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IE Business School Students Advance to Global Student Challenge Final

IE Business School Students Advance to Global Student Challenge Final
More than 30,000 students compete for a spot in the world’s top competition for Value Chain Management.

For the first time, an IE Business School team has advanced to the finals in the Global Student Challenge, the world’s top competition for Value Chain Management. The four-member team from the Sales and Operations Planning elective in the International MBA program, made the cut using a simulation from class.“The team did a very good job in class in developing the mechanics of a Sales and Operations Planning process, that is, the process that ensures that company departments more involved in the supply chain work in a coordinated way,” said Gamaliel Martínez, the team’s professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management. “Part of their success is based on their internal coordination and their ability to analyze and present the effects in the company of the decisions they made.”Ana De La Gándara, Oscar Crespo, Jessenia Campoverde and Sergio Álvarez secured a spot in the Global Final, which will run April 30-May 6, 2022.More than 30,000 students compete for a spot at a Global Qualification Round, but only the top 10% of the teams from all curriculum courses worldwide receive invitations to one of the three Global Qualification Rounds. During these rounds, teams vie for a spot in the Global Final. The top 30% of the teams from Global Qualification Rounds qualifies for the Global Final, where they compete for the coveted Global Champion title and 10,000€ worth of prizes.The Global Student Challenge is the #1 Supply Chain Management Student Competition in the world, which allows students to gain valuable knowledge, further develop their skills, expand their professional network and much more. The Challenge pits teams from top business schools and universities against each other in the search for the world’s top talent in Value Chain Management. Students experience the life of a corporate executive by running their own virtual company together with their team.Team member Jessenia Campoverde said the team’s dynamics were crucial to the success.“As this competition brings us closer to reality, we have learned that it is extremely important to work and stick together as a team to make all decisions,” said Campoverde. “Additionally, by getting to know each other, the team also learned more about the different ways of thinking of each member of the group, which helped us better understand how to display data or potential decisions and work together more efficiently as a team.”


JESSENIA CAMPOVERDE


Sergio Álvarez highlighted the environment allowed them to learn in a realistic setting.

“This simulation helps us to determine the principal key of success managing a company—strategy, leadership, the importance of communication among departments and how to analyze the chain,” Álvarez said.

 

SERGIO ÁLVAREZ


Ana de la Gándara said the experience was not just educational, but also opened doors and an expansive professional network.

“We believe that competing in the final can be a great experience not only at the academic level as we are delving deeper into operations roles. On a personal level, we really want to be in contact with people from other universities and share experiences.”

 

ANA DE LA GÁNDARA


Óscar Crespo said the accomplishment speaks to the strong skills students learn at IE.

“We are proud to get to the final because it shows us once again the high-level education we had during our IMBA experience. We are happy to be able to represent IE Business School in this important challenge with our amazing team,” said Crespo.

 

ÓSCAR CRESPO


After eight years being hosted at Windesheim University, the Global Final Week was held online last year. More than 195 students in 48 participating teams from 33 different universities and 17 countries battled against each other for the title.

The team’s professor and mentor said it is an important accomplishment that the team has reached the final round.

“In the finals, they will be in touch with the best teams in the world, and they will gain valuable experience for their future jobs.”
Gamaliel Martínez, the team’s professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management

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