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And The Winners Are…

It's the day after the grand finale in the RBC Next Great Innovator Challenge. I have watched this program unfold from the moment the idea was conceived, so it was especially satisfying to witness the culmination at yesterday's events. To all of the talented people at RBC who transformed this concept into reality, I offer my heartfelt thanks. To the students across the country who took on the challenge, I extend my sincere gratitude.

Yesterday began with a breakfast session for students and final judges, including Marty Lippert, Vice Chairman and Group Head, Global Technology & Operations. Teams presented throughout the morning. I sat in on the presentations and was thoroughly impressed. The written submissions were excellent, but the presentations really brought the ideas to life. The judges had tough questions for each team, but they were all handled with poise and aplomb. Undoubtedly, the judges faced a difficult task in determining the final results.

With the presentations behind them, teams headed to lunch at Royal Bank Plaza, where they were joined by the judges after deliberations were complete. Gordon Nixon, President and CEO, RBC Financial Group dropped by to thank the students and congratulate them on their achievement. He also shared his thoughts on innovation in the financial services industry. Over lunch, students also had their first chance to share their winning ideas with fellow finalists.

After some well-deserved free time, students gathered for an evening reception and awards ceremony at the Intercontinental Toronto Centre Hotel. They were joined by nearly one hundred RBC employees from various parts of the organization, all interested in finding out who the Next Great Innovators would be. All in attendance enjoyed some entertainment before the moment of truth arrived. Marty Lippert took to the stage and revealed the final results:

1st Place ($20,000)
W.A.C.C. – University of British Columbia
Dave Rusli, Sherry Chen, Yulichia Ong, John Young

2nd Place ($10,000)
Schulich IMBA '08 – York University
Matthew Cohen, Joshua Dale, Ian Howard, Serge LeVert-Chiasson

3rd Place ($5,000)
Team 5 – University of Ottawa
Jeff Jakab, Peter Howroyd, Vincent Lam

4th Place ($3,000)
The Martlets – McGill University
Mimi Majumder, Carlos Beltran, Côme Frotier de Bagneux, Catherine Lavoie

5th Place ($1,500)
J2D Innovate Inc. – University of Waterloo
Jennifer Yorke, Jas Banwait, Dan Donovan

Congratulations to all of the teams! You did a fantastic job representing yourselves and your schools. I sincerely hope you enjoyed the experience and wish you well in your future endeavours. You have inspired us all with your enthusiasm and dedication to innovation.

Posted by Nelson T. on March 28, 2007 11:06 AM

Comments (2)

Jeff J :

Nelson,

I don't see any comments here regarding the team from the University of Ottawa? Why are there no additional comments regarding this team?

Posted by Jeff J

Nelson T. :

Hi Jeff,

You must have been looking at the main page of the blog, which only shows the 5 most recent entries.

Check the March 2007 archives to read my comments about the University of Ottawa.

Posted by Nelson T.

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