UNSW Sydney claims victory in the 10th edition of the BI International Case Competition

Throughout the week, the students worked on two challenging business cases from Aker Solutions and Equinor. They also enjoyed a boat trip on the Oslofjord, took part in a scavenger hunt and a sauna session, visited Oslo City Hall, and created unforgettable memories.

“BIICC 2025 has been absolutely fantastic. The level of the teams has been sky-high, we have had two amazing case partners, and I think I speak for everyone when I say that the week has been a success,” says Hilde Spæren, Project Manager for the BIICC. 

Green technology

Aker Solutions presented the first case. The teams had 10 hours to develop a strategy to position the company as a global leader in green technology.

EVA Consulting impressed the jury the most with their #PoweringToGreen plan to allow Aker Solutions to position itself as a global leader in sustainable solutions.

Their plan included three phases: Establish, Execute, and Expand.

“We will start by building key offshore wind facilities near our partners. Next, we will launch our Repurposing-as-a-Service offering through energy hubs. Finally, we will expand our partner network beyond our current collaborations,” they explained.

The jury was impressed by all the finalists. According to one jury member, they have seen experienced consultants in business meetings struggle more than the students did.

“EVA Consulting won because their presentation was the most analytical and comprehensive, their solution was realistic, and they gave strong answers to all our questions,” says Haakon Berg, SVP of Mergers and Acquisitions at Aker Solutions and jury member.

Bargain margins

After the preliminary round, three teams remained in the final of the 30-hour second case: EVA Consulting from UNSW Sydney, Insight Solutions from HEC Montréal, and Ildsjel Advisory from Corvinus University of Budapest.

Their task was to find out what the business potential of long-duration energy storage for Equinor in the future energy system in Europe is.

EVA Consulting convinced the jury with the suggestion that Equinor should focus on hydrogen for long-duration energy storage in the UK.

“It is a great feeling to win both cases! Seeing the results of our team's dedication and hard work is truly rewarding. There is no one else I would rather be here with,” says Hritika Ghosh from EVA Consulting.

Morten Halleraker and Uma Ranganathan from Equinor were impressed with all the teams.

“We have heard very impressive solutions to real problems the world is struggling with today. All three teams were good at every criterion; it was hard to pick a winner,” says Morten Halleraker, SVP and Head of New Business and Investments, Equinor.

The best part of the week

Even though BIICC is about solving complex, real-world business cases, it is also about having fun and making friends with students from around the world.

“Aside from all the casing, the best part of the week has been meeting like-minded students from across the world. I have made a lot of friends from this experience,” says Matthew Tae-Ho Kuk from EVA Consulting, smiling.

The Australians from EVA Consulting were also lucky enough to see more than Oslo.

“We traveled to Tromsø before the case competition, where we saw the northern lights and fed reindeers. It was an amazing way to connect with Norwegian culture, and we learned a lot of new things about the country,” says Lola Ruth Raley enthusiastically.

BI’s Hilde Spæren is excited for the future of the BIICC.

“BIICC 2025 is a wrap, the students are returning to their universities, and we are already looking forward to next year.”

BIICC 2025

• 2025 marks the 10th edition of BI International Case Competition.
• This year's participating schools included BI Norwegian Business School, Copenhagen Business School, Corvinus University of Budapest, CUHK Business School, FEP UPORTO, HEC Montréal, IE University, North Carolina State University, Rotterdam University AS, University of Southern California, University of Technology Sydney, and UNSW Sydney.