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Press Release
For Immediate Publication
SMU, NUS and NTU share podium in 6th Edition of Tata Crucible at Singapore SMU pair seals business knowledge contest for the second consecutive year
Singapore, October 30, 2012 – After a hotly contested challenge from some of the sharpest minds in Singapore, a pair of contestants from Singapore Management University (SMU) retained their title as Singapore’s Tata Crucible Campus Quiz champions for the second year, at the Rock Auditorium, Suntec City Mall. After five rounds of intense quizzing that had the entire audience on the edge of their seats, Aaron Wong and Poon Jia Wen from SMU claimed a prize of $7,000 and other attractive giveaways. The first runners-up from National University of Singapore (NUS) comprising of Sriharsha Bhat and Karan Prasad took away a cash prize of S$3,000. Both teams also qualified for the International Crucible Final scheduled around April ’13 in Mumbai. Following a nail biting tie-breaker, the second runners-up spot was sealed by Valerie Loong and Chen Yanheng from Nanyang Technological University who won a cash prize of S$2,000. Speaking at the occasion, the Guest of Honour, Mr. Sunny Verghese, Group Managing Director / CEO, Olam International and Chairman, IE Singapore said that evening perfectly illustrated the difference between knowledge and insight. “Insight is not merely about the retention of facts, it’s about the ability to analyse information, compare different types of data and find links which may not necessarily be evident at first look. These are exactly the type of skills which are in most demand in today’s business environment,” he said. “I must confess to being amazed by the speed of thought and analysis of today’s younger generation; their ability to synthesize a variety of information and contexts is absolutely astounding.” Delighted with the victory, Poon Jia Wen from SMU described himself as elated. “We certainly learned from last year’s experience, however, no two Crucible questions are ever the same. It’s all about how rapidly you are able to analyse and figure out what the quizmaster has in mind. And how daring you are with the buzzer, of course!” he said. Vinod Kumar, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Tata Communications commented: “Tata Crucible reflects our commitment to engaging deeply with local communities. It also provides us with an opportunity to take the Tata legacy and values to a new generation, many of whom themselves will be the business leaders of tomorrow.” The Tata Crucible Campus Quiz Singapore 2012 was anchored by quizmaster Mr Giri Balasubramaniam, aka ‘Pickbrain’. This year 104 teams (of two contestants each) from tertiary educational institutions in Singapore took part in the intense battle of wits, where they were tested on a wide array of subjects from the world of business and economy. The acumen of these teams were assessed in various rounds as that needed them to be quick, agile, think laterally and be razor sharp on the buzzer. The preliminary round saw 26 questions from A to Z, followed by a wild card round amongst teams 7 to 14, to select 2 teams who joined the 6 top scoring teams to make an 8 team final. The final teams on stage, all of whom were tested with five rounds of live, rapid-fire quizzing across categories ranging from Business Basics to Bricks & Mortar, included:- Aaron Wong and Poon Jia Wen from Singapore Management University (SMU)
- Sriharsha Bhat and Karan Prasad from the National University of Singapore (NUS)
- Valerie Loong and Chen Yanheng from Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
- Kelvin The First Yong and Ang Hui Xue from National University of Singapore (NUS)
- Vaishnavi Ramakrishnan and Rohit Sen from Singapore Institute Management (SIM)
- Pranav Rao and Vaibhav Sahgal from Singapore Management University (SMU)
- Royyuru Mohana Prasanna Vadan and Ankita Ann Jacob from Nanyang Technological University (NTU)
- Chia Guo Cong and Leonard Lou from National University of Singapore (NUS)
- The first telecast is on 22nd November at 9.30pm (GMT +8) and the repeats are on 23rd November at 10.30am, 24th November at 3.30pm, 25th November at 5.30pm (GMT +8).
- The second telecast is on the 29th November at 9.30pm and the repeats are on 30th November at 10.30am, 1st December at 3.30pm and 2nd December at 5.30pm (GMT +8).