For 30 years, the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Case Competition has been a defining moment for Ivey’s HBA1 students – a fast-paced test of teamwork, analysis, and communication that brings classroom concepts to life.
This year’s milestone event, held October 28–31, marked three decades of partnership between Ivey and BCG. Over four days, students were challenged to think like consultants as they tackled two cases on complex business problems reflecting real-world issues – from the opportunities of an aging population to the rapid evolution of digital banking.
The competition opened with remarks from Greg Critchley, HBA ’09, MBA ’13, PhD ’19, Principal at BCG, who shared insights from his own path from Ivey to consulting. Drawing on experiences across industries and roles, Critchley encouraged students to focus on framing the problem before jumping to solutions, to “lead with the answer” in their presentations, and to treat the experience as a window into what consulting is really like.
Finding opportunity in change
The first case, written by Assistant Professor in Organizational Behaviour Karen MacMillan, PhD ’13, asked students to explore new business opportunities in Canada’s expanding older-adult market. The challenge included a contemporary twist reflecting how technology is reshaping consulting work: students also had to evaluate an AI-generated plan and demonstrate how human insight could refine or improve upon it.
Tackling digital disruption
The second-round case, written by Dollar Luo, HBA/Computer Science ’23, and Ivey Professors Hubert Pun and Felipe Restrepo, focused on how a traditional bank might respond to increasing competition from FinTechs and the changing expectations of digital-age customers.
Both rounds challenged students to think strategically under tight timelines.
“It’s really about giving students a first-hand experience to try the consulting toolkit within the Ivey program,” said James Boudreau, HBA ’15, Partner at BCG. “For many, it’s their first glimpse of consulting – and for some, it becomes the start of their career path.”
Boudreau himself was hired by BCG after being exposed to the organization and consulting work through the competition and realizing it was a fit for him.
Learning through challenge
Through the experience, students navigate ambiguity, manage team dynamics, and learn to communicate complex ideas with clarity – skills that will prepare them to lead in an environment defined by rapid change, innovation, and disruption.
“We see students start here and get there really fast,” said MacMillan, who co-leads the competition alongside Associate Professor of Finance Felipe Restrepo. “They take it seriously, they grow tremendously over the course of the competition, and it’s exciting to watch that transformation in such a short time.”
Overall, the experience offers students a glimpse of what it takes to turn analysis into action and how collaboration can shape effective leadership.
“We didn’t expect this at all,” said Lucy Zhang, an HBA '27 candidate and one of the winning team members. “We just came in wanting to do our best, but even reaching the semifinals felt like an accomplishment. It still hasn’t really sunk in, but we’re so proud of how far we came together.”
After 30 years, the BCG Case Competition continues to reflect the kind of hands-on learning that defines Ivey’s approach to preparing students for today’s complex business world.
Congratulations to the winners
- First place (Section 7 – Team 8): Ben Hollohan, Julia Laszlo, Hellen Liu, Allen Roeun, Thomas Soliman, and Lucy Zhang;
- Second place (Section 9 – Team 3): Isaac Irwin, Sam Kamalarajan, Eshan Rasul, Nathan Sayeau, Breanna Skelly, and Jessica Wang;
- Third place (Section 2 – Team 12): Rami Abu Rafea, Samir Alimorad, Shakran Gazi, Will Kraus, Meryl Tu, and Debbie Wang; and,
- Fourth place (Section 8 – Team 11): Carson Berall, Jasalyn Jolly, Daniel Merkur, Alexander Papadopoulos, Eaden Rimon, and Amy Shi.
Thank you to the judges
- Ivey faculty: Scott Loveland, MBA ’17; Karen MacMillan, PhD ’13; Cameron McAlpine, PhD ’24; Felipe Restrepo;
- BCG judges (semi-final round): Julius Adu; Aly Dayani, HBA ’23; Zeyad Frkash, HBA ’20; Jake McMillan, HBA ’25; Mansi Sethi, HBA ’25; Rachel Tiku; Miren Vijayaranjan, HBA ’24; Catherine Zhang, HBA ’24; and,
- BCG judges (final round): James Boudreau, HBA ’15 (Partner, Toronto, BCG); Katherine Duff (Partner, Toronto, BCG); Stephanie Sucharda (Project Leader, Toronto, BCG).
