By Riley Hill
Several Haskayne students won big this December at the Inter-Collegiate Business Competition.
The ICBC is the largest business competition open to undergraduate students in the world. It features eight different events meant to test students’ business skills in categories like finance, accounting, ethics and marketing.
University of Calgary students Kirsti Ley and Bharbara Parparken won the gold medal in accounting; Harrison Kim and Brian Osiowy won gold in finance, and Hardave Birk and Andrew Kim won silver in business debate.
“[ICBC] shows that on a level playing field, Haskayne students are as good or better than anyone else in the world,” said Robert Schulz, a U of C business professor who has coached the U of C team for all 36 years of the ICBC’s history.
The U of C placed second overall this year. Out of the competitions 36 years, the U of C has placed first or second 34 times. Concordia University has traditionally been the U of C’s rival for the top spot.
Schulz attributed the U of C’s success to several factors.
“Our students work hard,” Schulz said. “We have skills imbedded in our BComm program and I spent hundreds of hours with Olympic coaches 30 years ago, improving my coaching.”
The competition was hosted at Queen’s University in Kingston.