Ateneo team wins two awards at Scotiabank International Case Competition in Ontario, Canada

A team of students from Ateneo’s John Gokongwei School of Management (JGSOM) brought home two prestigious awards from the Scotiabank International Case Competition (SICC), held in London, Ontario, Canada. The team’s outstanding performance earned them 2nd place overall in the competition, marking another milestone for Ateneo on the global stage.

Celebrating its 35th anniversary, the Scotiabank International Case Competition (SICC) is one of the largest, longest-running, and most prestigious business case competitions in the world. This year’s competition, sponsored by Ivey’s Scotiabank Digital Banking Lab in partnership with Scotiabank, introduced a unique two-case format, both focused on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in business. The competition, held from 18 to 22 March 2025, aimed to provide undergraduate business students with a platform to solve real-world business challenges, foster meaningful connections between global institutions, and showcase the next generation of business leaders.

The team was composed of Rhalph Atienza (4 BS ME), Maxinne Co (4 BS ME), Timothy Manaloto (4 BS ME), and Abby Sotto (4 BS ME). Trina Hombre (BS MGT 2024), Louie Miranda (BS MGT 2023), Monica Sugay (BS MGT-H 2024), and James Soriano (BS MGT-H 2012) served as the team’s mentors and coaches.

Case 1 tasked teams with determining the best go-to-market strategy for a medical technology startup enhancing cancer diagnosis through robotics, imaging, and AI. The case featured Tenomix, a company specializing in cancer diagnosis solutions. Case 2 challenged teams to determine whether Armilla AI, an AI verification and insurance company, should refine its focus by concentrating on a single product or pursue a broader strategy by offering multiple products in the market.

In the first round, the Ateneo team competed against Ivey Business School (Canada), IE Business School (Spain), and Universidad Panamericana Ciudad UP (Mexico). Despite facing a case methodology unfamiliar to the team, they made a strong showing and placed third in their division, with Universidad Panamericana taking the top spot, followed by Ivey.

Learning from their experience in Case 1, the team applied key feedback and stepped up their game for the second case. They were placed in a highly competitive division against Ivey Business School, IE Business School, and the defending champion, the University of Münster School of Business and Economics (Germany). Rising to the challenge, the team secured the top spot in their division, advancing to the finals round.

In the finals, Ateneo competed against Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba (Canada), and The Culverhouse College of Business, University of Alabama (US). Delivering a compelling and well-structured analysis, the team impressed the judges and secured 2nd place in the finals for Case 2. After both case scores were combined (Case 1 contributing 30% and Case 2 contributing 70% to the overall ranking), Ateneo’s strong performance secured them 2nd place overall in the competition—a remarkable achievement for the team.

With this remarkable finish, the Ateneo team continues to strengthen its reputation in the global case competition circuit, proving once again that Filipino students can excel on the world stage.