Student society wins the biggest consulting competition in the UK

The Consultancy Society emerged victorious at The Consulting Summit, the UK’s largest national inter-university case competition.

Hosted by UCL Consulting Society in collaboration with global consultancy firm Oliver Wyman, the competition brought together 17 universities and 25 teams, including top institutions such as Oxford, Cambridge and LSE.

The victorious Imperial College London team, made up of Aditi Mehta, Fama Matel Manneh, Leon Dou, Sebastian Tan, and Valentin Bruhl, with Adam Bencsik serving as their coach and project leader, showcased their exceptional problem-solving abilities to claim the top spot.

Steering Santander back on track

The competition required teams to solve a business case involving Santander Cycles, London's public bike-sharing scheme. With rising competition from companies like Lime and Forest Bikes, as well as an ageing fleet and high maintenance costs, students were asked to create a business strategy for the company to regain market share and ensure long-term sustainability.

“The victory was exciting, and felt especially sweet because it rewarded the effort and hours we spent in preparation for the competition,” said Aditi.

Teams presented their findings at the competition’s knock-out rounds, and Imperial was one of five teams to make it to the finals. The final round introduced an unexpected twist – a crisis scenario in which the fictional company faced a cybersecurity breach. The teams had just one hour to react, crafting a crisis response strategy.

Except for one team member from the Business School, all of us study STEM subjects which really helped us gain transferable skills like how to interpret data Valentin Bruhl

Speaking about the challenge, team member Valentin Bruhl highlighted the importance of a structured approach. “Except for one team member from the Business School, all of us study STEM subjects which really helped us gain transferable skills like how to interpret data,” he said.

“Our STEM background also meant we learned how to approach big problems in a very structured manner,” Bruhl said.

A milestone for the student society

This was the first year that Imperial participated in the competition. Beyond the competition itself, participants gained invaluable experience in teamwork, strategic thinking, and public speaking – key skills for their future careers.