IRM India Crowns National GOER – Game of Enterprise Risk® 2026 Champions

The Institute of Risk Management’s (IRM) India Affiliate (the world’s leading professional body for Enterprise Risk Management across 140+ countries), successfully concluded the Grand Finale of the 4th National GOER – Game of Enterprise Risk® 2026 at Mahindra University, Hyderabad.

Recognised as India’s only distinctive experiential competition focused on risk intelligence and resilience, GOER brought together some of the country’s brightest young minds to navigate complex enterprise challenges, emerging risks, crisis situations, and black swan events through the lens of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM).

The 2026 edition witnessed participation from 61 teams representing leading universities and institutions across India. Across its four editions, GOER has now engaged more than 2,000 participants from over 120 institutions, establishing itself as a national movement dedicated to building risk-aware and resilience-focused future leaders.

The 20 finalists were assessed on a broad range of future-focused competencies including enterprise risk identification, strategic thinking, stakeholder management, negotiation, communication, crisis response, collaboration, and decision-making under pressure. Winning teams received national recognition, cash prizes worth 2 lakhs and scholarships worth 6 lakhs towards IRM’s globally recognised qualifications.

The 2026 edition was supported by HDFC Mutual Fund as the Exclusive Financial Literacy Partner through its Campus Connect Initiative, Mahindra University as the Exclusive Campus Partner under the Global Centre for Enterprise Risk Management inaugurated by Mr Anand Mahindra and Dr YajuluMedury, Snackible as the Snacking Partner, and Salt Oral Care as the Oral Care Partner.

After multiple rounds of rigorous assessment, enterprise simulations, boardroom challenges, stakeholder negotiations, and crisis management exercises, the following teams emerged victorious:

Undergraduate Category

Winner: The Hedge Minds – SVKM’s NMIMS Centre for International StudiesFirst Runner-Up: Strategic Planners – JagranLakecity University BhopalSecond Runner-Up: The Risketeers – Parul Institute of Business Administration

Postgraduate Category

Winner: The Risk Strategist – IFMR Graduate School of Business (GSB) Krea UniversityFirst Runner-Up: DEVIAT-X – Institute of Insurance and Risk Management Second Runner-Up: RiskIQ – National Institute of Bank Management

Delivering the Chief Guest address at the Grand Finale, Mr. Navneet Munot, Managing Director & CEO, HDFC Asset Management Company Limited remarked: 

“As India advances towards the vision of Viksit Bharat, it is essential that our young leaders are equipped not only with knowledge and ambition, but also with the ability to navigate uncertainty, manage risk, and make informed decisions in a rapidly evolving world. IRM India’s Game of Enterprise Risk (GOER) is a unique platform that fosters these capabilities through experiential learning, enabling students to apply strategic thinking and sound judgment to real-world challenges. At HDFC Mutual Fund, we are pleased to support an initiative that strengthens financial literacy, risk awareness, and future-ready leadership among India’s youth.”

Commenting on the success of the competition, Mr. Hersh Shah, CEO, IRM India Affiliate and India’s Youngest Enterprise Risk Expert, said:

“The future belongs not only to those who can identify opportunities, but to those who can anticipate uncertainty, navigate disruption, and build resilience. Through GOER, we are creating a national platform that encourages young leaders to think critically, challenge assumptions, make informed decisions, and develop risk intelligence whilst also becoming a member of IRM’s global community. The exceptional talent demonstrated by participants this year gives us great confidence in India’s future leaders.”

IRM India expressed its sincere appreciation to all partners for supporting a shared vision of advancing financial literacy, resilience, risk awareness, and future-ready leadership capabilities amongst India’s youth.

The Grand Finale was adjudicated by an eminent jury panel comprising senior leaders from risk management, strategy, governance, internal audit, and academia, who evaluated participants on analytical thinking, stakeholder management, risk prioritisation, crisis response, strategic communication, resilience, and decision-making under uncertainty.

The distinguished jury panel included:

●    Mr. Deep Mukherjee, Partner & Director – Risk Management and Data Science, Boston Consulting Group ●    Dr. Leena Vijayvargy, Chief Risk Officer, HDFC Asset Management Company Limited ●    Mr. Aien Noorul, Global Internal Audit & Enterprise Risk Management Head, Tata Consumer Products ●    Mr. Sachin Mutha, Head – Risk Management (Digital Segment), Reliance JioInfocomm Limited ●    Mr. Viraansh Bhanushali, University of Oxford & The Oxford Union

Adding a unique dimension to the event was Max Lopez, entrepreneur, founder of Maullo, resilience advocate, and the official Resilience Mascot of GOER 2026, who served as the event emcee and engaged participants on the importance of personal and organisational resilience in today’s rapidly changing environment.

IRM India Affiliate remains committed to advancing risk literacy across academic institutions and India Inc. thereby fostering a resilient and Viksit India through globally benchmarked qualifications, thought leadership initiatives, industry partnerships, and experiential learning platforms that equip individuals and organisations to navigate uncertainty with confidence.