KCC-P&G Commercial Challenge 2019: A Chance to Manage P&G’s Multi-billion-Dollar Brands

During October 29-November 19, El-Khazindar Business Research and Case Center (KCC) in collaboration with P&G held its sixth commercial challenge, exposing students to a competition led by P& executives.

The KCC-P&G Commercial Challenge is an annual case-solving competition that engages undergraduate students, namely junior and senior standing students from all majors across AUC, in a learning experience through which they are exposed to the job market while enhancing their solving, analytical and presentation skills.

"The aim of this competition is basically one thing that is providing you with very important tools that help you bridge the gap between the theoretical concepts that you study in class and their practical applications”, asserts Nermeen Shehata, director, KCC, to participating students.

Throughout the competition, students are required to solve and analyze the case at hand, this time being launching Pantene Expert in Egypt, while being evaluated by business professionals, enabling them to acquire the necessary skills required for the job market and get exposed to a new market experience while also enhancing their knowledge about the business sector in Egypt and the MENA region.

On the performance of the teams, Hanan El-Maghrabi, P&G sales channel leader in Egypt comments: “The competition was very engaging; students were always reaching out with questions all the time and it showed how interested they were. P&G Egypt is one of the biggest talent exporters in the region. We have the strongest talents and AUC students are occupying many leading positions in the region.”

Looking upon student reflections, Abdelrahman Assem, mechanical engineering student reveals:

“The case was very different than what we learn in mechanical engineering. We were exposed to different functions: marketing, sales, finance, and more. We never study these topics, so it was very diversified.”

Agreeably, Omar El Darawy, mechanical engineering student emphasizes:

“The case was definitely difficult, it required a lot of effort. Yet again, it allowed us to touch on skills from all around so it was very well-rounded, that’s how I would describe it.”

The fruit of this competition is beared through the journey rather than the end result. Despite that only the winning team is offered a one-week job shadowing experience at the P&G headquarters, all of the teams equally have the chance of being recruited by P&G. Additionally, the skills acquired throughout the competition duration will forever be installed within the students.

Ahmed Abotaleb, a mechanical engineering student and member of the winning team expresses the value-added from the experience:

“The feedback the panel gave was very helpful. In fact, I found it to be the most important aspect of the entire competition.”

Looking forward, the team is excited about the upcoming job shadowing opportunity. Hussien Seoudi, a member of the team and mechanical engineering student conveys:

“I feel ecstatic; the competing teams were really good teams and we all exerted a lot of effort. We’re really grateful that we won!”