Table of content:
FMS Delhi’s Abhay Chandra Wins Nestlé Leaders League – Genesis 2025
Out of 8,302 MBA candidates from India’s top seven B-schools, I had the privilege of being named one of five individual National Winners at Nestlé Leaders League – Genesis 2025. It wasn’t just a competition—it was an experience that tested my ideas, my nerves, and my belief in the power of originality.
In this post, I’ll share my personal experience through this amazing competition and what I have learned.
What The Competition Looked Like
The organization and framing of Nestlé Leaders League–Genesis 2025 were something that I had never experienced before. Each of the rounds demanded fresh, creative thinking—especially since we couldn’t fall back on AI tools.
- Profile Verification: Document submission and verification for eligibility.
- Mind Maze | Gamified Assessment: An adventure that needed navigation through a maze of exciting challenges.
- The Think Tank | Quarter-final (Video Round): A 2-minute pitch of creative solutions for live business challenges from brands like MAGGI, Nescafé, KitKat, and more.
- #Genesis | Final (Nestlé HQ): The best submissions from the Think Tank round receive an exclusive invitation to be flown down for an exciting day at Nestlé India HQ—to give live oral presentations to senior executives and participate in a day full of activities.
My Strategy: Bold Ideas + Solid Foundations
Each round (barring the gamified one) was a race against time and a challenge to come up with novel, engaging, and effective marketing ideas for Nestlé’s flagship and new products.
With a clear directive that hinted at extra points for creativity and that barred the usage of AI tools, my primary strategy was to risk it all on fresh, unfiltered ideas, even if some seemed naive. To back my pitches with substance, I studied past business cases and brushed up on marketing frameworks and jargon to appear credible and professional.
For me, each round came with its own unique challenge and tested a different skill:
The Video Pitch Round: This required us to make a video submission, so I decided to put myself in front of the camera.
It pushed me to tackle my camera-consciousness and focus on my vocal delivery to put the best edit out. All of it was new and nerve-wracking but rewarding.
Onsite at Nestlé HQ: This was an on-site oral presentation to Nestlé executives. The pitch’s structure and flow were deal-makers for this round.
With what was at stake, I sacrificed sleep the night before to practice my delivery again and again until it felt tight yet natural.
Surprise in the Final Round: An unexpected oral presentation entailing an entirely new live case with barely any prep time. Given this, it was clear that this round was designed to test instinct, creativity, and clarity of thought.
In short, this round was instinct versus panic.
So, I decided to pitch fewer ideas but with more analytical rigor—each rooted in solid analysis and clear logic. The hardest part was keeping my composure (and my nerves in check) while presenting to a panel of seasoned Nestlé leaders and jury members.
What Made This Experience Stand Out: Organisation & Jury
It was not merely a case competition event but an experience of what Nestléʼs tagline, “Good Food, Good Life,” embodies.
The competitive events were sandwiched between light-hearted and engaging activities like quizzes, a Maggi-tasting counter, a comedy show, etc. The employee volunteers were warm and supportive throughout—a testament to Nestlé’s people-first culture.
It was a huge opportunity to network with fellow MBA peers, alumni, and industry experts behind iconic Nestlé brands. What set NLL Genesis apart was how thoughtfully it blended competition with culture.
When it came to judgment quality, I was genuinely impressed. Winners rarely complain about judging—but my experience was refreshingly different. In the semi-final, the jury put us at ease right before we started, saying (I paraphrase):
“We are here to judge your ideas. Just focus on those. No express need to delve deeper into sophisticated business concepts.”
For someone like me, an almost fresher engineer, anxious about competing with a sea of competent candidates with management backgrounds and extensive work experience—it made me so very comfortable.
The Learnings That Matter
Nestlé Leaders League – Genesis 2025 demanded original and high-level marketing chops. I have realized the value of novel and original ideas when competing in events of such caliber as NLL Genesis.
The biggest takeaway was this: in an age when everyone leans on AI for ‘creativity,’ human originality is still the ultimate trump card. It’s what makes you memorable, and sometimes, it’s what makes you win.
My Surreal Maggi Moment
If I had to pick one of the most memorable moments in this journey, it would be from the final round: there I was, preparing to pitch a funny Amitabh Bachchan-style Maggi ad to the senior Brand Managers of Maggi.
I flashbacked to an afternoon during the COVID lockdown:
I was in my bedroom, eating Maggi, thinking how Maggi was that one food item that everybody thought should be stocked if the lockdown was to continue for long. As I was slurping my Maggi, I was imagining how a future Maggi advertisement could look, acting as an armchair Brand Manager within the confines of my room.
Fast forward to May 31, 2025—I was actually presenting my advertisement ideas to the people who call the shots. I guess sometimes, daydreams really do come true.
Final Word
To every future participant: trust your ideas—especially the wild ones. Sometimes, risking everything on originality is exactly what sets you apart. It did for me.
Suggested reads: