Team ‘The Dependables’ From North South University Wins Unilever’s BizMaestros 20214 min read
After a grueling competition among the top 6 contenders from 5 universities across Bangladesh, team ‘The Dependables’ became the champions of Unilever’s ‘BizMaestros 2021’. This is the first time any team from North South University has won the BizMaestros championship.
The Champion team- comprised of Taher Shabbir Mahuwala, Afnan Sayed, and Abrar Mahir Ahmed, will now have the unique opportunity to represent Bangladesh at the Global Platform of Unilever Future Leaders’ League (FLL 2021) in London, United Kingdom (UK), where they will compete against the brightest talents across the world for the global championship. They will also be forwarded in the recruitment process for Unilever’s flagship Management Trainee Programme, Unilever Future Leaders Programme (UFLP).
Besides the champions, it is noteworthy to mention the other two teams as well, who performed with sheer brilliance. The First Runner Up title goes to Team ‘Code Red’, consisting of Takia Mosharref Borsho, Takia Mosharref Nobo & Saziea Afrin Heme from the Islamic University of Technology University. Code Red’s team members are all comprised of females, coming from an entirely engineering background. Team ‘Leftover Pizza’ has been named the Second Runner Up. The Second Runner Up team members are Nazmus Sakib, Saleh Al Mamun and Tajwar Mohammed Al-Amin from IBA-Jahangirnagar University.
All these contenders from the top 3 teams will now be provided with the opportunity to avail of an internship under the Unilever Leadership Internship Programme (ULIP). Apart from the top 3 teams, those who qualify for the second round throughout the competition will be in the talent pipeline for future recruitment opportunities at Unilever Bangladesh.
Following all the COVID-19 guidelines and health safety protocols, the grand finale was arranged on 30th November at Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden in the capital, where the 6 finalist teams were evaluated by a panel of renowned business leaders and esteemed industry experts including Rupali Chowdhury, Managing Director of Berger Paints Bangladesh Ltd.; Syed Nasim Manzur, Managing Director of Apex Footwear Ltd.; Zaved Akhtar, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Unilever Bangladesh Ltd.; and KSM Minhaj, Managing Director of Unilever Consumer Care Ltd.
Zaved Ahktar, CEO and Managing Director of Unilever Bangladesh Limited said, “BizMaestros is grooming aspiring business leaders, which is fueled by Unilever Bangladesh’s commitment of upskilling one million youth with future-fit skills by 2030. The youth of Bangladesh have limitless untapped potential and they are our nation’s greatest resource. With a view to developing the country with strong economic growth, there is nothing more important than investing in the youth and equipping them with the appropriate skills so that they are prepared for the challenges and opportunities that come our way. Seeing the talented finalists present realistic solutions to actual problems that the business faces are an indicator of how effective this competition truly is to prepare them for being the leaders of tomorrow as BizMaestros is the gateway for students to experience the thrill of real business.”
With a view to developing leadership quality and analytical skills for the future among the youth, Unilever Bangladesh Limited’s (UBL) flagship business case competition- ‘BizMaestros 2021’ kicked off on 17 October. More than 340 students participated in the first round of ‘BizMaestros 2021’, where the three-member teams, only final year undergraduates, submitted their unique solutions to the real business cases. Then after a thorough assessment, the top 30 teams were forwarded to the semi-finale and the top 6 teams to the final round! The other 3 teams among the top 6 finalists were: ‘Team Moho’ and Team ‘Fan Club’ from IBA-Dhaka University and ‘Team Sabertooths’ from East West University.
Marking the milestone of 12 glorious years in providing students with the thrill of real business, this year ‘BizMaestros’ launched with the overarching theme: “Navigating in the New Normal”. Each round had a unique theme and a plethora of learning sessions, mentor connects, and learning materials to equip each participant with the proper skills to present their innovative solutions.
During the pandemic, students faced a lot of ambiguity and missed out on a lot of opportunities to actualize their classroom learnings in a practical context. To support the youth of Bangladesh, UBL has been continuing campus activities through digital channels since the pandemic began. So far, Unilever has created learning opportunities for more than 20,000 students through a series of campus engagements and skills enhancement sessions.
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