CAMP4: Master Strategist Day

Master Strategist Day runs from 4 to 5 October at INSEAD – Learn about the previous MSD winners and see what it takes to win the school-wide competition

Master Strategist Day (MSD) is a 24-hour event in which the entire MBA cohort across Fontainebleau and Singapore campuses competes by crafting strategy presentations to solve a real-world social impact challenge. The MSD in February 2022 featured Almouneer, an Egypt-based chain of eye clinics that treats diabetic patients and is looking to expand into the United Arab Emirates. Team Camp4 emerged as the top student team, and we hope our journey can inspire other MBA teams to find business solutions with real social impact.

Almouneer first joined MSD in 2019 to address operational issues such as scaling and impact. According to the WHO, 2.2 billion people suffer from vision impairment, and almost half of these cases is preventable. One cause of preventable visual impairment is diabetes. There are 463 million adults living with diabetes around the world, and 55 million in the MENA region. This number may reach 108 million by 2045, making it one of the worst affected regions in the world. Almouneer co-founders joined us on campus in Fontainebleau to engage with students and support MSD analysis of how to best enter the UAE market and address this problem.

Case and Competition

Virtual reality technology was used to explain the case. This allowed us to really see the clinics and understand the local environment. Over 30 consultants from Bain & Co were on campus to provide guidance. At the kickoff event, co-founders of Almouneer Dr Noha Khater and Dr Rania Kadry, presented their case. Henry Engelhardt MBA’88J, Founder of Admiral Group, followed with a motivating speech on creativity. We then gathered as a team, debriefed, allocated roles and responsibilities and made a plan for the time allowed. From the outset we agreed to do our best whilst also having fun.

In typical INSEAD style, our team was extremely diverse:

• Alex from North America (USA) – A startup advisor focusing on innovation and business development
• Paola from South America (Brazil) – A business consultant with a focus on consumer package goods
• Saloni from Asia (India) – A social development consultant with a focus on public health
• Yves from Europe (Switzerland/France) – A strategy consultant with a focus on telecom, media and technology

Building a Team

We chose the team name ‘Camp4’ because we are curious explorers, always on the move. Given our team’s diversity, we approached the challenge by combining our distinct world views to build empathy for Almouneer and their social impact goals.

Our team took a human-centered design approach to the Almouneer challenge, and we took advantage of access to the founders to learn about the company’s vision and target users.

Camp4 on a team outing in Bretagne. From left to right: Saloni, Alex, Paola, Yves

As the competition progressed, each team member contributed unique elements. Alex brought his entrepreneurial spirit and ensured creativity was embedded in our solution. Paola designed a best-in-class user journey to make the solution actionable and human-centered. Saloni proposed a framework to structure our thinking when we hit a wall during brainstorming. Yves steered the team from creative brainstorming to delivery-oriented sessions to stay on track. Our mentor from Bain challenged our solution and proposing we further emphasize the value proposition and implementation vs. usage of frameworks. Even with McKinsey and BCG consultants on the team, we got along very well!

A Social Solution

Our solution was ‘the Companion App’, a name the founders liked and indicated they will adopt. The App allows UAE patients to be constantly accompanied by personalized healthcare solutions. With the App, patients can access retinal prescreening, book appointments, use telemedicine, receive results and recommended actions, and process payments for billing, including links with insurance policies. We recommended a resource-friendly first step for the company to enter the market by partnering with mobile clinics, providing patient results via the mobile app and engaging with care actions and convenient nudges. This low-cost approach builds a user base that can be leveraged to onboard clinics and partners as they expand in the UAE market.

Figure 1.Slides from our presentation illustrating the user journey and the roadmap for Almouneer

Speaking on Camp4’s solution, Ridhima Aggarwal, Salmon and Rameau Director of the Healthcare Management Initiative had this to say: “It was a great example which showed that successful innovation does not have to be breakthrough – rather, simple improvements can be equally disruptive. We hope to continue working with Almouneer in the coming months and years to facilitate internships and other opportunities for our MBA students to implement these strategic recommendations and to help maximize the organization’s impact around the world.” Camp4 recommendations to Almouneer show that MSD day is a valuable experience for students and businesses. It is an opportunity for business solutions to accelerate progress on UN Sustainable Development Goals, with this case focused on SDG 3 – Good health, well-being and prevention. With so many possible solutions out there, team Camp4 can’t wait to see what the next winning team has in store!

Team Camp4 took the top spot at Master Strategist Day in February 2022. The case and competition were supported by the INSEAD Healthcare Management Initiative. The Hoffmann Institute looks forward to sharing the outcomes of future Master Strategist Days focused on social impact.