Undergraduate duo advance to KPMG International Case Competition

Beedie undergraduates Alex Mason and Mthabisi Mhlanga will travel to Dubai to represent Canada after winning the National stage of the 2015 KPMG Ace the Case competition. From left to right: Mthabisi Mhlanga, team member Kathy Huang, team member Kimberly Chang, Alex Mason, Kate Vondette, KPMG Manager of Talent Acquisition, Sarah Patterson, KPMG Talent Attraction Coordinator, and KPMG Staff Accountant Brandon Tracey.

Beedie School of Business undergraduate students Alex Mason and Mthabisi Mhlanga will take to the international stage to represent Canada in the KPMG International Case Competition.

The duo are part of the team that won the national stage of the KPMG Ace the Case Competition on March 6, and will now pit their wits against representatives from 28 different countries in Dubai, UAE, from April 13 to 16.

Along with their teammates Kimberly Chang and Kathy Huang, both UBC students, Mason and Mhlanga qualified for the national stage after winning the Vancouver regional competition.

The team trained for the national stage at the Vancouver KPMG offices, where they practiced cases under the watchful eye of several KPMG mentors. The competition then required them to present their case via videoconference in front of a panel of eight guest judges from industry.

“The national stage of the competition was more intense than the previous round, requiring team work and a lot of analytical and problem solving skills.” says Mason. “I had never expected to get this far in the competition and it is an amazing feeling to represent our country on the international stage.”

“The national competition was quite a nerve-racking experience, particularly since KPMG Vancouver has a reputation of doing well at this stage,” says Mhlanga. “At the same time though, it was really enjoyable – we all really came together as a team and had fun with the case we were tasked with analyzing. Representing Canada at the International stage of the competition in Dubai will be an amazing opportunity.”

The KPMG Ace the Case program consists of three stages of competition: local, national and global. The competition comprises a two-day workshop and competition hosted in each of KPMG’s four national offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal.

The workshops are designed and delivered by KPMG and geared towards first, second and third year commerce students with a long-term interest in pursuing a professional public accounting designation.

For more information on the KPMG International Case Competition visit www.kpmg.com/global/en/careers/whatcanido/careerlevels/students/kicc/pages/default.aspx