The Indivisibles left to right: Katharine Beattie; Adam Broadbent; Chie Min Teng, mentor; Ronald Liong;  Benjamin White

Business School team triumphs in the CIMA Global Business Challenge 2012

The Indivisibles, one of the two teams from the Business School that made it to the UK final of the CIMA Global Business Challenge has been crowned the UK champion.

The team members are Adam Broadbent, Katharine Beattie, Ronald Liong and Benjamin White, and they have been mentored by Chie Min Teng.

The team also collected two further awards including Best Video award and Best Presenter, won by Benjamin White. The finals were held on 15 June 2012 in London.

The Indivisibles will now go on to represent the UK at the global final which will be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 23 and 24 July. They will be competing against 21 other teams, each champion in their respective countries. They will inevitably be up against the very best but Adam Broadbent, the team leader, believes that victory is possible, he commented:

“This competition has been a marathon of an event, but I had no idea at the start the enjoyment that would be had, the skills I would develop and the amazing people I would meet. My aim was to get my teeth into something outside of the University and outside of the structure of the modules.

“Writing a report, filming a video, creating a presentation and working within a small team for over six months has really developed my skill set. Being able to get to the UK final and, in one day, show off my skills and my personality, as well as being able to network, was a wonderful opportunity. The thought of winning and heading to the global final in Sri Lanka was always in the back of my mind but the most enjoyable part has been the team I have worked with. We have all grown in different ways throughout the process and hopefully our unity will shine through in Sri Lanka.”

Ronald Liong underlined the value of the challenge in linking knowledge to practice: “The challenge has boosted our confidence to be amongst the business leaders of tomorrow. It has also reaffirmed what we learnt in our course - that Management Accounting is no longer just about the bottom line and costs, but rather, the value that our decisions bring to the business, to society, and to the environment. And it is reassuring to know that what we learn in our lectures is relevant to the business world of today and tomorrow.”

Katharine Beattie further points out the many benefits of the competition: “I think the competition is a great opportunity to improve team working skills and on reaching the final, presentation and networking skills. It is also great for the CV and increasing employability. Our team has definitely got closer and everyone has gained more confidence in themselves and their abilities. I would recommend this competition to any student as although it has been challenging and time consuming, the effort has been well worth it!”

Professor Robin Mason, Dean concluded: “I would like to congratulate all our finalists, but particularly the Indivisibles who have been rewarded as worthy winners for all the hard work they have put into this competition. I would also extend my congratulations to their mentor, Chie Min Teng who has also given considerable amounts of time and energy, over and above the day-to-day workload, to help both teams to this fantastic achievement. The whole School wishes them well at the International finals in July.”

Date: 21 June 2012