AIM students top regional case challenge competition

A team of students from the Makati-based Asian Institute of Management (AIM) was recently awarded regional champion of the prestigious 3rd Annual Hult Global Case Challenge (Hult GCC) in Shanghai, China. The AIM team beat out other business schools from across the region and will participate in the global final to be held in New York in April.

AIM MBA students Abhinav Chanakya, Alankar Kumar, Ajay Kathuria, Darshak Jagadeswara, and Mahesh Kartha competed in the Energy Track and defeated teams from Brawijaya University, China Europe International Business School, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Fudan University, IDC Herzliya, Indian Institute of Management-rohtak, Melbourne Business School, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Management University, and University of the Philippines-diliman. Each team was selected from more than 4,000 applications received by Hult.

The Hult GCC brings together the top college and university students from all over the globe to generate solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. It is considered as one of the world’s top platforms for social change and the largest case or business plan competition.

This year, the Hult Challenge focuses on alleviating global poverty and student teams are tasked with devising solutions to provide affordable education, affordable energy and affordable housing to millions of people. Influential business leaders such as former New York Governor Mario Cuomo; Michael Treschow, chairman of Unilever; and Mohammad Yunus, Nobel Prize winner and founder of Grameen Bank will select this year’s winning business plan in the New York final. The benefactors — One Laptop per Child, Solaraid and Habitat for Humanity — will use the $1 million prize to pilot the winning ideas.

“The regional judges, composed of senior executives from IT, pharmaceutical, solar energy, banking, and automotive sectors, commended the AIM students outstanding content, analytical rigor, and pragmatic, implementable plans,” noted AIM Prof. Gully Go, who mentored the winning team. “This case competition experience left the students with a greater understanding of corporate planning, team project management, and international networking,” he added.

Another AIM team mentored by Prof. Patt Lontoc and alumnus Sanjay Sathe and composed of Siddharth Wadera, Bhoomija Vadehra, RJ Juarez, and Bharat Mohan competed and placed second in the Education Track of the San Francisco leg of the competition. Their business plan was also adjudged the Most Innovative concept presented at the event. They placed ahead of such schools as Stanford, Wharton, and Boston University.