Canadian Universities Sweep 10th International CaseIT Competition

The following article was published by the CIO Association of Canada

“The Future of Canadian IT is in Good Hands.”

For the first time since its inception in 2004, the International CaseIT competition, hosted annually by MIS (Management Information Students) at Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business, and co-sponsored by the CIO Association of Canada – Vancouver Chapter,  three Canadian teams have captured all three podium spots. This year’s sixteen qualifying teams hailed from Canada, the US, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and China. Previous winning universities include business schools from Singapore, Milan and Indiana.

CIOCAN’s Vancouver Chapter President Alex Buhler (CIO of MEC  Mountain Equipment Co-op) says “We’ve been proud sponsors of this event from the beginning. It’s such a terrific venue for MIS students to test and demonstrate their business acumen combined with technology smarts and mastery of communication. They are “walking the talk” of how today’s IT leaders must be multi-faceted business people and innovators, who understand market trends, the needs of consumers, and the ability of technology to provide clear business value. At CIOCAN, we are bullish on helping to develop the next generation of IT Leaders, and we heartily congratulate this year’s CaseIT winners from Kwantlen, Queens and Ryerson universities. We feel that the future of IT is in good hands.”

Dr. Blaize Horner Reich,  RBC Professor of Technology and Innovation at SFU’s Beedie School of Business, and a  member of the CIOAssociation’s Vancouver Board, has played a key role in fostering the partnership between Beedie and CIOCAN. “I’m always so impressed with the calibre of analysis and presentation that these undergraduate IS students are able to make under considerable pressure. They receive their case on a Friday and 24 hours later, they are presenting a fully illustrated business plan to a panel of distinguished jurists. This year’s case was about an entrepreneur who was developing a mobile exercise app and the students came up with some very innovative solutions”. The student organizers also deserve kudos for organizing and executing an outstanding international competition.

A new feature at CaseIT – the entrepreneur that the case was written about was skyped into the awards banquet from London, Ontario and had a discussion with the students who had just finished the analysis of his company.

Click here to read the article in its entirety at CIOCAN website.