Henrik Reitan

When were you an active case student at BI and at which campus?
I participated in case competitions from 2017-2018 during my second and third year of the bachelor’s degree at BI.

Why did you decide to join BI’s case activities?
A fellow student and friend (see next question) had been involved in the case club and recommended me to partake. I was also curious about Management Consulting and considered case solving to be a great way to nuance my curiosity.

What was the name of your case team and how did you find your teammates?
My teammates in “Blue Consulting” were close friends from High School and BI.

Did you have a specific role on your team?
Although the roles and responsibilities of the team were not explicitly defined, each member had a certain responsibility. My main tasks were to develop and synthesize the overall story of our solution, and ensure that we met the deliverables before the deadline. My role was similar to that of a project manager.

Which case competitions did you take part in?
I participated in BI’s National and International Case Competition, NHH’s International Case Competition, SDS International Business Case Competition Queenstown, and various case competitions for businesses in Oslo.

What is your best memory from your case journey at BI?
My best memory was to explore New Zealand together with my friends and teammates at the SDS Case Competition, while meeting and socializing with likeminded students from across the globe.

What are your top three takeaways from case training and competitions?

1. It is key to have a structure in problem-solving to identify the key problem of a case. When the key issue is identified and anchored in the group the rest of the case solving will be more targeted and output-driven.
2. Aim to story-board the entire presentation before diving into the research. While the process can be cumbersome and time-consuming, my experience is that it pays off as the analysis will be more output-driven and efficient.
3. Identify the key strengths of the team members and allocate tasks and responsibilities accordingly.

What skills did you learn from participating in case which were relevant to your development/career and how?
I argue that I learned more from case competitions than any course from my bachelor’s. Not only did I improve my hard skills in Powerpoint and Excel, but I also strengthened my soft skills in problem-solving, presentations, multitasking, and collaborating with students of different skill sets on tight deadlines. Most importantly, by participating in case competitions I become certain that I wanted a career in Consulting, and could, therefore, work toward that goal from an early age. My experience from case solving made me stand out when applying for a job in Management Consulting, and the attained methods of dissecting problems made me excel in the case interview.

Do you have any advice to students who are curious about case?
Try it out!