The UK is committed to supporting initiatives to empower Bangladeshi youth and support economic growth, and to safeguard our planet, British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Sarah Cooke.
“It is only by working together in partnership – across governments, civil society and the private sector – that we can tackle climate change. And it is important that we hear the views of young people as it is their future we are fighting for. At BizMaestros we saw great ideas and financial acumen from the business leaders of the future. I wish the winners the very best of luck as they work towards the Global Round in London next year”, she added.
Cooke was addressing the grand finale of the 14th edition of Unilever Bangladesh Limited, UBL’s flagship business competition, ‘BizMaestros,’ in Dhaka. After a challenging contest among the top five finalists, the team from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), University of Dhaka, consisting of ShubhashishChakraborty, MashrifHasanAdib, Abir Ershad, lifted the coveted champion's trophy of the business competition.
Five finalist teams were evaluated by a panel of esteemed jury consisting of Sarah Cooke, British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, M. A. Jabbar, Managing Director, DBL Group, Sonia Bashir Kabir, Founder, SBK Tech Ventures, Zaved Akhtar, Chairman and Managing Director, Unilever Bangladesh Ltd., and KSM Minhaj, CEO and Managing Director, Unilever Consumer Care Ltd.
The First Runner-Up title was awarded to the team from Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP), and the team from North South University (NSU) was named the Second Runner-Up.
BizMaestros offers graduating batches of students the scope to explore real business case studies from Unilever brands. Consisting of three challenging and competitive rounds, the first round took place through online submission from students across Bangladesh, where around 200 teams submitted their applications. 30 teams comprising 100 students who qualified for the second round underwent hands-on coaching from senior management at UBL.
The 5 finalist teams were chosen through two rigorous rounds. Participated in the final- one team from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), University of Dhaka; one team from the Faculty of Business Studies (FBS), University of Dhaka; two teams from Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP); and one team from North South University (NSU).
The champion team will now contest at the international level - Unilever Future Leaders' League (FLL) 2024, which will take place in London with participants from universities across the world.
The theme of BizMaestros this year was ‘Innovating for People and Planet,’ which challenged participants to create a business case for selected Unilever brands while keeping sustainability at heart.
