Global Final week 2018 – Global Student Challenge

After a spectacular week full of company interaction, networking, teamwork & team building, and of course international competition at the highest level, the Award Ceremony was the highlight to top off the Global Final Week 2018. The Fresh Print from McGill University, Canada convincingly claimed the championship title of this year’s Global Student Challenge. This year for the first time the two tracks, The Cool Connection (TCC) and The Fresh Connection (TFC), merged during the Global Final Week forcing all teams to play 3 rounds of both simulations. The Canadian team, consisting of fulltime Master students, that won the North- & South America Regional Final in January had an outstanding performance throughout the 3 rounds of The Fresh Connection, claiming 1st spot halfway through the competition. The Cool Connection track resulted in a fierce battle but in the end the team from McGill University prevailed and was awarded this year’s crown and €10,000 in cash!

Team Nameless Four from Indian Institute of Management Lucknow took the second place earning €6,000 in cash. The third place, based on combined ranking in both tracks, ended up in a tie between team Sparkling Lint from Cal Poly Pomona, USA and team Handpoli from University of Sao Paulo (USP), Brazil. Ultimately, team Handpoli was the one to step onto the podium claiming victory for Brazil and earning €4,000 in cash.

The Global Final week allowed students and teachers from 18 countries, and 23 nationalities to interact with each other, share their culture and take back to their countries unforgettable experiences that last a lifetime. Student activities, workshops for teachers, company visits to Heineken, Scania, and the Aalsmeer Flower Auction, a field trip to the highly advanced harbour of Rotterdam and much more was part of this year’s Global Final week at Windesheim University of Applied Sciences in The Netherlands.

This year turned out to be a year of many firsts! For the first time a Global Village was created on campus at Windesheim to house the 27 teams attending the Global Final. The Global Village was extremely successful in creating even more of an opportunity to make friends, socialize, and build an international network.

Another first was that this year The Talent Connection, responsible for the talent program of the Global Student Challenge, had invited top companies who were looking to recruit fresh talent. One of the key objectives of the Global Student Challenge is to act as a bridge between students looking for career opportunities and companies scouting for top talent worldwide. Therefore, a full day of company interaction by means of various assignments was part of the week’s program. We were very proud to have companies with an international footprint present such as Amgen, KPMG, Heineken, VMI, Henkel, PwC, Buck Consultancy International (BCI), DS Smith, Friesland Campina, Arrow Electronics, and ASML. The companies got to see students in action allowing them to identify top potentials and together with The Talent Connection start the recruitment process.

The next edition will again hold many surprises as we strive to evolve and improve every year. So keep an eye out for news about the next edition of the Global Student Challenge.

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