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Cognizant CXO Challenge 2018 Divya Gupta's Winning Story
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“They are not just in books and movies, but amongst us as well …. The Dumbledore’s Army”… the announcement of National Winners for Cognizant CXO Challenge 2018 literally went on like this. And I could not have asked for a better vignette or introduction. I was highly elated when the winners of the competition were announced. I felt highly emotional and the feeling is very difficult to be expressed in mere words.
It was last year and roughly the same time when my roommate’s team “Chai Pe Charcha” stood Runners Up in the Cognizant CXO Challenge 2017. And they were in complete awe of the format of the competition as it involved multiple rounds so unique to each other and a completely transparent system. Since then, I was waiting for the competition to go live and carry the legacy of Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies winning the competition forward.
The only difference was that we carried it a notch higher this time and emerged as the National Winners."Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do."
Having belief in the adage, I was looking for a team who believed in the same, which I found in Aditya, Prachi, Devashish and hence, “Dumbledore’s Army” was formed. It was just the four of us when we created our team. But as we moved ahead in the competition and sought help from our faculties, our mentor, our friends, every person became a part of Dumbledore’s Army.
The entire journey from September 20, 2018, to October 29, 2018, has been an exciting yet thought-provoking roller coaster ride for all of us. Through the journey of this competition, we realized that in order to succeed as a group, besides focusing on work-related goals, it’s imperative to make sure the entire group works as one. Everyone understands each other’s vantage point, leverages upon one another’s strengths and complements each other and moves forward in the direction of the goal you have set for yourself and the entire team.
It helped us structure our thought process, and with the format of the competition changed to a 4 minutes elevator pitch this time, it taught us how to sell a business idea in minimum words and time constructively. There were six teams in the finale and the other team from our college was our biggest competitor because they also received guidance from the same faculty. Hence we were in a constant dilemma as to what our USP would be.
What makes this competition distinct is its four rounds which are itself unique to each other. Each round demanded different technical and analytical capabilities. In addition to this, the transparency of the competition in terms of the direct interaction of the teams with Cognizant is another element that makes it distinctive.
Post the qualification of the first two rounds, i.e., guesstimates and case study simulation round, we got a real-life case study, which was de facto solved by Cognizant a while ago. We were even assigned mentors from Cognizant to help us solve the case study. Not only our mentor was approachable, but also the mentoring sessions with him were truly enriching. He made himself available as per our schedule and made sure to review our deliverables prior to every submission.
The colloquium gave us a platform to network with some of the best industry stalwarts, listen to their experiences, share ours and also meet with people just like us from different colleges. Needless to say, everyone made a concerted effort to make the participants as comfortable as possible and make the discussion truly a fruitful experience for everyone.
No words in my dictionary are enough to justify the experience which Cognizant provided us with, I think I can write for all my team members, it’s something which will remain with us forever and will continue to be a benchmark of guidance for the upcoming problems and situations in our lives.
Each Corporate organised competition is unique in its own way. From structure to judging criteria. Read more about Cognizant CXO Challenge 2018 and the organizers Cognizant.
It was last year and roughly the same time when my roommate’s team “Chai Pe Charcha” stood Runners Up in the Cognizant CXO Challenge 2017. And they were in complete awe of the format of the competition as it involved multiple rounds so unique to each other and a completely transparent system. Since then, I was waiting for the competition to go live and carry the legacy of Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies winning the competition forward.
The only difference was that we carried it a notch higher this time and emerged as the National Winners."Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do."
Having belief in the adage, I was looking for a team who believed in the same, which I found in Aditya, Prachi, Devashish and hence, “Dumbledore’s Army” was formed. It was just the four of us when we created our team. But as we moved ahead in the competition and sought help from our faculties, our mentor, our friends, every person became a part of Dumbledore’s Army.
The entire journey from September 20, 2018, to October 29, 2018, has been an exciting yet thought-provoking roller coaster ride for all of us. Through the journey of this competition, we realized that in order to succeed as a group, besides focusing on work-related goals, it’s imperative to make sure the entire group works as one. Everyone understands each other’s vantage point, leverages upon one another’s strengths and complements each other and moves forward in the direction of the goal you have set for yourself and the entire team.
It helped us structure our thought process, and with the format of the competition changed to a 4 minutes elevator pitch this time, it taught us how to sell a business idea in minimum words and time constructively. There were six teams in the finale and the other team from our college was our biggest competitor because they also received guidance from the same faculty. Hence we were in a constant dilemma as to what our USP would be.
What makes this competition distinct is its four rounds which are itself unique to each other. Each round demanded different technical and analytical capabilities. In addition to this, the transparency of the competition in terms of the direct interaction of the teams with Cognizant is another element that makes it distinctive.
Post the qualification of the first two rounds, i.e., guesstimates and case study simulation round, we got a real-life case study, which was de facto solved by Cognizant a while ago. We were even assigned mentors from Cognizant to help us solve the case study. Not only our mentor was approachable, but also the mentoring sessions with him were truly enriching. He made himself available as per our schedule and made sure to review our deliverables prior to every submission.
The colloquium gave us a platform to network with some of the best industry stalwarts, listen to their experiences, share ours and also meet with people just like us from different colleges. Needless to say, everyone made a concerted effort to make the participants as comfortable as possible and make the discussion truly a fruitful experience for everyone.
No words in my dictionary are enough to justify the experience which Cognizant provided us with, I think I can write for all my team members, it’s something which will remain with us forever and will continue to be a benchmark of guidance for the upcoming problems and situations in our lives.
Each Corporate organised competition is unique in its own way. From structure to judging criteria. Read more about Cognizant CXO Challenge 2018 and the organizers Cognizant.
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