Columbia Business School has announced the winners of the second annual MBA Odyssey competition, which was held February 19–20, 2010. The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth won the event overall after competing against 11 other teams from the world’s top business schools, which came from the United States, China, France, Spain and the United Kingdom. Columbia Business School and China Europe International Business School placed second and third, respectively. Participants competed in events to test their business skills, including an elevator pitch competition, a negotiation contest and case competition. Judges from variety of industries evaluated the teams' performance.
As part of the two-day event, participants also heard presentations from top corporate leaders. This year’s featured speakers included: Bradley Horowitz, vice president of product management, Google; Howard Mittman, publisher of Wired; Steve Schuckenbrock, president of the large enterprise business unit, Dell; James Turley, CEO, Ernst & Young and Mario Vitale, CEO of global corporate, Zurich Financial Services.
MBA Odyssey was created and launched in 2009 by a group of Columbia Business School students who conceived it as a forum for talent from MBA programs across the globe to learn both from their peers and accomplished business leaders. This year’s competition continued the tradition.
"The last couple of days were an incredible test of MBA skills in real life," Amit Maimon, a participant from MIT Sloan, said. "It was both a privilege and an honor to meet and interact with all of the future global business leaders at Odyssey this year," guest speaker Mario Vitale said. "I have no doubt this group, who is furthering their education during this historic economic turmoil, will be better prepared for weathering unforeseen risks ahead."
Columbia Business School faculty members who participated included Todd Jick, senior lecturer in discipline in business; Hugh Patrick, Robert D. Calkins Professor of International Business Emeritus; Laurie Hodrick, A. Barton Hepburn Professor of Economics in the Faculty of Business; Clifford Schorer, adjunct professor in management and Hitendra Wadhwa, associate professor of professional practice advised the student team from Columbia Business School.