UP student bags Maybank Switch Up! award

MANILA, Philippines - After undergoing a month-long process packed with physical and mental challenges, six graduating business students from Ateneo De Manila University and University of the Philippines were awarded in the first run of the Maybank Switch Up! Innovation Challenge. For the individual category, Ma. Celina C. Barreiro, a BS Business Administration student in UP, was named the Maybank Switch Up! Most Outstanding Innovator. Barreiro bested 30 other finalists from ADMU, UP, and De La Salle University. She takes home $1,100 in cash, a trip to Kuala Lumpur, and an automatic employment in Maybank Philippines as a first level officer. In the group category, Team Sylvester Stal-loans, composed of Stuart Samson (ADMU), Jade Sy (UP), Caitlin Gregorio (UP), Vito Borromeo (UP), and Mary Clarence Carpio (ADMU), was awarded the Innovation Champion Team. The team was assigned to create an innovation plan for the Retail Small and Medium Enterprise Loan product of SwitchBank, a fictional bank in the students’ business case. The winning group brought home $2,200 in cash and each member was offered an employment package to work in Maybank Philippines as first level officers. From a total of 127 applicants from the country’s top three universities, only 30 candidates, who were divided into six teams, qualified in the final round of the Maybank Switch Up! Innovation Challenge. Maybank Switch Up is MPI’s very own product generation and innovation challenge through the creation of an innovation plan for three particular businesses, namely, the RSME, mortgage loans, and personal loans.