Finance, Accounting and Management graduate Tom Landers has achieved an impressive result at the Maybank GO Ahead Challenge 2015 in Malaysia. The challenge is an international business case competition designed to challenge intellect, stretch creativity and test endurance. 

 

Run by Maybank, Malaysia's largest bank and financial group, the competition is designed, developed, and executed by Global Maybank Apprentices and involves 60 finalists from 11 countries in the ASEAN region, China, the UK and the United States. 

 

Tom first found out about the competition while studying at the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus in his second year and heard UK students could apply too. 

 

This summer he was invited to the national competition in London and won a place at the Global Finals in Kuala Lumpur to compete in teams with 59 other students from across the world. 

 

"I was in a team with 5 other students from Bangladesh, the Philippines, Malaysia, East Malaysia and Singapore, and the finals consisted of a 12 day challenge in KL and Indonesia, all paid for by Maybank."

 

Top teams are awarded a share of USD 40,000 for first place, USD 20,000 for second and USD 10,000 for coming third. The top three individual challengers have a chance to win their own cash prizes too, but Tom narrowly missed out. 

 

"Unfortunately my team came fourth and as an individual I came fourth so those tasty prizes were just out of my reach, but the experience itself was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I’d really urge students to give it a go."

 

"It was 12 days of no sleep and intense competition, but I can’t think of anything that has given me so many opportunities to grow on an academic and personal level."

 

"The first night my team were discussing a pitch in our hotel room in KL. We then were told to call an investor who invited us to a pitch to him a few hours later in Jakarta. We were given about 5 minutes to pack and then we were chaperoned to the airport in KL and then by police escort in Jakarta to the hotel where we were to pitch to the investor. It was crazy!"

 

Find out more about the Maybank GO Ahead Challenge