Jonas Lindal

1.      When were you an active case student at BI and at which campus?

I was an active case student at BI from 2019 to 2022 at the Oslo Campus.

2.       Why did you decide to join BI’s case activities?

First and foremost, I wanted to develop my communication skills and practice my English. I joined my very first semester, so I also wanted to meet with students from other programs at BI and broaden my network.

3.       What was the name of your case team and how did you find your teammates?

I was a part of several teams during my time at BI. The last and most successful one was Deep Blue Consulting which consisted of three of my greatest friends from BI whom I also met through case trainings. But I have also been a part of Fischer Consulting and Avantgarde Consulting.

4.       Did you have a specific role on your team?

Our teams have always shared a lot of tasks which varied from case to case, however in the end I ended up doing a lot of situational analysis. Here I focused on trends in the macro- and business environment. Besides that, I was responsible for structuring the solving process, time management, and putting together slides.

5.       Which case competitions did you take part in?

• BINCC (2019, 2020)
• BIICC (2020)
• The John Molson Undergraduate Case Competition (2021)
• Rotterdam and Carleton International Case Competition (2021)

6.       What is your best memory from your case journey at BI?

My best memory is bringing home three consecutive 2nd places, out of three possible, from the Rotterdam-Carleton International Case Competition (ROCA) in my last case competition after 2 years of struggle. It was a moment my team and myself had worked long and hard to achieve, and the feeling of succeeding together was massive.

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

• Made friends who followed me through my bachelors.
• Developed soft skills and hard skills through applying theory on real business cases.
• Got access to exclusive corporate events, workshops with external speakers, and other social events that expanded my professional network.

8.       What skills did you learn from participating in case which were relevant to your development/career and how?

In general, I guess that you, as a case student, are allowed to explore the dynamics of business and economics in a much more practical manner. You are left more mature and knowledgeable than if you only followed lectures at BI. Even though learning how to build a slide deck in Power Point or a financial model in Excel are useful skills, I would probably highlight the presentation skills you develop. Analyzing and solving a problem is one thing, but to create a storyline and deliver a comprehensive and easy-to-follow solution is something that I believe all future employers value highly. In addition to that, you’ll learn how to collaborate in teams and the nature of team dynamics. Case competitions are demanding in terms of time pressure, complexity of case, and with the fact that four individuals are forced to collaborate and perform as a team. The experience of solving cases have yielded reflections on what makes a good team and given valuable examples of what does not.

9.       Do you have any advice to students who are curious about case?

Trust the process! It doesn’t come easy to anyone to begin with, but the learning curve is steep. Put in the time and stay curious, and you’ll soon discover that you will be one step ahead other students.