University of Western Ontario takes home the championship of
Citigroup International Case Competition 2006

Hong Kong, October 19, 2006 - University of Western Ontario from Canada has successfully competed against 16 other outstanding teams from leading business school around the world and become the winner of the Citigroup International Case Competition 2006 today. A team of four students from the University of Western Ontario took home the champion trophy. The three runners-up are Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, McGill University, University of California at Berkeley.

Jointly organized by Citigroup and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s School of Business and Management (HKUST Business School), and sponsored by Citigroup Foundation, the fourth Citigroup International Case Competition was held in Hong Kong from October 16-19, 2006. The competition attracted 17 teams from Canada, Hong Kong, Mainland China, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand and the US to compete for the coveted championship.

The case company, Café de Coral Holdings Ltd, provided valuable information for the case and strong support to the event. It also specially arranged a company visit and presentation for the 17 teams. Each team was required to conduct in-depth analysis and provide strategic recommendations to the case company within 30 hours. Team performances were evaluated by a judging panel of 19 members comprising senior executives from Café de Coral and Citigroup, HKUST professors, and business leaders from different industries.

Michael Y.K. Chan, Chairman, Café de Coral Holdings Ltd, commended the comprehensive analysis, dedicated hard work and business acumen of the students. “As Café de Coral continues to expand its business locally and internationally, it provides an unique and interesting case for students to analyze the management challenges and business opportunities that we are facing. I am pleased to see that they had kept an open mind and looked in all directions for answers, and have added value to our strategic thinking at the end of the day.”

T.C. Chan, Citigroup Country Officer, Hong Kong and Head of Greater China, Corporate and Investment Banking, said, “As local businesses increasingly aspire to become global, best practices' sharing across all levels is of utmost importance. Through the Citigroup International Case Competition, we hope to spread this sharing among the students, helping to nurture them to become our future business leaders. The participating teams' performance was impressive, I trust they will be able to take home with them some valuable lessons and experience of lifelong value.”

K.C. Chan, Dean, HKUST Business School, said, “The success of the competition is a result of the tremendous support from our sponsor Citigroup, the case company Café de Coral, the judges and everyone who has been working on this project for months. I am delighted to see that the competition has provided an excellent platform for students to exchange ideas and experiences in a truly multi-cultural environment.”

To see more : http://www.bm.ust.hk/news/citigroup_case_competition_2006/index.html