The College of the North Atlantic - Qatar (CNA-Q) has hosted dozens of the region’s best business-minded students for the newly-minted Al Ruwad Regional Business Case Competition. Twelve teams representing Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Canada, participated in the
renamed competition.
CNA-Q has hosted a business case competition for seven years, welcoming teams from across Qatar, as well as a team from CNA in Newfoundland and Labrador. This year, to focus on competitors from the GCC region, the competition was rebranded as the Al Ruwad Case Competition. Al Ruwad, which is Arabic for “pioneer,” embodies the spirit of the competitors and the competition.
Over two days of competition, teams presented individual case scenarios to a team of expert judges, including CNA-Q instructors and members from local industry. Cumulative scores then determined the top four teams, who competed in the final presentation.
In the end, the top three positions went to Tartan Consultants (Carnegie Mellon University - Qatar), 709 Solutions (College of the North Atlantic - Canada) and Banat Consultants (CNA-Q). The three teams were joined by teams from Fujairah College, Jubail Industrial College, Jubail University College, Sharjah Women’s College, Stenden University Qatar, and Texas A&M University Qatar.
The event was sponsored by Doha Bank.
“We have a long relationship with Doha Bank,” CNA-Q president Dr Ken MacLeod said, adding, “Over the past several years, we have provided specialised training for dozens of Doha Bank employees through our corporate training division, and they have been a strong supporter of our banking programme. Their sponsorship of the Al Ruwad Case Competition is further evidence of our on-going partnership.”
Doha Bank Group CEO Dr R Seetharaman said, “Doha Bank’s association with CNA-Q goes back many years, and we are delighted to once again join hands with them on this
laudable initiative.”
He added, “Competitions such as these provide students an opportunity to challenge themselves and test their ability in dealing with real-world business issues, working within tight deadlines to come up with innovative solutions to simulated business problems. It gives them a unique, hands-on learning experience, and we at Doha Bank are happy to play a part in supporting the students’ onward journey towards excellence.”
Highlighting the importance of this type of competition to local industry, the judging panel represented a wide range of organisations across Qatar, including Bedaya Centre, Beyond Qatar, CMUQ, Commercial Bank, Deloitte, Doha Bank, Entrepreneurship Incubator, Girnass, ictQatar, Ooredoo, Qatar Development Bank, Shell, VCUQ, and Vodafone.