Singapore— An undergraduate team from SFU Business has garnered a top prize at one of Asia’s most prestigious business school competitions.

The SFU team – consisting of students Awin Ye, Matt Baril and William Trudeau – was awarded “Most Innovative Solution” at the Apex Global 2010 Case Competition, held last week in Singapore.

APEX Global is an annual international undergraduate business IT case competition hosted by Singapore Management University. A total of 24 teams from around the world – including Copenhagen Business School, University of Navarra, and University of Hong Kong – took place in the case competition, which concerned a New Zealand-based medical imaging company that faced several technological and managerial issues.

Over two preliminaries, and then a final round, the SFU team won their division and were awarded the most innovative solution. Other award winners at the event included Brigham Young University (best overall) and Singapore Management University (first runner up).

According to team advisor and SFU Business Assistant Professor Peter Tingling, the SFU team delivered a championship-calibre performance in a high-stakes environment – in front a global judging panel that included representatives from Microsoft, Citibank, Singapore Airlines and McKinsey & Co.

“Their solution went beyond the technology and developed ways to grow the firm,” said Tingling. “In the final round, for example, an expected twist was announced where a multinational had agreed to acquire the firm. The SFU team was the only one that reminded the judges that many acquisitions fail to close and that they should consider some type of contingency plans to mitigate risk.”

The Apex Global Challenge involves intensive collaborative work during an action packed week. Each university fields a team consisting of three graduate students and one or two faculty coaches. Teams independently analyze a complex crossover of business and IT and develop strategic management models and information systems accordingly.

For more information: www.apexcasechallenge.com