Our team, (Joanna and Hufsah), recently competed at the Inter-Collegiate Business Competition (ICBC). The ICBC was hosted by Smith School of Business at Queen’s University from January 12-14. Today, we are excited to share our journey!
Joanna (left) and Hufsah (right)
In the preliminary round of the competition, we were tasked with developing a slideshow and creating a video recording to showcase our accounting knowledge and ability to communicate ideas effectively. Our case was centred around planning an audit for a new client. It was a great opportunity to leverage our previous co-op experiences and showcase our tangible skills.
Of the many schools that participated, our team persevered and secured a spot as a top-six finalist! We were looking forward to the final weekend, especially after discovering that we would meet students from across Canada, Hong Kong, Australia and the United States.
The final round, which took place in Kingston, brought a unique set of challenges. With only five and a half hours to read the case, analyze and prepare our presentation — the pressure was on. The case itself was incredibly dynamic as it tested our ability to apply technical accounting knowledge while balancing relevant sustainability trends. We also had to ensure our solution aligned with the values of Indigenous communities. After lots of collaboration, our team delivered our final presentation and won third place!
Overall, the ICBC was an incredible experience. We were able to refine our skills and apply our learnings from previous School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) courses and work experiences.
Our third-place win at ICBC wouldn’t be possible without guidance from our amazing faculty mentors, Mark Arnason and Shari Mann.
If you are a current student in the University of Waterloo’s SAF, we encourage you to seize the opportunity to participate in case competitions too!