Home Competition Stories HUL Carpe Diem Season 5 National Finalist IMT Ghaziabad's Arnav Chakraborty's Story

HUL Carpe Diem Season 5 National Finalist IMT Ghaziabad's Arnav Chakraborty's Story

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HUL Carpe Diem Season 5 National Finalist IMT Ghaziabad's Arnav Chakraborty's Story

*Beep* A new notification! “You are going to the National Finals of HUL Carpe Diem Season 5”. Amidst the growing tension of exams, this news came as a relief and surprise too. We had burnt most of our midnight oil to work on our solution without any expectations and bam- we got through the campus round. It is ON!

HUL Carpe Diem Season 5 was the biggest B-School competition exclusively for the first year students that came our way. Since the seniors could not participate in this competition, our chances to make it through to the national finals seemed much higher.

The first and the foremost thing required for these kinds of competitions, especially in the first year of MBA, is ‘Guidance’. You learn as you participate. So, we took help from our seniors, who won the campus round last year. They supported us and helped us to structure our solution.

We used to work at night after completing our assignments and studies for the upcoming exam. We did not look at the clock and kept working. The entire phase was challenging as we were working while compromising with our studies, and every first-year MBA student will agree that it is difficult to manage so many subjects which we read for the first time.

Working with the team members, Bhooshan and Nitima, was the most amazing part. We were in the project group earlier and had a good experience working together. Then one day when Bhooshan asked me to be a part of the team for Carpe Diem Season 5, I agreed instantly. However, I got to see a new side of both of them.

I had never expected the flair with which they worked. I learnt a lot from them. We had little conflicts because we respected each other's opinion and kept going. I think we had the right balance of everything.

Bhooshan was our team lead and he truly played the role so well. I realized how important and difficult is the role of a captain. He is a highly motivated and very resourceful guy! He is our Batman. Nitima is the mighty Wonder Woman of our team. Her creativity, intelligence and ability to slog for long hours is a rare find. And I am an average guy who sticks to the fundamentals and balances out the superpowers.

There were 14 teams in the finale. It is hard to say which team was the toughest competitor as it was a closed-door presentation. And then again, we didn't interact much with teams from other B-Schools (something which you shouldn't do).

We had six minutes to present. The judges included the brand manager of Dove, who wrote the case. In the Q&A round, he asked very genuine questions to get clarity on our solution. The judges were keen on finding whether the solution is feasible and can be launched in the market. After the presentations, they declared the winning team and shortlisted ten candidates for PPI. The interview for the summer internship at HUL took place in the latter half of that day.

We didn't know what to expect from the organizers as it was the first time we qualified for the national finals of any B-School competition. We were accommodated in a hotel within the HUL Mumbai office campus and received overwhelming treatment and hospitality.

An interaction session with three of HUL's brand managers was kept a day before the final face-off. It was an enriching experience in an informal cafe setting. Also, after our presentations, they gave us a tour of their office campus.

We learnt a lot. The interaction session helped us to understand how brand managers identify a business problem and arrive at the solution. We further realized and understood the gaps in our case solution during the Q&A round. We also learnt to push our limits (we had to forego sleep the night before the final round, in order to fine-tune our presentation).

Out of 5 people from our college, I was the one to miss out on my return flight to Delhi. This made the memory of that competition even stronger. Genuine Advice: Make sure you get to the right airport in Mumbai!

Each Corporate organized competition is unique in its own way. From structure to judging criteria. Read more about HUL Carpe Diem Season 5 and the organizers Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL). Other competitions organized by Hindustan Unilever Limited are HUL Big Brand Theory, HUL L.I.M.E. Season 10, HUL – IT Reboot, HUL FinAce Season 2, HUL- The Premier League.

Edited by

Arnav Chakraborty - IMT Ghaziabad

(Batch of 2018-20)

Arnav Chakraborty, an MBA student from IMT Ghaziabad, is a B.Tech.- ECE graduate; is creative and a problem-solver; passionate about technology & music; a startup enthusiast, and of course, an average guy!

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MBA Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) B-School IMT Ghaziabad HUL Carpe Diem Season 5 HUL Carpe Diem