Winners of the Fall 2023 Consulting Cups at Lincoln Center and Rose Hill Showcase Top Talent Across the Gabelli School of Business

Featured Events , Undergraduate | Dec 15, 2023 | Gabelli School of Business

The two competitions help undergraduate students develop the skills and practical experience that will prepare them for careers in the business world

At the Fall 2023 Consulting Cups at the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses, held on December 11 and 12, respectively, students had the opportunity to showcase the creativity, business acumen, critical thinking skills and professionalism that will help prepare them to make their mark as the next generation of business leaders.

During the competition at the Rose Hill campus, six teams competed in the finals of more than 558 students and 98 teams that vied to make it to the final round. The finalists presented to a panel of judges that included: Rich McLaughlin, program director, WFUV; Ebonique Edwards, global head of employer brand & talent engagement, Colgate; Irene Hartnett, senior manager – sales operations, Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.; Shalyn O’Malley, senior vice president of marketing, Locality; and Dmitry Shatalin, solution associate – Financial Services Lab, McKinsey and Company.

Mark Silver, Ph.D. and Lerzan Aksoy, Ph.D. with the winning team at Rose Hill

The teams’ pitches focused on new ideas and products for companies including Hanes, Chipotle, John Deere, and Coca Cola. The winning team was picked by the judges and by members of the audience who ultimately chose team RTE Hanes and their presentation titled “Hanes for Her.” Students Zoe Arakelian, Shealyn Brannon, Megan Dennis, Oliver Fontaine, Aishna Gaikwad, and Ella Guth took home the trophy, which was presented by Lerzan Aksoy, Ph.D., dean of the Gabelli School and Mark Silver, Ph.D., associate dean of undergraduate studies.

The Lincoln Center Consulting Cup featured the business prowess of three student teams competing in the final round. The competition was the culmination of the efforts of more than 174 students and 35 teams that worked tirelessly to develop their pitches for new ideas that would provide an advantage in the marketplace for many well-known brands.

The three finalist teams competing gave presentations that revealed concepts designed to address market trends and meet consumer needs, demonstrating deep knowledge of their industry of focus and an ability to take an idea from concept at the earliest stages to a fully executed business plan.

The panel of judges to whom they presented included: Leslie Ferraro, who spent 18 years with the Walt Disney company and is the former president and CEO of Qurate Retail Group; Kerrie Gillis, former publisher of The New Republic who also held senior level positions at The New York Times and The Village Voice; Madeira Ginley, GABELLI ’16, chief operating officer for MIMO Studios, who earned an M.B.A. at the Gabelli School; Yuliia Rusianovska, GABELLI ’21, growth marketing manager at DTCo, who earned an M.S. in Media Management at the Gabelli School; and Doug Scott, co-founder and chief creative officer of Subnation.

The team presenting on LTC-Coca Cola was the overall winner, while LTB Coca Cola placed second and LAA Crocs placed third. The winning team consisted of Flora Chan, Stefan de la Pena, Emma Foley, Zayiel Sencion, and Noah Sequeiros. Dean Aksoy and Associate Dean Silver, along with Axel Roepnack, Ph.D., associate clinical professor of communications and media management, James McCann, advanced lecturer of finance and business and Professor Robert Bohn at the Gabelli School attended the ceremony.

Congratulations for a job well done to those who competed in both cups by sharing great ideas while demonstrating their creativity and perseverance.