Western Canada HR Students Compete at HRC West Case Competition 2025

These students participated in a classroom learning competition dedicated to HR that merged theory with real-life simulations. The HRC West Case Competition two-day event provided post-secondary student teams with the opportunity to access a unique platform for the exchange of ideas with a comprehensive business case that explores a pressing HR challenge. 

The competition hosting alternates between the two provinces, and is held at a sponsored school. With the first event held back in 2017. Bow Valley College hosted in 2023, and the 2024 competition was held at Camosun College, situated on the territories of the Ləkʷəŋən (Songhees and Kosapsum) and WSÁNEĆ peoples. This year, 2025, we brought it back to Alberta to host our record high of 20 teams at the University of Alberta.  

“The Alberta School of Business was honored to co-host HRC West 2025 alongside CPHR Alberta, welcoming top HR students from across Alberta and British Columbia. This competition showcased the power of experiential learning, reinforcing our commitment to preparing future leaders who uplift each other through their knowledge, collaboration, and innovation,” says Vikas Mehrotra, Dean, Alberta School of Business, University of Alberta.    

Schools competing from Alberta included: 

• Bow Valley College, Calgary, Alberta 
• MacEwan University, Edmonton, Alberta 
• Mount Royal University, Calgary, Alberta 
• Medicine Hat College, Medicine Hat, Alberta 
• NorQuest College, Edmonton, Alberta 
• Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), Edmonton, Alberta 
• Red Deer Polytechnic, Red Deer, Alberta 
• Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), Calgary, Alberta 
• University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta 
• University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta 

Competitors from British Columbia included: 

• Ascenda School of Management, Vancouver, British Columbia 
• Camosun College, Victoria, British Columbia 
• College of New Caledonia, Prince George, British Columbia 
• Douglas College, New Westminster, British Columbia 
• Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Richmond, British Columbia 
• Okanagan College, Kelowna, British Columbia 
• Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia 
• Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia 
• Trinity Western University, Langley, British Columbia 
• Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo, British Columbia 

Friday night opened with a welcome dinner for all participants followed by networking amongst the student participants, team coaches, CPHR Alberta staff, and faculty from the University of Alberta. 

"Investing in the future of our industry is important to our association, it helps us build a strong and vibrant HR community. This is why we have developed programs and networking opportunities, like the HRC West Case Competition, for our student members to help them thrive in a career in HR after graduation,” says CPHR Alberta CEO, Ioana Giurca. 

Early Saturday, five pools of four teams competed in their first rounds of preparation and presentations. Students were provided a case written by a Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR), and given three hours to study the case and prepare a presentation. 

By Saturday afternoon, four teams progressed to the final round to present their ideas and strategies to our three esteemed CPHR designated judges. 

Congratulations to all the teams that participated, and to the top four teams who were presented with cheques at the Student Awards Reception. The top four teams were: 

In fourth place, Okanagan College; Dyra Pridham, Josh Smith, Marissa John, Rebecca Chin. Team name, Umbrella HR, coached by Nathanael Massey 

In third place, Bow Valley College; Benjamin Velenzuela Celedon, Cheery Jane Oyog, Jilliane Blanchard, Maria Francis-Fairley. Team name, SparkMind Solutions, coached by Svetlana Miftahov-Rapoport. 

In second place, University of Lethbridge; Chineye Rajafa, Deon Davidson, Mmesoma Ezebuala, Nicola Neave. Team name, Elevate Beyond Consulting, coached by Shawna Boyko. 

The 2025 HRC West Case Competition winner, in first place, Camosun College; Dex Owen, Hillary Carr, Miracle Obimba, Roxy Hemlock. Team name, HRchitects, coached by Aidan Dumaisnil. 

“We are incredibly proud of our team for placing first in this year’s HRC West case competition. It was a tough competition, with so many impressive teams showcasing their HR expertise and problem-solving skills. This experience is an invaluable opportunity for students to apply their knowledge in a real-world setting, gain confidence, and grow as future HR professionals. Congratulations to all the winning teams and participants for their hard work and outstanding performances!" says Aidan Dumaisnil, Faculty, Management and HR Leadership, Camosun College.  

Thank you to our host school University of Alberta. 

HRC West 2026 will be hosted in Richmond, British Columbia at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.  

About CPHR Alberta 

CPHR Alberta is the professional association dedicated to strengthening the human resources profession and upholding the highest standards of practice. 

With over 6,000 members in major cities across Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, CPHR Alberta is the fourth largest HR association in Canada. 

CPHR Alberta is the exclusive registration body in Alberta for the Chartered Professionals in Human Resources (CPHR) designation, which is the professional standard in Canada. The CPHR demonstrates HR expertise, experience and ethical management of today’s human capital. CPHR Alberta is a provincial member of CPHR Canada. 

For more information about the 2025 HRC West Case Competition contact: Cali Kleine, Post-Secondary Coordinator, CPHR Alberta at ckleine@cphrab.ca. 

About CPHR BC &Yukon 

CPHR BC & Yukon is a non-profit organization specializing in advancing professional people practices. Committed to providing leadership in HR excellence, CPHR BC & Yukon is the foremost professional association for HR practitioners throughout the province. 

Founded in 1942, CPHR BC & Yukon is a democratic organization governed by a volunteer Board of Directors elected by the membership. As the largest HR association in Western Canada, CPHR BC & Yukon has grown to include close to 7,000 members encompassing CEOs, directors of HR, consultants, educators, students, HR generalists, and small-business owners. 

The association is the sole BC grantor of the Chartered Professional in Human Resources (CPHR) designation and is responsible for upholding industry standards. In addition, as the largest HR association in Western Canada, CPHR BC & Yukon offers professional learning and networking opportunities including workshops, symposia, events, and an annual conference and showcase. 

For more information on the 2026 HRC West Case Competition contact: Quinne Davey, Member Relations Manager, Lower Mainland, CPHR BC & Yukon at qdavey@cphrbc.ca.