They took on the world…and won!
A team of graduate and undergraduate students from Purdue University's Krannert School of Management won first place at the Rubicon 2011 Contest, held March 1-3 in Iserlohn, Germany. Team members Matt Bartlett (MBA '12), Philip Lu (MBA '11), Thomas Trachtman (MBA '11), and Karan Ahuja (BSM/BSEE '11) beat 23 other international teams participating in the international case competition for business students.
The 24 teams featured 96 students from 30 different countries. A team from the University of Sydney finished second, with the University of British Columbia coming in third and HHL Leipzig finishing fourth.
The topic of this year's competition was the future of mobility. The Krannert team, called the "ChangeMakers," survived four rounds of competition to take home the top prize. The showing continued a solid run for Purdue at the event; last year's team finished second overall in the international contest.
More about the winning team members:
- Ahuja is a double major in electrical engineering and management, and will graduate in December 2011. He is a native of Mumbai, India, and has interned with Landis & Gyr in Lafayette and IOL Netcom in India. He's president of Delta Sigma Pi, a professional fraternity, and was community service chair of Eta Kappa Nu, an honor society.
- Lu received a bachelor's degree from Krannert, and he will earn his MBA in May. The Naperville, Illinois, native worked as a technology risk consultant with Protiviti, and has interned with several companies, including Caterpillar, Rolls-Royce, and Clarian Health Partners. He has served as vice president for several Krannert clubs, and is an MBA program mentor.
- Trachtman is a 3+2 student at Krannert, which will allow him to earn his bachelor's and MBA in five years. He'll graduate in May. He has interned with Lands' End, Boeing, and Angie's List. Originally from Carmel, Indiana, Trachtman also has served on the Old Masters Central Committee and currently serves as a grad assistant for the Krannert Executive Forum.
- Bartlett also is a 3+2 student, and will earn his MBA in May 2012. He has interned with Global Supply Chain Group in Australia and Heinz North America, and has additional study abroad experience in China and Taiwan. The native of Chesterfield, Missouri, is vice president of public relations for the Purdue Foundation Student Board.