Stockholm School of Economics Students Win Place in Global Finale of CFA Institute Research Challenge
The student team from Stockholm School of Economics, representing Sweden, has won the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) regional final of the CFA Institute Research Challenge, the worldwide university competition for the financial analysts of the future, which took place at the Barbican in London
The team of five students initially competed against 23 teams from the EMEA region. Acting as financial analysts, Tommy Chen, Pham Kent Keiward, Fredrik Sundelin, Johan Wallin, and Yining Wang, researched and reported on Autoliv, the developer, manufacturer, and supplier of automotive safety systems. The team was mentored by Fredrik R Ahlin, CFA, together with Professor Tomas Hjelström as faculty adviser, and the presentationwas judged by a panel of investment industry experts1. Rounding out the four EMEA finalist teams were students from University Carlos III of Madrid (Spain), University College Cork (Republic of Ireland), and Wroclaw University of Economics (Poland). The Swedish team will face students from Thammasat University (Thailand) and the winners of the Americas Regional at the global finale in New York, USA, on 11 April 2012.
The Research Challenge competition is an educational initiative that was established to promote best practice in research among the next generation of financial analysts, and to provide students with an insight into the investment industry. Leading industry professionals mentor business and finance students for one year, guiding them on how to research and report on a publicly traded company, and presenting research results and recommendations to a high-profile panel of experts. Marks are awarded to teams on the basis of their investment report, their professional presentation, and their ability to answer questions from the judges. The teams were sponsored by local CFA Institute member societies, each of which previously hosted country heats of the competition.
Commenting on the event, Nitin Mehta, CFA, Managing Director, CFA Institute (EMEA) said: “I warmly congratulate the Stockholm School of Economics team. They achieved their success through teamwork, rigorous analysis, and a great deal of effort. Their presentation was outstanding, with a display of preparedness, poise, and confidence. Now in its sixth year, the Research Challenge has brought together a record number of 3,000 students from 55 countries and 700 universities worldwide, making this competition more exciting than ever before, and we are proud to be able to be strengthen relationships between students, faculty and industry.”
Henrik Bjerklin, CFA, President, CFA Sweden, added: “My warmest congratulations go to the students from Stockholm School of Economics for a fantastic achievement. Their dedication to the competition, alongside their studies, is a huge achievement and I hope they will continue their learning upon graduation. All of us at CFA Sweden wish you the best of luck in the global finale next month. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Peder Du Rietz, CFA, and Madeleine Lindblad Woodward as coordinators for the Swedish Research Challenge, their efforts have been instrumental in making this competition such a success.”
Last year, a team of five students from Politecnico di Milano, Italy, initially competed against 21 teams from the EMEA region, and went on to win the global finale of the competition in Nebraska. Sponsored by the Italian CFA Society, the team of five Master of Science in Management, Economics, and Industrial Engineering students overcame tough competition from the University of Southern California from the Americas region, Rutgers University from the New York region, and Thammasat University (Bangkok, Thailand) from the Asia-Pacific region. In honor of this achievement, the team from Politecnico di Milano received US$10,000 for their university.
Follow the progress of the EMEA winners at the global finale of the Research Challenge in New York on Twitter: #CFAChallenge.
1 The judging panel of the EMEA IRC regional final comprised thirteen judges in total, including:
- Giuseppe Ballocchi, CFA, Head, Financial Engineering and Risk Analytics, Pictet & Cie
- Altaf Amirali Kassam, CFA, Managing Director, Global Head, Equity Market Strategies, UBS Limited
- Roger Urwin, Global Director, Towers Watson
- Nicola Ralston, Director and Co Founder, PiRho Investment Consulting
CFA Institute is the global association of investment professionals that sets the standard for professional excellence and credentials. The organization is a champion for ethical behavior in investment markets and a respected source of knowledge in the global financial community. The end goal: to create an environment where investors’ interests come first, markets function at their best, and economies grow.