Undergraduates from the Southampton Business School recently claimed first place at the 2025 Universities Business Challenge (UBC).
The incredible team - Mohammad Syahmi Idrus, Lucca Mehta, Wiktoria Bartnik, Yazan Shahin, and Rueben Mardell-Kearns - made history as the first Southampton undergraduate team to lift the trophy.
This was the third year the University entered the competition. In previous years our students have performed extremely well, securing places in the semi-finals and finals.
Whether progressing to work for a large multinational organisation, taking on a public-sector role, returning to run a family-owned business or setting up a new enterprise, students need experience in making strategic and operational decisions that create value for their organisation.
Commencing in October each year and run over two rounds during the same year, the UBC offers the chance to develop the business skills needed for the move from campus to corporate/public sector life.
The Southampton team expertly navigated the competition from strategic decision-making to outstanding teamwork to claim the prize.
A huge thank you also goes to their mentor David Smallman for his constant support and guidance throughout the team’s UBC journey.
Team Leader, Mohammad said, "It has been such an honour to be on this journey with my fellow team members and to watch everyone grow in their professional character since October. Through the hardships that we have endured, to the achievements that we have celebrated, the connections and memories I have made with my team is something I will forever cherish and remember with pride as I continue enter my future career.”
The Universities Business Challenge (UBC) provided me the incredible opportunity to apply the theories, skills, and knowledge I have learnt in my lectures within a high-pressure, designed business simulation under extreme pressures," said Syahmi Idrus, Team Leader for Team University of Southampton.
Mohammad Syahmi Idrus, Team Leader for Team University of Southampton.
