UNC Kenan-Flagler places third in Kellogg Energy and Sustainability Case Competition

The MBA team from the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Energy Center won third place in the Northwestern University-Kellogg School of Management Energy and Sustainability Case Competition on April 16, 2022. The team consisted of one second-year and four first-year MBA students: John MacAree, Rachel Michos, Parker Bly, Chris Goodman and Fawzi Ali.

After advancing through the first round, the UNC team ‘H-five’ entered the second round and competed against 12 other teams from top MBA energy programs. Team H-five advanced to the third round and was given a case twist with only 30 minutes to adjust their business plan accordingly. The team finished in third place overall.

The case challenge was to identify the best strategy to market an innovative electrolyzer technology in the green hydrogen market. The UNC team chose to target the EU steel industry, which is investing in green hydrogen as a feedstock to eliminate ~95% of the industry’s emissions and decarbonize their DRI/IBF processes. Their plan capitalized on the growing hydrogen market, the lack of supply and the projected increase in demand for green hydrogen in the coming decades. The team planned to scale up their electrolyzer capacity within the steel industry and move into markets for other carbon-intensive industrial processes, such as cement, refining and ammonia production.

Congratulations to the UNC Energy MBA team!