Haileybury Pupils Prepare To Win In The Final Of The Hult Business Challenge

On the 20th of November, Haileybury is braced for a win in the final of the Hult Business Challenge. Pupils in the Hult Business Challenge are given unprecedented access to a real-world business environment at a real-life company.

Charged with coming up with solutions for puzzles set by business leaders, they work on anything from a marketing plan to a market penetration strategy across an eight-week challenge-based learning programme, which kicked off on the 24 September.

The challenge

At the launch event, Haileybury’s pupils discovered that their challenge was to work on behalf of Unilever to develop a new Axe/Lynx Body Spray, with the key points being to reflect sustainability and engage with the young male target audience.

Over the following weeks, pupils engaged with a Hult Professional during a dedicated Master Class, where they had the chance to pose any questions and consider different ways of developing their products, including through partnerships and other labels or brands.

The following week, the teams had their first client touchpoint, which provided an opportunity to ask the client further questions and feedback on their work so far.

Presenting to Unilever’s executive team

The beginning of November marked a significant point in the challenge, with teams presenting back to Unilever representatives. Tasked with delivering a 10-minute presentation on their work, pupils received feedback directly from the client.

The solutions that were presented varied from collaboration with well-known footballers, the designer brand Supreme to the impact of carbon emissions and sustainability.

One of our teams was presented as one of the top two teams in the region, with positive feedback to all teams centring on their well-thought-out product, clarity of the presentation, and their innovative solutions.

This team also highlighted the fact that Axe was in slow decline, and the current business model was too repetitive. Their idea to shake this up through promoting new sustainability initiatives and innovative marketing recommendations were seen as bold and pioneering.

Onto the final!

With just one hurdle to go, the Haileybury team are now preparing for the final on the 20 November. Competing against other schools across Europe, the winning team may see their solutions implemented by the client, as well as receiving a £10,500 scholarship over three years to study at Hult International Business School in their Bachelor of Business Administration Degree (BBA) programme.

Tom from Thomason commented on the experience so far, “by consulting a company such as Axe, it has helped us to explore the world of business from a new perspective, developing our analytical, teamwork and creative skills and helping us understand what is involved in the world of business. The experience has been challenging but enjoyable and we are looking ahead with excitement to the upcoming final.”

Ultimately, this challenge has given our pupils a unique opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of business in a real-world context. We wish the team well on the 20th, and we are proud and impressed with the depth and content of the work by all groups who have competed so far.