Representing Indonesia and UGM, the Critical One team consisting of Alexander Tjhung (IUP-Management 2018), Erica Lesmana (Accounting 2017), Shania Angelina (Management 2018), and Moh. Andhika Satria Perdana (Accounting 2017) finished second at the HSBC/HKU Asia Pacific Business Case Competition 2021 held virtually by the University of Hong Kong (HKU) from May 30 to June 3, 2021. Among the top four, Shri Ram College of Commerce was crowned champion, followed by two Canadian universities in the respective second and third place, namely the University of Toronto and University of Alberta.
“Continuous support from the UGM Faculty of Economics and Business throughout the competition motivates us to deliver our best performance and do Indonesia and UGM proud,” said Erica Lesmana, Friday (4/6).
Before reaching the final, Critical One aced the national selection in February 2021 and was later selected as the only Indonesian representative. Throughout the rounds, they outperformed teams from various reputable universities, including Yonsei University, Thammasat University, National Taiwan University, Ateneo de Manila University, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, RMIT University, Singapore Management University, University of Belgrade, University of Toronto, The Open University of Hongkong, and more. Erika and the rest received guidance from HSBC Indonesia and the UGM coaching team to compete against these teams.
Critical One managed to complete a business case about “Puma’s Maya: South East Asia’s First Virtual Influencers” in 6 hours by proposing a strategy entitled “Embrace and Engage: Maya’s Travel Diary and HelloMaya!”. The judges of the competition are senior business practitioners consisting of Amit Sutha (Executive Director of Global Business at Mediabrands Content Studio), Suresh Balaji (Chief Marketing Officer-Asia Pacific), and Stuart Milne (Chief Executive Officer at HSBC Malaysia).
“We are proud of this achievement. It proves that the pandemic doesn’t dampen the courage and enthusiasm of our students to thrive and compete in global competitions. Hopefully, other students at our faculty will also get inspired by this achievement,” said Professor Mahfud Sholihin, Vice Dean for Academic and Student Affairs of the Faculty of Economics and Business.
Authors: PR of the UGM Faculty of Economics and Business & Khansa