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Winners will represent the UAE at EMEA regional finals in Amsterdam
Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 1 March 2015 - American University of Sharjah became the 2014-15 CFA Institute Research Challenge winner in the UAE, beating competitor universities in a close final hosted by CFA Society Emirates, the local UAE member society of CFA Institute. The winning team will represent the UAE at the EMEA regional competition, to be held in Amsterdam, Netherlands on April 1-2, 2015. The winners of the EMEA regional final will compete at the global finals in Atlanta, Georgia, USA in April.
The competition featured four teams from universities based in UAE and Oman, including the American University of Sharjah, Middlesex University Dubai, Institute of Management Technology Dubai and Sultan Qaboos University Muscat. Each team presented to a panel of judges an equity research report on Emaar Malls Group, the retail subsidiary of Emaar Properties, a leading property developer based in Dubai. Presentations were followed by a Q&A session led by the judges.
Amer Khansaheb, President of CFA Society Emirates, said: "This competition offers students an exceptional chance to learn about the financial industry from the most experienced professionals who are active within the sector. All of the judges were highly impressed with the quality of work and dedicated commitment displayed by each team. All of the students should be proud of their achievements in representing their respective university in a national competition. "
He added: "I would like to extend my congratulations to the American University of Sharjah team for demonstrating excellence in both written and presentation components of the competition. For the sixth consecutive year, the research challenge presents students with an unparalleled opportunity to learn closely from leading industry experts from the world's top business schools and gain valuable skills in corporate financial analysis and presentation delivery."
Commenting on this year's research challenge, Mohit Malhotra, CFA, Education Chair-Dubai of CFA Emirates, said: "This annual educational and youth development initiative is designed to promote best practices in equity research. It is our pleasure to guide young talent towards fully understanding the role of a research analyst and the importance of maintaining integrity, ethical principles, and international best standards. We continually strive to educate young students about the field of investment research and promote the CFA program as the qualification of choice. I thank all of the teams and respective universities for their hard work and determination and wish the American University of Sharjah team all the best as they embark upon the next stage of the competition in Amsterdam."
The CFA Institute Research Challenge, an educational competition for university students, offers participants the opportunity to assume the role of investment research analysts and subsequently develop and present an equity research report, which was based this year on Emaar Malls Group. Student teams compete on a global basis with peers from top business schools.
Each team was closely mentored by a professional research analyst and CFA charterholder during the initial research process. After drafting the report and receiving feedback from the designated mentor, each team writes a final research report which is presented to a panel of experts from top financial institutions.
Media contacts
For and on behalf of CFA Institute in the GCC and Middle East
Erica Pettit/Vadia Rai @ FTI Consulting
T: +971 (0)4 4372110
Erica.Pettit@fticonsulting.com / Vadia.Rai@fticonsulting.com
CFA Institute EMEA (London)
Philip Lowther/Nicole Haroutunian (Europe, Middle East, Africa)
T: + 44 (20) 75330 9551
Philip.Lowther@cfainstitute.org / Nicole.Haroutunian@cfainstitute.org
About the CFA Institute Research Challenge
The challenge gathers students, investment industry professionals, publicly traded companies, and corporate sponsors together locally, regionally, and globally for a world competition. In order to promote best practices in equity research and company analysis, students research, analyze, and report on a company as if they are practicing analysts. Local CFA member societies and other affiliated groups host and local level competitions of the Research Challenge in conjunction with the participating universities. The universities assemble teams of three to five business and finance students who work directly with a company in researching and preparing a company analysis. The team's final presentations are locally evaluated by high-profile panels of heads of research, portfolio managers, and chief investment officers from the world's top firms. The local champions advance to regional competitions in the Americas, Asia Pacific, and Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) and then to the Global Finale.
About CFA Institute
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. CFA Institute has more than 117,000 members in 140 countries and territories, including 110,000 CFA charterholders, and 140 member societies. For more information, visit www.cfainstitute.org.
© Press Release 2015
