The four BScIBA students who travelled to Thailand with high hopes for the international case competition from 5 – 11 October 2026 were Maria Ezquerra, Vincent de Laporte, Daumantas Ciutas, and Bruno Zabala. They aimed to emulate the success of their predecessors the year before, when the RSM team won the event, but it was not to be. Despite praise from the judges for their presentation, clear communication and strong team dynamic,they didn’t make it through to the final rounds. The competition was won by Concordia University with National University of Singapore in second place and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology third.
Intense experience
But the experience of travelling to Thailand and a week of intense competing on business challenges brought its own rewards. Daumantas Ciutas said: “Spending time with participants from other universities made the competition even more special. This was my first time in Asia, so I’m incredibly grateful to RSM for giving me the chance to discover a new culture and make such great memories. The excursion day was definitely a highlight for me. Getting to experience Thai culture through Muay Thai, cooking mango sticky rice and trying a traditional Thai massage was amazing!”
The six days of the TUBC competition included a five-hour case solving competition, a 24-hour case to solve, excursions and a gala dinner. Cases included the challenge of attracting more Gen Z customers to CentralWorld, the flagship mall of Central Pattana, Thailand’s largest mall developer. The RSM team proposed rotating experiences combined with a digital layer, so Gen Z visitors could co-create and share social experiences at the mall. The judges said their recommendations brought creativity and bold insights, but missed a clearer link to driving recurring purchases.
“Learning to spot that core direction early in a case is something we’re already building into our training,” said Leo Renard, competition manager l of the RSM STAR Case Club.