Monash Business School students shine in global case competition

15 September 2023

Team members Madeline Leong, Mrinalini Sridhar, Keh Liang Yap and Caitlin Taylor.

Monash Business School students have learnt to thrive under pressure while placing their problem-solving skills to the test against some of the world’s best business school students.

The five-day 2023 UTS Global Case Competition, held in Sydney, brought together teams from 14 top business schools from countries including Denmark, Romania, Thailand, Singapore, Mexico, New Zealand and the Netherlands.

Teams were challenged to present six-hour and 24-hour purpose-built, real-world business cases for industry leaders from organisations such as QBE Insurance and Graincorp.

Monash’s four-person team, who were selected from among 40 penultimate and final-year students, was trained on key topics such as market sizing, consulting and case competition fundamentals before the event.

The team -  mentored by Monash Business School’s Associate Dean Programs, Prof Ralph Kober,and A/Prof Paul Thambar from the Department of Accounting - performed well in their pools, placing third in the 24-hour case, and fourth in the six-hour case.

Dr Thambar said the competition provided students with exposure to practical real world problems that needed to be solved in a “realistic and pragmatic manner”.

“The presentation to industry leaders and the interaction provides students with valuable opportunities for applying their classroom learnings and to build networks,” Dr Thambar said.

Global competition a 'rare and invaluable experience'

Monash team member Caitlin Taylor described presenting solutions to industry professionals - with judging panels including chief executives, finance and strategy managers and project leads - was a “rare and invaluable experience”.

“Our team all stepped out of our academic comfort zones and into the real world of business; this experience also allowed me to form meaningful relationships with other driven students from universities across the world, as well as network with various industry professionals,” Ms Taylor said.

Keh Liang Yap said the competition pushed him beyond his comfort zone, describing it as a “fast-paced environment where every minute counted”.

“But, beyond the time constraints, what truly enriched my experience was the joy of working collaboratively with my team on complex cases,” he said.

“It wasn't just about finding solutions; it was about the camaraderie, shared passion, and collective effort.”

Mrinalini Sridhar said the experience gave her the chance to test the skills she had learnt against some of the world’s brightest minds.

“I developed my critical thinking skills, problem solving abilities and communication beyond what I thought was possible,” Ms Sridhar said.

It was also a great opportunity to meet new faces from all over the world, she said.

Madeline Leong said the competition was an “incredible experience”. “Aside from the professional aspects, the highlight of my trip was meeting participants from around the world and making lifelong friends with my team and other delegates,” Ms Leong said.