Mazars launches the #Mazarsforgood Innovation Challenge

“At Mazars, innovation is at the heart of everything we do. We are indeed quite a young organization recruiting a heavy load of young graduates around the world. This is why it just felt natural for us to strongly support and enhance innovative initiatives which could come as inspiring to change the world – that is to say people, the society at large or businesses.” said Laurent Choain, Chief People & Communication Officer at Mazars Group.

As millennials represent approximately 80% of Mazars' professionals worldwide and will represent 75% of the global workforce by 2025, Mazars' objective with the #MazarsforGood Innovation Challenge is to listen and learn from young entrepreneurs, potential recruits as well as its young professionals and make ideas emerge to contribute to the enhancement of sustainability in the business world. Laurent Choain added: “We don’t have to simply transmit old stories; we have to change and push the next generation to create their own successful standards.”

Teams of two to three members will present their innovative project in a 90-second video and submit an idea canvas in the first phase of the challenge. Leveraging social networks is one of the key aspects of the challenge as teams are asked to upload their videos on YouTube or Youku and gain likes from the public for their ideas.

5 finalists per category will be shortlisted and will be asked to provide a detailed idea canvas along with another video explaining how they would use the US$ 20,000 prize money. Submissions will be evaluated by a jury chaired by Laurent Choain, composed of Mazarians along with a panel of external experts in human capital development, entrepreneurship, innovation and social enterprise.

Winners will be announced in late September and will share the total prize money of US$ 70,000:

• The top winning team for each category will win US$ 20,000.
• The second-placed teams for each category will win US$ 2,000.
• The third-placed teams for each category will win US$ 1,000.
• The most popular idea will receive US$ 1,000.

The challenge has begun on Monday, January 26, 2015. Submissions can be made via the website ideasforgood.mazars.com. The challenge can be followed with the #mazarsforgood hashtag on social networks.

The 3 top winning teams will also have the opportunity to present their projects and receive their awards during Mazars’ Annual Conference in Belgium, Brussels. This annual event gathers Mazars' leaders worldwide in mid-December 2015 (date to be announced).