Irene Aunhaug

"Just jump into it, this is one of the best opportunities that you could possibly get. It will be exhausting and challenging, but the outcome is invaluable."

When were you an active case student at BI and at which campus?
I was an active case student during my final year of my bachelor’s degree, at campus Trondheim, 2019-2020.

Why did you decide to join BI’s case activities?
When I started my fifth semester at BI, I decided that it was time for me to participate more in school activities and step out of my shell before it was too late. It was not until I was invited by faculty members because of my academic achievements that I knew what case activities was. They encouraged me to take part of the first training session, which was one of the scariest things I have encountered up until then.

I think that because it was so outside my comfort zone, as well as the opportunity to apply my academic skillset to real-world context, motivated me even more to do everything I could to make the team.  

What was the name of your case team and how did you find your teammates?
My case team name was INCK Consulting, based on our initials. I did not actually know any of the team members before participating in training sessions. I got to know one of my team members early on, and I got to know the rest when we made the official team. 

Did you have a specific role on your team?
I took on a lot of roles when I joined the team and was lucky to try a little bit of everything. However, I usually always took care of the financials of our solutions and made sure that everyone was up to speed so we could have an as organized and effective process as possible. Moreover, I was also often involved with implementation, time horizon, risk and mitigation, impact, and pilot projects. 

Which case competitions did you take part in?
I participated in the BI National Case Competition (BINCC) where we got second place, BI International Case Competition Open (BIICC) where we became finalists, and the international IE BBA Challenge in Madrid and Segovia where we came third in the 4-hour case competition and second in the 24-hour case competition. 

What is your best memory from your case journey at BI?
I think the best memory would be to travel to Madrid and Segovia to participate in the international case competition. Not only did I have so much fun with my own teammates, but we got to know other international students that participated. Even though case competitions are very hard and stressful, we were lucky enough to actually get the time to explore the cities with the other participants. 

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

1. Building your network with some of the smartest and most talented students in the world, top faculty members and industry experts is always inspiring. 
2. I learned that I was capable to more than I ever thought was possible. To think that some of my own suggestions have made it to the top in competitions and actually being acknowledged by highly skilled professors and industry experts is very motivating and inspiring to think about whenever I am doubting myself. You learn a lot when you are put under pressure and when things are difficult, and these skills are not something you will learn elsewhere during your years of study.
3. The cases you solve are real business problems. A lot of the cases focussed on how businesses could adopt to the growing demand of sustainable products, but also problems connected to laws, AI, Big Data etc. Solving current problems facing industries today is not only exciting but being able to solve them is highly desirable. 

What skills did you learn from participating in case which were relevant to your development/career and how?
Case activities are so much more than solving cases and developing your presentation skills. You get to know how business leaders from all over the world think and how businesses actually solve real problems, as good solutions actually get implemented in their business strategies. You learn how to adopt to different business values, how to work as a team, how to take different cultures into account when making a solution, work under a lot of time pressure etc.

In other words, the skills you learn will be highly important for your career. For instance, my problem-solving skills gave me an advantage in job application processes where case solving was one of the tools to find the best candidate for the position. Moreover, the analytical skills I developed are highly important for my master’s degree and for my position as a junior trader. 

Do you have any advice to students who are curious about case?
Just jump into it, this is one of the best opportunities that you could possibly get. It will be exhausting and challenging, but the outcome is invaluable.