Lazaridis International Case Competition celebrates successful inaugural event

Oct. 19, 2018

Lazaridis Hall was abuzz during reading week for the inaugural Lazaridis International Case Competition. Organized by a team of dedicated students (Tomas Marek, Jordan Hanser, Marnie McCormac, Alena Guits, Michael Kay and Vanessa Morsink) and Sofy Carayannopoulos, Associate Professor at the Lazaridis School, the competition welcomed nine academic teams and eleven professors from China, Mexico, the United States, Hungary, Thailand and Canada.  The tech-themed conference blended education and networking opportunities with challenging case questions.

The week-long event began with a Thanksgiving meal, a trip to Niagara Falls and a virtual reality team-builder. It continued with an Education Day where sponsors delivered “Tech talks” or spoke individually with students about technology disruption and solutions. Teams then participated in an intensive five-hour case, followed by a 24-hour case where they showcased their knowledge of integrated business principles, new technologies, and their ability to adapt to the ever-changing world of business. The three finalist teams presented to a panel of esteemed industry judges, sharing their unique solutions to finding the intersection between traditional banking and the emergence of FinTech.

Congratulations to the team from McGill University (Montreal, Canada), who took home first place! The team, O’Nell Agossa, Noemi Holczer, Alana D'Amico, Vera Barile, wowed the judges with their knowledge of the industry, available resources, and their clear and concise presentation skills.

A representative from the McGill team told us: 

"Wow what an experience! From start to finish the LAZICC 2018 team made Waterloo feel like a second home. Spending the week out in Waterloo was both a learning and bonding experience. The cases provided to us were insightful and allowed us to push our limits in terms of strategy, giving us the opportunity to step outside our comfort zones. Winning LAZICC has been an experience our team won't forget. We've met some awesome people and are honoured to have been part of such a well organized conference.”

We would also like to recognize the second place team, from the University of Vermont, Grossman School of Business (Vermont, USA), who presented many new, innovative ideas, including ways to foster a collaborative ecosystem. The third place recognition goes to Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business (Montreal, Canada) who incorporated some of the newest trends in technology into their solution.

"The Lazaridis International Case Conference was a memorable experience! The bonds we’ve formed, the learning experiences we’ve had and the amazing hospitality Waterloo students have shown us were truly remarkable." – delegate from Concordia University

Thanks to all of our corporate sponsors and judges for their support, as well as our faculty advisor,  Sofy, and the organizing team at the Lazaridis School.Without all of you, this event would not have been possible.

Thank you as well to all of the participating institutions –

• Purdue University (Krannert) West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
• University of Vermont, Grossman School of Business Vermont, USA
• Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong, China
• Budapest Business School Budapest, Hungary
• McGill University Montreal, Canada
• Concordia University, John Molson School of Business Montreal, Canada
• Tecnológico de Monterrey Mexico City, Mexico
• Simon Fraser University, Beedie School of Business BC, Canada
• University of Ottawa, Telfer School of Management Ottawa, Ontario

We would like to recognize all of the corporate sponsors –

• Title Sponsor: TD Bank
• Gold Sponsors: Shopify, HP, Cisco, Desire2Learn
• Silver sponsors: Sun Life Financial; Global; ON Semiconductor; Deloitte; PPI