PwC Mauritius had a good catch on September 6 with 106 applications received to participate in NextGenFactor. The grand finale took place on November 6 at the Hennessy Park Hotel in Ebony, consecrating the African Leadership College.
This second edition of the competition was open to students in full-time vocational training in Mauritius (CFA, ACCA, ACA, etc.), as well as to Mauritians enrolled in a foreign university. PwC received a total of 82 reports, enabling it to carry out an initial screening exercise internally. This mission was conducted by a jury composed of Aisha Allee, Founder and President of Blast Burson-Marsteller, Andrew S. Milton, Chief Operations Officer (COO) of Constance Hotels, Resorts& Golf and Vishnee Payen, Group Sustainability&Corporate Social Responsibility Manager of LUX* Resorts&Hotels. Ten teams were selected to present their solutions and defend their ideas, and in the end three teams were selected for the final.
” We wanted to give a chance to the so-called Millennials to showcase their talent and skills, regardless of their educational background, ” explains Michael Ho Wan Kau. He adds : ” We have identified a good dozen semi-finalists who have shown great qualities and we will certainly approach them for internship opportunities with us “.
It must be said that the event was above all a good excuse to discover young Mauritian talents in various fields. The latter were invited to propose solutions based on a case study, which revolved around the ” Integrated Reporting ” within a fictitious company in the hotel sector with operations in the islands of the region, and the objectives of diversifying its services.
As soon as the campaign was launched last September, the competition was intense. According to the organizers, the finalist teams presented particularly well-crafted dossiers. However, the winning team made the difference thanks to the candidates’ performance during the final, more precisely during the question and answer session. Michael Ho Wan Kau, Human Capital Partner and Head of Human Resources at PwC, reports : ” The finalist teams certainly did not fall short. The competition was more intense this year and it was the little things that made the difference. I congratulate the winners and congratulate the other two finalists, ” Prima Facie ” and ” Actuarial Beasts “! ”
Thus, the ” Cracker Jacks ” will leave with a hefty sum of 200 000 rupees as well as an internship at PwC Mauritius. Nevertheless, behind this name are young students of business management and power engineering at the African Leadership College, based in Pamplemousses. Presentation : Adanna Ikeliani from Nigeria, Eric Maingi from Kenya, PhilipoMollel from Tanzania and Zibusiso Mtunzi from Zimbabwe.
” Prima Facie “, the first runner-up, was composed of five law students at the University Panthéon-Assas Paris II, based in Medina. The members won a sum of Rs. 40, ,000. The second runner-up, ” Actuarial Beasts “, a team of students enrolled in Actuarial Science at the University of Mauritius, walked away with a voucher of 10 000 rupees.
Asked to comment, the winners explain that : ” The PwC NextGenFactor initiative was a great adventure that not only allowed us to learn from working on the case study, but more importantly to grow. Putting the team together was a real obstacle course, because no one wanted us ! But we laughed, worked together, exchanged our points of view… It was an enriching experience for all of us. What we have learned about Integrated Reporting and teamwork will certainly serve us well in the future. We would like to thank all those who supported us. And Adanna adds : ” I told them we’d go for the big check, and here we are, with the big check! I’m so happy and proud of the team! ”
In his welcome message, André Bonieux thanked all participants. According to the Senior Partner of PwC Mauritius, seeing three different institutions represented by the finalists is a strong signal for the Mauritian academic world and for Mauritius as “a country that has been able to develop and grow. Education Hub “. ” We have talent locally, we have talent coming from the region for higher education and that can only be good for the development of our youth, ” he added.
