American University of Beirut Wins the HKUST International Case Competition 2024

HONG KONG, Oct. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The HKUST International Case Competition (HKICC) 2024 concluded successfully at the HKUST campus on October 2. After several rounds of presentation, American University of Beirut emerged as the HKICC 2024 Champion, outshining 15 teams from top-tier international business schools with their exceptional solutions to complex, real-world business challenges. University of Toronto and National University of Singapore were awarded the Second and Third places respectively, while American University of Beirut won the Outstanding Business Concept Award with their groundbreaking ideas. 

The HKICC 2024, organized by the School of Business and Management of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST Business School) and supported by HSBC, is the premier business case competition in Asia, aiming to unlock the potential of young talent, broaden their horizons, and promote cross-cultural exchange by challenging undergraduate teams to tackle real-world business cases.

The 7-day event gathered 16 teams from universities in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Hong Kong SAR, Hungary, Lebanon, Mainland China, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, and the USA. Each team engaged in a Mini Case Competition and a Main Case Competition, with five and 24 hours of preparation time respectively, to formulate actionable strategies for pressing business cases. The students and their advisors also visited Po Lin Monastery and Tai O Fishing Village, and enjoyed a night tram party to explore Hong Kong's rich cultural heritage.

Prof. Kai‐Lung HUI, Acting Dean of the HKUST Business School, said, "The HKICC 2024 exemplifies our commitment to excellence, collaboration, and internationalization. We believe that both the case sponsor and students would benefit from tackling the challenges and transforming ideas into impactful solutions in this competition. We are grateful to HSBC for their continued sponsorship this year. We are thrilled that this edition of HKICC featured an expanded scope with a greater number of participants and more cases to solve, highlighting the dynamism of our city and HKUST's capabilities in hosting international competitions."

David GRIMME, Chief Operating Officer, HSBC Asia-Pacific, said, "This is the second year of our collaboration with HKUST, as we are deeply committed to supporting the development of Hong Kong's future business leaders. HKICC 2024 competition provides a unique platform for students from leading business schools around the world, to showcase their capabilities, exchange ideas, and forge valuable connections. We encourage all participants to embrace this opportunity, as their innovative ideas and solutions can serve as inspiration within our industry and beyond."

Distinguished business leaders including Ms Goska GRABEK, Chief of Staff, COO Asia-Pacific Office of HSBC, Mr Darren SHAW, Head of Wealth and Personal Banking Operations HSBC, Mr Luciano ROMANO, Head of Wholesale Servicing Operations HSBC, Mr. Samuel FUNG, Vice President, Product and Marketing, Starbucks Coffee Asia Pacific, and Mr. Michael HO, Partner at Oliver Wyman served as panel judges at the final round, deciding the winners for this keen competition.

List of Awards:

1. Champion: American University of Beirut
2. First Runner-up: University of Toronto
3. Second Runner-up: National University of Singapore
4. Outstanding Business Concept Award : American University of Beirut
5. Best Presenter Award: Mr. Alexander Wakim (American University of Beirut)

List of Participating Teams of HKICC 2024

Asia Pacific

• Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
• Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, HKSAR
• National University of Singapore, Singapore
• Singapore Management University, Singapore
• Tsinghua University, Mainland China
• University of New South Wales, Australia
• University of Sydney, Australia

Europe

• Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
• Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary
• University of Navarra, Spain

North America

• University of British Columbia, Canada
• University of California, Berkeley, USA
• University of South Carolina, USA
• University of Southern California - Marshall School of Business, USA
• University of Toronto, Canada

Middle East

• American University of Beirut, Lebanon

About HKUST Business School

The HKUST Business School is young, innovative and committed to advancing global business knowledge. The School has forged an international reputation for world class education programs and research performance, and has received many top global rankings. For more details about the School, please visit https://bm.hkust.edu.hk.