For 14 years, the Deakin Bowater Business Challenge has been a highly anticipated event on the Faculty of Business and Law calendar.

The 2023 Bowater Business Challenge was a resounding success, showcasing the exceptional talents of postgraduate students in the field of business strategy and sustainability.

This year’s group challenge continued to push the boundaries of innovation as student teams developed an expansion strategy for OMI Group, a successful chain of premium Asian cuisine looking at the growth of customer segments in Australia. 

It was an exciting journey for the participants, starting with selected teams gaining valuable insight into the challenge through a virtual briefing session led by OMI Group and Deakin academics. Armed with this knowledge, student teams set out to develop customised expansion strategies to present at the preliminary round.

Following a rigorous preliminary round, four teams were selected to compete in the final round. Each finalist team was assigned an academic mentor who provided guidance and support for the final round. 

Ven Chin, the Founder and Managing Director of OMI Group, generously hosted a Q&A session and a complimentary lunch  for our four finalist teams, academic mentors and Deakin staff at OMI Chadstone.

The success of the Deakin Bowater Business Challenge would not be possible without the generous support of the Bowater Trust, which continues to invest in Deakin Business School and its students. Special thanks to OMI Group and its Founder and Managing director, Ven Chin, for providing an exciting and meaningful challenge for the participants. Thank you to our Business School Dean, Professor Amanda Pyman, who was Master of Ceremonies for the final hosted at Burwood Corporate Centre, and thank you to judges, Dr Wendy Webber, Emeritus Professor Darrell Mahoney and Ven Chin and the academic mentors, who supported our finalist teams. 

Celebrating our students

The Bowater Business Challenge is a testament to the commitment and dedication of our students. 

1st Prize: $2,000 awarded to Oishii

Amanpreet Singh
Pranjali Hajela
Rushil Amol Sao
Thi Thu Phuong Le

Academic Mentor: Dr. Adnan Yusuf

2nd Prize: $1,500 awarded to Velvet Thunders

Allan Kipchumba
Naman Singhania
Prajith Raj Suresh
Shevinu Mithushaal Athulathmudali 

Academic Mentor: A/Prof. Sagarika Mishra

3rd Prize: $1000 awarded to Outliers 

Hiren Dilipbhai Barad 
Naga Krishna Madhuri Chonat 
Toshika Deven Mishra 
Venkata Sai Varun Merugu

Academic Mentor: Dr. Xikai Chen

4th Prize: $500 awarded to Fantastic 4 

Abhist Tiwari
James Vergel De Castro 
Quoc Viet Dang 
Shreyang Parag Janodia  

Academic Mentor: Dr. Ruby Ma

Thanks to the unwavering support of the Bowater Trust, OMI Group, academic mentors, and judges. As the legacy of the competition grows, we eagerly await the next edition of the Bowater Business Challenge being held in Trimester 2 for our Undergraduate Students:  ‘Fully Promoted Expansion Strategy: Customise or standardise'.