Spotlight on the RBC/DeGroote Business Case Challenge

(L-R): Sarah Banks, senior manager, performance enablement; RBC representative; Roshean Thomas, DeGroote business student; Nicole Martin, DeGroote business student; Oren Kumer, director, performance enablement; and RBC representative.

To help bridge the gap between the business and academic worlds, DeGroote partners with one of Canada’s biggest banks to offer additional hands-on learning through the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) / DeGroote Business Case Challenge.

Business school students were divided up into teams and given a business case from each of the RBC’s six lines of business. Each team was expected to provide a solution to the problem or situation presented in one business line case. The teams were then invited to attend a networking event on November 13 to present their ideas in front of an RBC panel.

“RBC is helping students build the skills that they need for the future,” said Jeff Ollinger, senior manager, Royal Bank of Canada. “We are challenging and encouraging youth be more engaged in career exploration, utilize creativity, and develop innovative solutions to practical real-world scenarios.”

Students from the best performing teams in the category of human resources and investor and treasury services share their experience participating in the challenge.

Nicole Martin and Roshean Thomas – Human Resources

As part of the human resources line of business our question focused on performance enablement and how to improve employee performance while focusing on scalability. In presenting our solution to the judges, we created a website based on emerging theories in HR and that would allow for scalability and improved performance. The main features of our website were designed to allow for continuous learning and employee engagement. Our objective was to have a unique solution that was supported by theory and statistics and that would be supported by all RBC employees.

“This was an amazing experience to be part of. It’s a great opportunity to apply what you learn at school into real life situations. It allowed me to practice and improve on my soft skills and I’d highly recommend getting involved in this program,” said Nicole Martin.

Talha Jahan and Mebby Mengele – Investor and Treasury Services

(L-R) Anton Suphal, director, product strategy; Talha Jahan, DeGroote business student; Mebby Mengele, DeGroote business student; Sarah Balaban, recruiter, early talent acquisition; and Mairi Cote, manager, early talent programs.

We received two challenge statements related to global international payment service institutions and some industry trends to be aware of. That was all the information we had, aside from a description of Investor and Treasury Services. It was a very open-ended challenge that required creative solutions. Our team collaborated and focused on a solution that facilitated interoperability that addressed the RBC’s needs on a global perspective.

“It’s not often that you get to apply the knowledge you acquire in class to real life problems facing organizations as large as RBC,” said Talha Jahan. “I am thankful that this challenge granted me the opportunity to work and compete with future business leaders and provided me with insight and career advice from professionals within RBC.”

The RBC/DeGroote Business Case Challenge developed the students’ skills in problem-solving, increased their visibility in their fields of interest and improved their essential skills. RBC offered guaranteed interviews to members of the best performing team in each challenge line.