MSc Consultancy Competition 2025 - Final presentations and awards
Students celebrate entrepreneurship consultancy project success
Last week, MSc students from Nottingham University Business School showcased their hard work and innovation in the final stage of the MSc Company based Consultancy Challenge 2025.
Launched earlier this year, the competition challenged students to work in teams to solve real-world business problems set by local participating companies. Each organisation partnered with two student teams, encouraging a range of innovative approaches and fresh perspectives. Throughout the process, students were supported by academic mentors, including the Business School’s Professors of Practice, and company representatives, ensuring professional insight and guidance.
After three weeks of research, analysis and problem-solving, teams presented their final recommendations to a panel of business partners, mentors, and peers. A Q&A session followed each presentation to explore the research and proposed solutions in more depth.
The event concluded with an awards ceremony, during which participants gathered to reflect on their experience and celebrate the MSc Consultancy Competition 2025.
Dr Thanaset Chevapatrakul, Associate Professor in Finance, MSc Company Consultancy Challenge Coordinator, and Director of Student Recruitment at the Business School, opened the ceremony by thanking the participating businesses for their continued support and collaboration.
Professor Andrew Bacon, Associate Dean for External Engagement, praised the high standard of work and the real-world impact of the students’ contributions. He said:
“This competition offers students a unique opportunity to develop consultancy, teamwork, and communication skills while delivering practical value to business clients. Congratulations to all participants for their innovation, professionalism, and the quality of their deliverables. Thanks also to our local partner companies for setting these challenging and real-world briefs for our students”
During the presentations, business partners and the academic mentors shared feedback, commending students for their professionalism, creativity, and strategic thinking.
MSc Consultancy Competition 2025 - company teams and awards
Notts County Foundation
Mentor: Professor Andrew Bacon, Professor of Practice
Business partner: Emma Trent and Josh Stevenson
Feedback: Emma praised the actionable nature of the student proposals, noting how the recommendations aligned with both the Foundation’s current work and future ambitions.
Runners-up: Team one – Anudeep Sridhar, Akilsurya Palanisamy Gomathi, Bhakti Ayalane, Bledja Kouadio, Li Yuanyue, Vishwajeet Kuber Pal
Winning team: Team two – Aakash Parameswaran, Harsh Kadu, Liu Yurong, Malay Rakesh Atha, Meghana Sanjith, Yu Caiwei
Radiant Cleaners
Mentor: Professor Andrew Bacon, Professor of Practice
Business partner: Adam Kirkup
Feedback: Adam complimented both teams on their excellent ideas and high level of professionalism.
Runners-up: Team two – Debadrita Roy, Monish Mokka, Omer Bicimveren, Shubham Vijay Thakkar, Tamasree Chakraborty, Wei Jianing
Winning team: Team one – Cui Wanhe, Dominic Paul, Fiza Iqbal, Nipun Manish Garg, Tian Zhiyang, Ziyi Peng
Busch Vacuums
Mentor: David Pemberton, Professor of Practice
Business partner: Garvit Mehta (MBA - University of Nottingham alumni 2023)
Feedback: Garvit highlighted the challenges of addressing complex technical markets such as hydrogen, pharma, and food, and praised the students’ curiosity, effort, and insightful questions.
Runners-up: Team two - Anthony-Earl Diallo, Bhumika Mina, Jin Li, Kriti Guliani, Yash Sudhir Somalwar
Winning team: Team one - Mohan Ashok Gowda, Nishita Rattesar, Ruwaid Wange, Saili Sawantt, Yu Xiong
IBM
Mentor: Laura Bond, Professor of Practice
Business partner: John McNamara
Feedback: John highlighted how close the two presentations from the student were, as both were of excellent quality with insights which IBM had not previously considered. Both team’s recommendations will be taken forward.
Runners-up: Team one – Akshaya Subramanian, Jin Hongda, Murad Al Nimri, Priyanka Deepak Nale, Wang Ziqi, Ziyi Meng
Winning team: Team two – Clara Benita Jesula Justin Thomas, Kathryn Sugeng, Shokhabbos Khabibullaev, Vivek Giriyappa, Xiao Loh
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR)
Mentor: Professor Andrew Callaghan, Professor of Practice
Business partner: Lee Cooper-Blair
Feedback: Professor Callaghan emphasised the importance of storytelling in consultancy presentations, while Lee commended the depth of research, particularly considering that students were also working on their dissertations.
Runners-up: Team one – Haya Jafri, Imamura Yuma, Li Chengwei, Priscilla Ewurama Mawusi, Tiree Daly
Winning team: Team two – Gunjan Kalra, Kaushik Ajit Bodhare, Minh Duc Le, Peng Deng, Revati Balachandran, Zheng Weiling
The Treat Kitchen
Mentor: Professor Keith Burgess, Professor of Practice
Business partners: Jess Barnett and Lydia McDonald
Feedback: Jess and Lydia were impressed with both teams’ communication and the overall standard of work.
Runners-up: Team two – Jiawen Song, Liu Yuyan, Mika Osola, Parth Abhijit Patil
Winning team: Team one – Abhilash Anilkumar Nair, Huang Biying, Miaoyan Zhou, Purnima Mangalya Thamilselvan, Samvit Chatterjee, Shikha Vimal Jain
Student reflections:
The MSc Company Consultancy Competition remains a cornerstone of experiential learning at the University of Nottingham Business School, providing students with a powerful opportunity to apply their knowledge, work collaboratively, and engage with industry.
Participating student Akshaya Subramanian reflected on the experience:
“Taking part was an incredible opportunity to apply our academic knowledge to real-world business challenges. Collaborating with industry professionals and peers not only sharpened our skills but also gave us invaluable experience and confidence for our future careers.”
More information:
Find out more about Company based challenges.
Posted on Thursday 3rd July 2025