time to help students practice, those same students donating their winnings back to the organization or a surprise dessert delivery left without a note, there is also something more to case—an experience unique to each team and competition, summed up in part by Biscontri’s accidental advice to the team:

“We can go for dinner after, but let’s get dessert first.”

Case competitions test students’ business acumen, presentation skills and ability to think quickly. Teams present to judges as their own consulting firms, with strict rules in place to ensure that competitors do not reveal their affiliated school to the judging panel. 

Stellaris Consulting, represented by Asper students Nicole Buckle [BComm(Hons)/21], Tien Nguyen, Sravani Kalva and Pavan Palani took home first place, while Kate Melling, Jennifer Kotadia, Jaiveer Jawandha and Nithya Alagappan won second for the Haskayne School of Business and Abubakar Asif, Akshay Sharma, Anshul Chhahbra and Ajiteshwar Singh brought home third for the DeGroote School of Business.

Represented by Stu Clark Graduate School students, the home team connected with peers from top Canadian business schools and partook in some friendly competition digging into the cutting-edge issues faced by Manitoba businesses today.

Bruno Silvestre, Dean of the Asper School of Business, emphasizes the significance of case competitions to the Asper experience. “Case competitions are an integral part of the Asper School of Business, and a hallmark of our commitment to experiential learning. By giving students an opportunity to apply their in-class learning to real business problems, these competitions inspire creative and agile thinking, diverse leadership styles and innovative approaches to teamwork and collaboration. Through cases, students prepare to face the rapidly changing business environment wherever they study, work and live.”

The competition

In three rounds of competition (the first beginning before teams landed in Winnipeg), participating teams took on a prepared case on WAG-Qaumajuq, a boardroom case on Independent Jewelers (IJL) and a traditional case, complete with public final presentations, on StandardAero.

The cases were as diverse as their solutions, which required creativity and strong collaborative skills to solve. From planning for the national expansion of robust local business Independent Jewelers (IJL) to developing strategies for attracting top talent in the aviation sector to StandardAero, teams worked hard to craft, polish and present their solutions to distinguished judges. WAG-Qaumajuq, whose participation as a case subject was made possible thanks to the generous support of the James W. Burns Leadership Institute, gave students an opportunity to pitch new admission models that would make entry to the gallery free to the community.

Representing StandardAero, Peter Wheatley [BSc(ME)/07, Ext.Ed/10, MBA/15] , Vice President & General Manager, CF34/CFM56, delivered the keynote address at the awards gala on Saturday evening. He shared his career advice for the students in the room that night and commented on the value of businesses participating in these competitions.

“We often imagine a career journey as a straight trajectory forward and up. In reality, that path is made of peaks and valleys, but also opportunities where you need to sidestep and imagine a new path altogether. Embracing those moments is a key part of professional and personal success,” he said.

“At StandardAero, we jumped at the opportunity to participate in the ABCC because by offering our time and a close look at our organization, we benefit from the creativity and perspectives of future business leaders, applying what they’re learning about business today to our aims and goals.”

The community

With over 50 judges, including both alumni and student volunteers, ABCC was truly a team effort. 

As the event’s Platinum Sponsor, The Associates of the Asper School of Business were involved beyond monetary support, with 17 members also serving the competition experience as judges.

Associates Board Chair Denise Zaporzan comments on the importance of ABCC for showcasing Asper across Canada. “We are proud to support the Asper Business Case Competition, allowing visiting students to experience our city’s warm hospitality, collegial business community and innovative spirit. The Associates commend all participants for taking this opportunity to further their business education. It has been an honour to welcome Canada’s future leaders to friendly Manitoba.”

Complete with social activities at The Forks and Festival du Voyageur, the Asper Business Case Competition celebrated business excellence, but also the spirit, creativity and wonder, of Manitoba. The third instalment will take place in February 2025.

More photos of the 2024 event can be found here.

The Asper Business Case Competition is possible thanks to the sponsorship of the Stu Clark Graduate School (Diamond Sponsor), The Associates of the Asper School of Business (Platinum Sponsor), the James W. Burns Leadership Institute (Case Sponsor), IJL (Silver Sponsor), Princess Auto (Bronze Sponsor) and TD (Supporter).

He has been involved in Asper case competitions and the University of Manitoba Actuarial Club (UMAC) since he started his BComm in 2022, right as UM students were returning to in-person learning full-time for the first time since 2020.

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What advice would you offer to incoming BComm students on their first day at Asper?

DK: “I would say talk to as many people as you possibly can. People at Asper are really friendly, so make connections—with people from the CSA [Commerce Students’ Association], the CDC [Career Development Centre]—but also, with students in your classes. They are all at the same stage as you, and you’ll be learning with them for the next four or five years. One of the courses I took in my first year was GMGT 1010 with many other first-year students. I think I met four of my future case competition teammates that day!”

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Kaushal’s participation in case competitions began when an opportunity became unexpectedly available to first-year students.

Tell me a bit about how you got involved with case competitions at Asper.

DK: “In September 2022, when I first started at Asper, there was this workshop, Case 101. I went to the workshop and Howard Harmatz announced that case rookies could apply to participate in ICBC [Inter-Collegiate Business Competition] that year even though it’s an international competition.

“I got selected, and I did the accounting prelims on my own and then competed with my teammate Ben Swistun in the finals. I actually met Ben in GMGT 1010 as well, and I think I’ve done ten competitions with him on my team so far.”

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In a twist of fate, Kaushal’s time in the Case 101 workshop became a launchpad for an impressively competitive entry into one of Canada’s oldest international undergraduate competitions of its kind. He recalls a similar experience during his first days at Asper that helped him decide on a major.

Why did you pursue business, and what made actuarial mathematics a good fit for your major?

DK:

“I’ve always been passionate about mathematics, but I wanted to do something where I could travel, use my interpersonal skills, attend networking events and connect with others. I thought a business degree from Asper could give me all this.

“I didn’t know anything about actuarial math when I came to Asper. I thought accounting was the only way to engage my passion for math in business school. But I attended a UMAC presentation about actuarial studies called “Do You Like Math?” and that opened this path for me.”

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Offered by the Warren Centre for Actuarial Studies, the actuarial major at Asper is unique in that it gives students a chance to complete their actuarial specialty while receiving the broad business education of the BComm.

Kaushal, recognizing the impact of this UMAC presentation early in his Asper career, is now part of the same student group and is working to develop presentations for high school students, introducing them to the actuarial profession. He even met fellow Asper student Rutik Patel, who was at the same presentation and who became Kaushal’s mentor via UMAC’s mentorship program.

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Who do you look up to and who has supported your journey so far?

DK: “I have had so many amazing people in my life, especially in the past two years. If I started naming them all, it would take too long, but of course, my parents. They’ve supported me through good times and bad.

“And at Asper, there’s my case teammates, like Ben, and my mentor from UMAC, Rutik, of course Howard, who has coached me in so many competitions, as well as Liea Madariaga, a close friend of mine and a fellow Asper student, who has been an essential part of my journey and has always been there for me.”

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Kaushal’s advice to first years (“talk to as many people as you can!”) is ultimately a reminder that those first day connections matter, not just because of what they offer in the moment, but because of what they can grow into in weeks, months and even years down the line, something he has learned (and hopes to continue learning) by experience.

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