Innovative Solutions Unveiled During Oxford Brookes Business Challenge Week

Oxford Brookes Business School hosted its annual Business Challenge Week from 2 to 6 June 2025, bringing together postgraduate students and industry partners to address real-world business challenges.

During the week, six teams of master's students, including students from The Oth Regensburg University in Germany, collaborated with six companies across a range of industries: 

• Best Autocentres -  who manage three autocentres in Winchester, Eastleigh and Totton.
• The Pathfinder Organisation CIC - a not-for-profit company supporting international students in the UK.

LCMB: a building performance specialist company providing technological solutions to making the workplace more efficient and sustainable.

Phoenix Data: a company that helps SMEs shape their approach to data and being AI ready to ensure they are operating efficiently and with excellent data flow processes.

Teamlytica: a company that empowers businesses and individuals in the coaching space, with data-driven insights and innovative solutions that fuel their growth and success and 

Zimasa Vodka: a unique premium vodka brand born in Zimbabwe and with offices in the UK.

At the final showcase event on 6 June, each team delivered a 15-minute presentation, followed by a Q&A session, showcasing the innovative solutions they developed to tackle the specific challenges posed by their partner organisations.

The six teams delivered well researched and creative presentations to an engaged audience of judges, staff and students, covering a wide range of business solutions. Strategies included social media and content, website optimisation, targeted email marketing campaigns, paid digital marketing strategy and utilising WhatsApp community groups to engage customers.

The presentations were assessed by a panel of judges, who evaluated the teams on criteria such as creativity, feasibility, and impact. Dr Lindsay Williams, Co-Pro Vice-Chancellor (PVC) for Education, presented awards and prizes to the teams, recognising their outstanding contributions.

LCMB team was crowned the Business Challenge Week winner with the runner-up team prize going to Best Autocentres.

MSc International Business Management student, Hokuma Hasanzade said: “It was a uniquely enriching experience to work with Phoenix Data Consultancy on Business Challenge Week. As a UK SME AI-readiness startup via structured data governance, Phoenix provided us with the problem of addressing an authentic market need with actionable, scalable solutions. We conducted primary research, segmented SME digital maturity, and created a modular consultancy framework for helping businesses turn unconnected, underutilized data into strategic assets. This experience enriched my vision for client-centric consulting, data strategy, and the effectiveness of communication in delivering high-impact recommendations. It was a great chance to apply what we've learned to real-world scenarios, with tangible results.”

MSc Finance student, Deepak Dutt said: "The Business Challenge Week with my client LCMB Building Performance Ltd really sharpened my insights into strategic market planning within a real business setting. Working on a Go-To-Market strategy for their IQ Hub allowed me to test and develop my ideas concerning customer segmentation, competitive analysis, and value proposition. It also heightened my appreciation for the need to align really cool new digital solutions, like a smart building platform, with the realities and constraints of an industry like facilities and energy management. Most importantly, I learned how to assess technical feasibility while always weighing commercial viability, thereby binding our recommendations to what is tangible and ready to be marketed. Working closely with the leadership team at LCMB and having them give their feedback strengthened my confidence in presenting professional, data-driven insights that, for sure, can be used in making business decisions.”

Paul Ballinger, Commercial Director at LCMB said: ”The team should be very proud, it’s a great win! What it shows is that - as a team the students can quickly understand the project requirement, research appropriately and deliver concise appropriate recommendations back to the employer. The interaction, questions and feedback has been great all week since I met the student team.

Business Challenge Week is valuable from several perspectives.

The involvement is important to understand the skills base that’s being developed, the opinions and research that’s uncovered during the process.

Once a business is involved with a project of this nature, my experience has always shown that the better preparation and knowledge transfer we (LCMB) can support then the better the output. 

There were some market sectors that I know have better knowledge on from a Drivers, Stakeholders and Need perspective, this will fuel a more detailed plan from ourselves and a campaign that I am sure will generate positive business opportunities.”

Professor Nick Wilton, Dean of Oxford Brookes Business School said: ”Business Challenge Week exemplifies our approach to learner development at Oxford Brookes Business School. The opportunity to work in interdisciplinary teams and to interact and connect with employers and our international community allows learners to address real-world challenges, develop critical skills, apply their learning, and support business change amongst participating organisations. A huge thank you to all the learners, partner organisations, and colleagues for making the week another great success.”

Dr Karla Zimpel-Leal, Senior Lecturer in Innovation and Enterprise at Oxford Brookes Business School and  Business Challenge Week organiser, commented: ”What an incredible week! Leading this event and seeing everyone come together — students, industry partners, judges, and mentors is always uplifting. Watching everyone collaborating, creating, and challenging one another reminded me why I love leading initiatives like this, which are about building connections, growing confidence, and seeing brilliant minds in action. I can’t wait to see how the solutions proposed by our students continue to grow and impact the future of these organisations. I’m so proud of each and every one of you who took part and grateful to have played a part in bringing this incredible community together.”

The event not only benefited the participating companies by providing fresh perspectives and actionable recommendations but also enriched the students' learning experiences, preparing them for future careers in the dynamic business landscape.