Two Strathclyde marketing student teams in The Pitch 2026 final
Two teams of students from the Department of Marketing were successful in reaching the final of The Pitch 2026, the Chartered Institute of Marketing’s global student competition designed to discover the marketers of the future.
Sophie Burns, Kelly Ibenegbu and Natalia Grochowska made up one team - The GreenPrint - and Ola Beza, Anna Shields and Adam Bettaney comprised the GreenGlobal team trio.
This year, the students took on a real-life brief from CIM’s industry partner, IBM, giving them the chance to gain practical experience, boost their employability and stand out to employers in a competitive job market.
The two Strathclyde teams were competing against 11 other teams in a live virtual final on March 11 where they pitched their ideas to a panel of expert judges.
This year’s task set by IBM focused on Green AI. While AI is evolving fast, so is its environmental footprint. Training and running large models demands significant energy, raising serious sustainability concerns. Competing students were challenged to create a strategic plan that makes IBM the global leader in ‘Green AI’ - the future of sustainable artificial intelligence – helping IBM define, own and lead in this space. The teams had to position IBM as the most credibly brand in sustainable AI and provide a marketing-led strategy for leadership, influence and visibility.
Unfortunately, it was not to be on the day for either team, who were up against some tough competition from the eleven other teams in the final, but the experience was a positive one for all the students.
The GreenGlobal team, Ola, Adam and Anna, said, “We’re delighted to have had the opportunity to take part in CIM ‘The Pitch’. It’s a real privilege to participate in the final given the global competition. This has been a great experience for us as marketing students so far, allowing us to put ideas into practice, showcase our unique strengths and take on something so challenging yet rewarding."
The Green Print team - Sophie, Kelly and Natalia - said, “We were absolutely thrilled to be named finalists in The Pitch. This competition has been an incredible opportunity to challenge ourselves, think creatively under pressure, and apply everything we’ve learned in a real-world context. Working on a live brief pushed us to raise our standards, sharpen our strategic thinking, and collaborate more effectively as a team. The feedback and insights we’ve received throughout the process have been invaluable, and we’ve grown both individually and collectively because of it. We are incredibly grateful to have had the chance to showcase our ideas on such a respected platform and proud of how far we’ve come together.”
Thomas McAlinden, Department of Marketing lecture, was delighted the two teams made it to the final.
“Strathclyde has an extraordinary record of achievement in The Pitch. In seven years, a Strathclyde team has won on six occasions – four times in the undergraduate section and twice in the postgraduate competition.
This year, we had two teams shortlisted for the final – no mean feat – it's testament to their knowledge and understanding of marketing that they made it to the final.