About the role
Description
Every brand eventually faces a moment when its old story stops working. A product loses relevance, a name picks up the wrong meaning, or a competitor changes what customers expect. The marketers who stand out in these moments are the ones who can find the real problem quickly and build a plan that holds up in the market.
Manager of the Year, the management competition of Passion'26 at IMT Ghaziabad, puts teams in that position. Teams begin with a quiz on marketing fundamentals, move on to a case built around a real brand problem, and finish by presenting their recommendation to a panel of industry leaders. The competition rewards sound diagnosis, evidence and practical thinking over decoration.
Round Details
Online Quiz (Eliminatory)
- Format: Online quiz hosted on Unstop with 30 multiple-choice questions to be completed in 15 minutes.
- Marking Scheme: Each correct answer carries 3 marks, each incorrect answer carries a negative mark of 1, and unanswered questions carry no marks.
- Evaluation: About 35 participants will qualify for the on-campus rounds based on their quiz score. In case of a tie, the participant with fewer incorrect answers will rank higher. If the tie remains, the participant who took less time to complete the quiz will rank higher.
Details of further rounds will be communicated to the qualifying participants through their registered email addresses.
Strategy Board Review
- Format: On-campus round in groups of 5, with a case pack and a 3-minute individual recommendation to an investment committee.
- Objective: Each participant acts as a strategy head and recommends whether to acquire, merge, divest or grow organically.
- Evaluation: Individual scores on valuation logic, fit assessment, quality of challenge and clarity, normalised across rooms. The top 10 advance.
The Deal Room
- Format: On-campus negotiation between 5 pairs of participants, each pair negotiating the same case from opposite sides.
- Objective: Participants must reach an agreement, or walk away, using a confidential brief.
- Evaluation: Deal outcome (40), value creation (20), process (30) and ethics and honesty (10). The top 5 advance.
Crisis Leadership Briefing
- Format: On-campus finale for 5 finalists, with a 2-minute opening statement and a 5-minute media panel Q&A.
- Objective: Finalists lead the company response to a realistic crisis.
- Evaluation: Messaging, transparency, composure and damage control. The finalist with the highest score will be declared the winner.
Note: Teams are not allowed to mention the name of their institution, or use its logo, anywhere in their submissions or during the presentation.