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A team of talented postgraduate students reached the finals of a national competition to find the UK’s best entrepreneurial thinkers.

The Global Masters Postgraduate Challenge aims to develop employability, enterprise and entrepreneurial skills, honing their skills in making the strategic and operational decisions which can create value for organisations.



Mikhail Chaplinskii, Felix Schmidt, Karanjeet Singh, Amna Ahmad and Dorcas Tshebo, who all study at DMU’s Leicester Castle Business School were just pipped at the post to finish second in the contest beating universities from around the UK.

The Global Masters Postgraduate Challenge supports the development of business skills needed for a variety of situations including business start-up, networking and return to a family business. To be successful, postgraduate students needed to compete against other university teams in simulation-based activities, which tested the teams’ ability to drive business performance.

The LCBS team triumphed in the first round, showing keen business acumen and strategic thinking. This round was internet based, where teams were challenged to run a developing consumer electronics business in a highly competitive environment. This tested the operational and strategic abilities of the competing teams.

The LCBS students rose to the challenge, showing outstanding teamwork skills and impressive business prowess. At the close of the first round, the LCBS team had positioned themselves near the top of the leader board, earning them a place in the distinguished final round.

The final, at Regent’s University London, asked the students to get the maximum value for their company from a merger deal. The LCBS team worked through this complex challenge, competing against teams from The University of Cambridge and Loughborough University. They finished second in the final, ahead of six other institutions but just short of beating Loughborough’s team.

MBA Global student Dorcas said: “The challenge teaches you more about teamwork and communication. It definitely helped me to develop my strategic thinking and entrepreneurial skills. We were a strong team, which really helped us go far in the competition.”

Teammate Mikhail Chaplinskii, an MBA Global student, described the Grand Final as “a day to remember”. He said: “I cannot express how proud I am of our accomplishment. It was a great opportunity to test teamwork and leadership skills in a competitive environment. Our result is the outcome of great teamwork and incredible support from the university.”