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Four IMD cases recognized in the John Molson MBA International Case Writing Competition

IMD professors Heather Cairns-Lee, Benoît Leleux, Stefan Michel, and several EMBA 2023 participants were named among the prize winners of the 2024 John Molson MBA International Case Writing Competition.
January 2024

IMD is pleased to announce that Affiliate Professor of Leadership and Communication Heather Cairns-Lee, Professor of Strategy and Marketing Stefan Michel, Stephan Schmidheiny, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance Benoit Leleux, and a number of EMBA 2023 participants were recognized at the 2024 John Molson MBA International Case Writing Competition. 

“Collaboration between IMD professors and EMBA participants goes beyond traditional classroom learning. It’s a journey where writing business cases opens a window to real-world challenges, calling for practical wisdom and innovative thinking,” shared elea Professor of Social Innovation and Dean of the IMD EMBA program Vanina Farber. 

“Together, we are not just learning about business; we are learning how to transform it.”    

Transformation journey

Winning second prize was the case AMAG: Creating Its Own Future in a Disrupted Automotive Industry, prepared by Daniel Gerber, Esther Lind, Vikas Munjal, David Rivière, and Stephan Thalmann (IMD EMBA 2023) under the supervision of Stefan Michel.  

The case outlines the dual transformation challenge faced by AMAG, as it aims to become Switzerland’s premier sustainable personal mobility solutions provider by 2035. 

SIBIUS’s Disruptive Technology Digitrack

The case SIBIUS: Battling Cognitive Disorders prepared by Benoit Leleux with Giorgia Riba, Renee Pazdan, Manu Mathew, and Arvind Hurboseea (IMD EMBA April 2023) won third prize.  

In this case, the new CEO of SIBIUS navigates the business and industry hurdles of introducing in the healthcare market a new innovative tool capable of detecting cognitive disorders in children at an early stage.   

Fusing passion and purpose

Prepared under the supervision of Heather Cairns-Lee and Benoit Leleux, Anna Khrustaleva, Connie Anyika, Oksana Matyukha, and Ramil Babayev (IMD EMBA 2023) took home fourth prize for the case Valeur Absolue: Values-based Entrepreneurship.  

The case explains how Bénédicte Foucart and Maria de la Hera aspired to transcend the perceived superficiality of the perfume industry by championing purpose and meaning. Their vision aimed not merely to offer a product but to inspire female empowerment.  

Leleux’s case Galeneo Health: Scaling the Hospital @Home Platform was also recognized as one of the 10 best cases of the year.  

Founded in 1981, the John Molson MBA International Case Writing Competition is known to be the largest of its kind. Its purpose is to bridge the academic and corporate worlds through the discussion and analysis of top-quality case studies.