Five UCR teams from the A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management (AGSM) recently participated in 2024 Global Case Competition sponsored by USC Marshall School of Business and UBS.
Ten schools worldwide were invited to participate, and a UCR team, Trinity, was selected to advance to the final round. Team members were MBA students Sonal Agrawal ’24, Trang Bui ’24, Karen Ngo ’24, and Jiabei Hu ’22, and Agrawal explains the business issue they tackled: “UBS seeks to develop a strategic initiative to engage young adults, ages 21 to 35, who are connected to their current high- and ultra-high-net-worth clients by leveraging its leadership in sustainable investing.”
The goal, adds Agrawal, “is to build lasting relationships between these rising generations and their family’s financial advisor teams, focusing on wealth growth and sustainable investment education.”
This involves targeted marketing, educational programs, networking opportunities emphasizing financial literacy, sustainability, and generational wealth strategies, she says.
“We brainstormed and refined innovative strategies focusing on engaging young adults with UBS’s financial advisors through personalized investments, financial literacy programs, and networking initiatives,” says Agrawal of Trinity’s preparation for the final competition. “Our approach was data driven and involved consultations with UBS employees to ensure a practical proposal.”
Team members’ preparation included an orientation session, in-depth industry research on the wealth-management industry, sustainable investing, collaboration with professors, and funding secured from AGSM staff for logistics.
“In the competition, we dove into sustainable finance, addressing gaps in wealth management and digital adaptation. We applied a $200,000 budget from UBS for practical solutions,” says Agrawal of the foursome’s strategy. “We gained insights into portfolio management, personal
investing, financial advisor roles, and the Gen Z mindset.
“This experience enriched our understanding of finance, blending theory with real-world application, and equipped us with valuable skills for our future careers.”
Agrawal, who plans a career in the tech industry with a senior product manager position, encourages fellow graduate students to participate in similar case competitions for “invaluable exposure to real-world business challenges, direct mentorship from industry leaders, and the chance to network with peers from top global universities. It’s a must for ambitious MBA students.”
She also gives a shoutout to her Trinity team members: “Teamwork is really important in such competitions.” Their participation was enhanced, she says, by “the diversity, collaboration, and respect within our team, highlighting the value of our collective effort and learning journey.”
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Header image (from left to right): Trang Bui ’24, Sonal Agrawal ’24, Karen Ngo ’24, and Jiabei Hu ’22