In recent years, data analysis has become the cornerstone of strategic business decisions. That’s why Ivey’s Hack the Case analytics competition is one of the most important learning opportunities for students in Ivey’s MSc Business Analytics stream. The competition, held virtually April 8-20, challenged the students to analyze Scotiabank’s loyalty program and recommend ways to improve customer engagement. Four finalist teams were selected from preliminary presentations and advanced to a final round before Hack the Case judges for a chance at a cash prize.
“The competition allows our students to work on a real problem, with real data, while receiving mentorship from our corporate partners,” said Kyle Maclean, HBA ’12, PhD ’17, an assistant professor of Management Science who was the faculty lead for Hack the Case. “It is a key component of linking the classroom to practice and in preparing our students to work on important business challenges.”
Learning about the role of an analytics professional
In addition to giving the students a chance to understand a real business problem and determine a recommendation, the students also get to learn from corporate leaders who work in business analytics. Prior to the event kick-off, the students spent three days training with representatives from SAS, one of Ivey’s corporate partners for the event, along with Deloitte, Scotiabank, and the Centre for Advanced Computing.
“The competition provides an opportunity for participants to solve real-world problems, including constraints and challenges similar to those in a corporate setting,” said Snehal Patel, Senior Manager of Omnia AI, Deloitte's AI Consulting practice. “The experience and learnings help the students prepare for the job market and provide an excellent growth platform.”
Investing in the next generation of business leaders
Mark Morreale, National Lead of the Academic Program at SAS Canada, said Hack the Case is one example of how SAS invests in the next generation of Data Science professionals.
“Ivey analytics students spend one week each year using the SAS platform in the cloud working with real, large corporate datasets and tight deadlines. In doing so, they learn from leading-edge companies like Scotiabank, Deloitte, and SAS to make themselves ready for the marketplace,” he said. “Five years and running, Ivey Hack the Case sees students emerge with more confidence and real-world experience. SAS looks forward to growing this program with Ivey and expanding on the current success and learnings from the students.”
Kevin Teslyk, Executive Vice President of Canadian Business Banking at Scotiabank, said Scotiabank and Ivey have a relationship that spans over 34 years and the annual Hack the Case competition is one of many initiatives launched through the partnership that provides clear benefits to Scotiabank, its employees, and the community at large.
“Every year, Scotiabank looks forward to participating in this event and seeing a new generation of business leaders emerge,” said Teslyk. “Our partnership with the Ivey Business School is invaluable and it’s inspiring to know that the future of business is in great hands with the talent that was showcased through this competition and the graduates of this educational institution. This year’s Hack the Case students should be extremely proud of their accomplishment.”
And the winners are…
Congratulations to the winning team, Team 2, SAShimi, made up of Mubasshira Khalid, Aelon Nicolson, Vincent Wang, Cici Sun, and Max Zhang.
Other finalists:
- Team 7, SASquatch – Dhruvika Angrish, Nishwanth Dhamordaran, Iris Li, Ethan Poris, Rebecca Shi, and Owen Wang;
- Team 10, SaSsy Solutions – Richard Chan, Kennedy Confurius, Kecheng Jin, Veronica Moore, Derek Pirraglia, and Connie Wang; and,
- Team 13, Sons of Analysts – Andrew Klein, Liza-Marie Muhairwe, Valay Shah, Leo Sun, and Bonnie Xu.
Meet the Hack the Case judges
Thank you to all of the Hack the Case judges from Deloitte, SAS, Scotiabank, and Ivey.
Deloitte:
Jeff Booth, Manager (AI Strategy) at Omnia AI;
Tudor Boiangiu, Manager;
Nicholas Hoell, Senior Data Scientist;
Snehal Patel, Senior Manager of Omnia AI;
Debarshi Sarkar, Manager; and,
Samantha Wong, HBA ’15, Manager.
SAS:
Cristina Anton, SAS Analytical Trainer;
Andre Lafreniere, Manager, Customer Advisory;
Lynn Letukas, Global Director, Academic Programs and Certification;
Mark Morreale, Academic Program Lead; and,
Ron Yee, Manager, Customer Advisory.
Scotiabank:
Zenzie Rees, Director, Portfolio Management – Retail Customer Engagement.
Ivey:
Tiffany Bayley, Assistant Professor, Management Science;
Mehmet Begen, Associate Professor, Management Science;
Bissan Ghaddar, Associate Professor, Management Science;
Kyle Maclean, HBA ’12, PhD ’17, Assistant Professor, Management Science; and,
Joe Naoum-Sawaya, Associate Professor, Management Science.
Student experiences with Hack the Case
Being able to work on a real-life business problem was a highlight for the students. In their blogs below, three MSc students, Nigel Andrew, Yufang Hu, and Joe Noss, share lessons from the competition.
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