News
Finance: SKEMA on the podium at the Cornell Case Competition for Family Ownership 2026
On 13 and 14 February 2026, a team made up of two students from the MSc Financial Markets & Investments and one student from the MSc Corporate Financial Management at SKEMA Business School secured third place at the Cornell Case Competition for Family Ownership, organised by Cornell University – SC Johnson College of Business in New York. Known for its academic rigour and immersive format, this international competition challenges students with a real-life family business case, including direct interaction with the company’s owners.
The only European school competing in the 2026 edition, SKEMA reached the podium against a field dominated by leading North American business schools. Supported by the Smith Family Business Initiative, the competition is built around a live case involving an operating family business.
The first part of the case is released one week before the event. After an initial presentation, a second section is unveiled following direct discussions with the owning family. Teams are then given a few hours to revise their analysis and refine their final recommendations. The top four advance to a final round where scores are reset.
A decisive strategic turnaround
The SKEMA team – Riccardo Ciruzzi Manin (MSc Financial Markets & Investments), Emiliana Moscato (MSc Financial Markets & Investments) and Giacomo Musso (MSc Corporate Financial Management) – initially ranked fourth in their room after the first round. The case focused on Covewood Lodge, a multi-generational family lodge in the Adirondacks, New York State, facing complex succession and shareholder restructuring challenges.
Following discussions with members of the family, the students reshaped their recommendation framework. They proposed a restructuring strategy combining formalised governance mechanisms, liquidity solutions for certain shareholders, preservation of the family legacy and stakeholder alignment. This repositioning enabled them to win their group in the second round, qualify for the final and ultimately secure third place overall.
“The case was compelling. We had to design a restructuring solution capable of balancing liquidity, legacy preservation and stakeholder alignment. The work was intense and demanding. When we met the family, our reading of the case shifted: behind the figures lay complex human dynamics. We rebuilt our recommendation to integrate that dimension.”
Structured academic support
The team was coached by Ambra Mazzelli, Associate Professor of Strategy at SKEMA, who supported the students throughout their preparation and during the competition. The programme also benefited from the backing of Johann Barchechath, Program Director of the MSc Financial Markets & Investments, on the Grand Paris campus.
A sustained trajectory of excellence
This performance forms part of a broader trajectory. In 2025, four students from the MSc Financial Markets & Investments were selected from more than 300 teams worldwide to reach the final of the Global Case Competition at Harvard, an M&A simulation hosted by Harvard University. From family governance to M&A modelling, the MSc FMI now stands out in demanding international competitions, where financial discipline, strategic depth and persuasive capacity are assessed by panels of professionals.
