The Corvinus team achieved first place at the Business Hive 2026 competition in Ljubljana

The Corvinus team, made up of Gergely Bogáti, Kende Juhász, Szonja Gál and Máté György, traveled to Slovenia for what was scheduled as a three day competition but in practice meant fewer than 72 hours of work from the moment the case was opened to the final presentation. Business Hive brings together student teams from across the region to work on real business problems prepared in close cooperation with major consulting firms and corporations.  

This year’s Kearney case centered on a Slovenian apparel manufacturer, a long-established company with a heritage in tailoring and formalwear that had begun to lose its footing. Profitability had been falling for years, international competition was intensifying, and the product portfolio had grown to a size that no longer fit the company’s production capacity. The teams were asked to diagnose the situation and propose a restructuring plan that could realistically be carried out within 18 to 24 months.  

The Corvinus team’s answer was structured around clear sequencing logic. In the short term, the company had to stop the bleeding, which meant aggressively reducing the number of active product lines and concentrating on those capable of generating cash quickly enough to avoid running out of liquidity. Once the financial situation was stabilized, the company could rebuild a leaner, more profitable portfolio and a stronger online channel, in line with the broader shift in how apparel customers research and buy.  

The proposal was presented to a jury of senior practitioners, who awarded the Corvinus team first place. The jury praised the team’s analytical rigor, innovative thinking, and presentation skills, and noted that the proposed solution was aligned with the company’s needs.  

The competition was the team’s first time working together in this exact configuration, and it tested more than analytical ability. Three days with limited sleep, a complex dataset, and a real deliverable at the end demand the kind of teamwork and executive communication that case competitions are designed to build.  

Corvinus University of Budapest warmly congratulates the team on their outstanding achievement and on representing the university so well in an exceptionally competitive field.