Maheesha Ravinath Premasiri

"Case is the most rewarding avenue among the available extracurricular activities in BI when it comes to developing yourself."

When were you an active case student at BI and at which campus?
I was competing for BI Oslo campus and was active between 2017-2020. 

Why did you decide to join BI’s case activities?
It was a combination of an urge to overcome my stage fright, excitement to work on real world challenges and the joy of getting to work on them alongside my friends.  

What was the name of your case team and how did you find your teammates?
My team was called Nordic Guardian Consultancy. Initially we were a group of friends that wanted to try our hand at a mock case competition. Later on, I got to work with other people that were part of the case club.  

Did you have a specific role on your team?
My role was fluid in the early days, until I and my team discovered that I was best suited in the areas of Introduction and Strategy.  

Which case competitions did you take part in?
My first competition was BINCC, which took place in Bergen. Later on, I competed twice internationally. Once in Segovia, Spain and again in Münster, Germany. I also had the opportunity to compete in a parallel competition of BIICC. 

What is your best memory from your case journey at BI?
It is difficult to boil it down to one memory. I'm very fond of the time I was active in the case club. If I had to express my best memories, it would be in the form of a montage of the times when me and my team were brainstorming. The atmosphere was always exhilarating when everyone was excited about the challenges in front of us and presented their unique ideas to the team. 

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

1. It is easier to overcome your discomforts if you apply yourself through something enjoyable.  
2. Losing is the worst, but you can always earn small victories by learning from your mistakes.  
3. Taking the time to understand your teammates and developing a team perspective can go a long way in improving your collective effort.  
4. *Bonus: Unruly ego can hinder you more than help you. Be mindful of your ego and it can be a great tool. 

What skills did you learn from participating in case which were relevant to your development/career and how?
The case club helped me develop many skills that became very useful during my internship. In particular, it taught me how to better work in a team, work under pressure and tight deadlines, and gave me insight into how different industries operate.  

Do you have any advice to students who are curious about case?
Case is the most rewarding avenue among the available extracurricular activities in BI when it comes to developing yourself. It gives you an abundance of practical information, provides a great platform for networking and most importantly it's fun.

However, you need to be mindful of the time commitment needed to participate. There will be workshops, practice cases, preliminary competitions and if you’re lucky, international competitions. All of this could disrupt your course studies if not managed well.

With this in mind I encourage anyone to take part in this wonderful experience!