MANILA, Philippines – FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and one of the world’s largest express transportation companies, together with Junior Achievement (JA) Asia Pacific, announced the top three winners of the 16th annual FedEx Express/JA International Trade Challenge (ITC) finals. Students from India, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines comprised the winning teams.
Over 4,800 participants representing 10 AMEA markets – Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam – competed for the top spots with 60 students making it to this year’s regional AMEA finals. The finalists presented their ideas to a panel of regional business leaders following three days of intense competition held virtually from August 9 to 11.
This year, the student teams were tasked with creating a market entry strategy for a physical product that places ‘sustainability’ at its core, and Germany was the target market. The challenge was particularly timely due to consumers’ increasing focus on the environmental impact of products and the escalating discussion on what role businesses should play to help tackle climate change.
The winning team J Cubed, comprised of Jakecob M. Jacob from the Philippines and Yau Li Ting Jamie from Singapore. Their idea was a sustainable beer called ‘Loaf’ brewed from surplus bread to address food waste and promote sustainability as well as German culture.
Sultans of Sales, comprised of Simar Singh from India and Tatsuru Taguchi from Japan were named first runners-up for their nutritious, eco-friendly range of drinks called ‘Das Bubble’ made from herbal tea, purified algae, and seaweed from the Baltic Sea.
Magna Victoriam, comprised of Supaseth Julerttrakul from Thailand and Ilangovan Harishiga from Singapore were named second runners-up. Their idea tackled the 200,000 tons of waste produced each year from conventional feminine hygiene products. They conceptualized ‘Cura’ as a compostable alternative to conventional sanitary napkins made from water hyacinth.
“We are overjoyed to be named the winners of the competition, especially to be chosen among a very talented peer group. Through this competition, we have worked together as a team, learning from the experience of our mentors and judges, which has been really inspiring and made us even more committed to begin our entrepreneur journey,” said J Cubed team members Jakecob M. Jacob from the Philippines and Yau Li Ting Jamie from Singapore.
“We chose to center this year’s theme on sustainability as it is such a prescient issue for FedEx, the business community, and everyone on our planet. The knowledge and ideas these young entrepreneurs demonstrated throughout the competition on these real-world challenges was truly inspiring,” said Salil Chari, senior vice president, Marketing and Customer Experience, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) region, FedEx Express. “These young participants are our future leaders, creators, and innovators. We’re incredibly proud of our continuing collaboration with JA and look forward to helping fuel the pipeline of entrepreneurship in the years ahead.”
“Since its debut in 2007, the FedEx Express/JA Asia Pacific International Trade Challenge has been invaluable in transforming traditional classroom learning to real-life, hands-on experiences. At JA Asia Pacific, our belief in the youth of this region has never been stronger. I am so pleased to see a truly representative group of participants and a crucial and timely theme focused on sustainability, that supports JA’s global vision and demonstrates that young people truly have the skillset and mindset to build thriving communities,” said JA Asia Pacific President and CEO Maziar Sabet.
The FedEx Express / JA International Trade Challenge program is jointly organized by FedEx Express and JA Asia Pacific, a member of JA Worldwide. Over 36,500 students across AMEA, have benefitted from this program in the last 16 years. This year, 40 FedEx volunteers from 13 AMEA markets mentored the students. In addition to supporting young entrepreneurs through JA ITC, FedEx Express is an advocate for and supporter of small-and-medium-enterprises (SMEs).
Judges of the competition were impressed by the organization of the virtual competition and the efforts made by the students.