KPMG Global Challenge

Context

The KPMG Global Challenge is an international case competition for university students focused on business ideas with positive societal impact. Teams compete through national rounds and winners advance to global finals. Our team represented the Czech Republic.

Problem

Each round presented a different social challenge - from local community access to global humanitarian issues. Teams had limited time to research the problem space, design a viable solution, and present it convincingly to judges who probed both feasibility and impact.

My role

De facto team lead: coordinating research, shaping the storyline, and managing how each team member contributed to the final presentation. I naturally took ownership of keeping us moving and making sure the parts fit together.

Constraints

• Societal impact focus: Solutions had to be viable but also genuinely useful - not just a business model exercise.
• Clock pressure: Days per round, not weeks.
• Team dynamics: Four people with very different strengths needed a structure that let each one shine.

What I did

• Designed a second-hand goods marketplace for children from financially pressured families (national round) - a kid posts a wish for gear they need, donors give used equipment.
• Proposed hydroponic farming in Kenya for the global finals round on sustainability.
• Orchestrated team roles: enthusiastic opener, analytical detail providers, and a strong closer.
• Built the narrative around a single persona to sharpen both the pitch and the product logic.

Key decisions

• Persona-first design: Starting from one concrete person ("a child who wants to play hockey but cannot afford the gear") forced better choices than starting from a category like "social impact."
• Role specialization: Instead of making everyone sound the same, we let each member's natural strength carry a section of the pitch.

Result

National winner in the Czech round. Advanced to international finals in Buenos Aires, competing against national champions on global humanitarian challenges.

What this shows

Persona-led product thinking, natural team leadership under pressure, and the lesson that clarity in presentation and clarity in product design come from the same place.