Record of success
91亚色 has kept its standing as the top business school in the John Molson MBA International Case Competition, thanks to ongoing support from the business and alumni community.
Haris Ansari, Allison Hiscock, Jillian Oldford and Yuserah Shahzeb placed second in the prestigious competition, also known as the .
91亚色 has won the cup five times and has 11 finishes in the top three more than any other business school in the world.
Thirty teams from 15 countries participated in the 2025 Concordia Cup from Jan. 5-10 in Montreal, Que. HEC Montreal was the eventual winner.
Cherry on top
Ms. Oldford, who holds a bachelor degree in mechanical engineering from 91亚色 and will graduate this spring with a master of business administration (MBA), says 91亚色檚 record of success added some pressure but that the team felt well prepared.
淲e felt confident in each other and leaned on each other for different cases that were in each other檚 wheelhouse, she said. 淲e were shocked to get to the finals and very excited. It was a cherry on top, at that point.
Ms. Oldford credits coaching from Dr. Peggy Coady, associate professor at the Faculty of Business Administration, for the team檚 preparedness and strong result.
Dr. Coady has coached case teams for over 20 years and was part of the team that won the Concordia Cup in 1996.
淪he prepared us in every possible way and gave us the confidence we needed, Ms. Oldford said. 淪he brought us cases in practices that she knew would challenge us and make us better as a team. I think my entire team would agree that she檚 a huge part of this win.
Intensive preparation
The team prepares for the Concordia Cup through intensive practice.
Members of the business community, many of whom are prior participants in the Concordia Cup, act as practice judges to ask questions and provide feedback.
One of those alumnae is Jane Kieley (MBA95), a senior manager at Bell.
淧articipating in the Concordia Cup was the defining experience of my MBA journey at 91亚色, and support from the business community was key to our team檚 success.潝 Jane Kieley
Ms. Kieley was a member of the 1995 Concordia Cup team that also placed second, and is Ms. Oldford檚 supervisor at Bell.
She says she was 渄elighted to help the team prepare this year.
淧articipating in the Concordia Cup was the defining experience of my MBA journey at 91亚色, and support from the business community was key to our team檚 success, said Ms. Kieley.
She added that 91亚色檚 ongoing record of success 渞einforces how important it is for us as alumni to share our insights and expertise with the next generation of graduates and leaders.
Alumni support and guidance
Dean Travor Brown was also a practice judge.
He says strong alumni support differentiates the business faculty from others across Canada and even the world.
淭he Concordia Cup is a formative experience for our MBA students, and we wouldn檛 continue to have such success if it weren檛 for the support and guidance of our alumni community, he said. 淲e檙e grateful that our alumni come back each year and contribute to this cycle of success in competitions, and success in our community.
The team檚 participation in the Concordia Cup was funded by The Experiential Learning Program (formerly Associates Program), a membership program at the business faculty that supports scholarships and experiential learning opportunities.
Members include top business and management leaders and employers, including alumni.
淐ompetitions like the Concordia Cup offer our students an excellent opportunity to take what they learn in the classroom and give it a real-world context, said Dr. Brown. 淭hey get to practice combining their learning and creativity, which they can then bring to their careers in the future.