About the Author

About the Author

Cam Welsh

Cam Welsh is an award-winning educator, executive coach, and one of Canada's most experienced case competition coaches. Over the past two decades, he has coached and mentored more than 300 business case competition teams at the undergraduate, graduate, and interdisciplinary levels, helping students achieve more than 180 podium finishes at regional, national, and international competitions.

Throughout his coaching career, Cam has worked with students competing in many of the world's leading case competitions, while also serving as a judge, mentor, and workshop facilitator for universities, organisations, and innovation challenges. These experiences have provided a unique perspective on what distinguishes exceptional teams from those that perform well.

His coaching philosophy is built on a simple belief:

Great case solvers are developed through deliberate practice, thoughtful reflection, and the courage to embrace difficult challenges.

Rather than focusing solely on competition results, Cam emphasises building the habits of critical thinking, strategic decision-making, effective communication, and collaborative leadership that prepare students for long-term professional success.

The Discover Your Mad Skills Philosophy

The Discover Your Mad Skills series was created to help students move beyond memorising frameworks and toward developing the mindset of outstanding business professionals.

While many resources focus on analytical models or presentation techniques in isolation, this series integrates the complete case-solving process—from defining problems and developing strategy to communicating recommendations with confidence and responding effectively under pressure.

At the heart of the series is the belief that confidence is not something people are born with. Confidence is built. It grows through preparation, repeated practice, constructive feedback, and learning to recover from setbacks. Those experiences help students discover abilities they often did not realise they possessed. That journey is what Discover Your Mad Skills is all about.

Deciphering Cases

Cam is also the author of the Deciphering Cases series, which explores the deeper thinking behind successful case solving. Rather than presenting frameworks as formulas, Deciphering Cases encourages competitors to ask better questions, challenge assumptions, identify meaningful insights, and think more strategically about complex business problems. The ideas developed in those articles have influenced the philosophy and structure of this masterclass series, encouraging readers to become thoughtful problem solvers rather than simply competent users of frameworks.

Beyond the Competition

Although these manuals were written for case competition teams, the skills they develop extend far beyond competition weekend. Strategic thinking, financial reasoning, executive communication, leadership, teamwork, decision-making under uncertainty, and resilience are essential capabilities in every profession.

Whether readers pursue careers in consulting, entrepreneurship, engineering, finance, marketing, healthcare, public service, or the non-profit sector, the principles explored throughout these manuals are designed to support better decisions and stronger leadership. Ultimately, the goal of this series is not simply to help readers win more case competitions. zIt is to help them become more confident thinkers, more effective communicators, and more capable leaders.

Connect and Continue Learning

The Discover Your Mad Skills journey extends beyond these manuals through a growing collection of videos, articles, and learning resources. Continue your learning by exploring:

• Discover Your Mad Skills Masterclass on YouTube

• Innovatank TV, where the complete masterclass series is also available for learners in regions where YouTube is unavailable

• Deciphering Cases on Patreon, featuring articles, practical insights, and coaching resources for developing stronger case-solving skills

Learning is not a destination;, it is a continuous process of asking better questions, seeking deeper understanding, and applying those insights to increasingly complex challenges. Thank you for joining me on this journey. I hope these manuals help you discover not only how to solve cases more effectively, but also the confidence, curiosity, and leadership skills that will serve you throughout your career.