BrazilNextContinent consulting firms hosting SDG student challenge
Five European members of NextContinent – an international alliance of consulting firms – have teamed up to organise a challenge for master students.
The goal of the student challenge is to find innovative concepts that can help companies solve some of their most pressing sustainability challenges. Hosted in several European countries, the top performing student teams of every country will be invited to the final in Lisbon, which takes place on the 23rd and 24th of April.
The five participating NextContinent members are Eurogroup Consulting (France), Arch (Belgium), Prospectus (Ireland), umlaut (Germany) and Magnus Red (the Netherlands), with each of these consulting firms organising a local competition between January and March this year.
Master students from all backgrounds with an interest in consultancy and sustainability are invited to participate in teams of 3 (minimum) to 4 members (maximum). All concepts received will be evaluated across five criteria; orginality, applicability to real-life, feasibility, innovation and corporate social responsibility impact.
Teams selected will then be invited to pitch to a jury of professionals (consultant experts, academics, members the World Business council for Sustainable Development) with one winning team per country picked for the grand finale in Portugal.
Teams are asked to develop a business plan for an innovative product or service that could help companies achieve one of nine sustainability goals: Good health and well-being; Gender equality; Clean water and sanitation; Affordable and clean energy; Industry, innovation and infrastructure; Sustainable cities and communities; Responsible consumption and production; Life below water; and Life on land.
Explaining why the NextContinent student challenge should appeal to students, Corine Beerepoot, a recruiter at Magnus Red said, “This challenge allows students from different national and cultural backgrounds to join forces and present their innovative business ideas. It provides them with an inside view in management consultancy, experience working with people from different backgrounds and of course visiting Lisbon!”
Other members of NextContinent are Curzon Consulting, dmw, Matrix Consulting, Nexe, Paradigm, PointB and YCP Solidiance. Combined, the network spans 7,000 consultants and professionals in 30+ countries.
