26 March 2017
Winners will represent the UAE at EMEA regional finals in Prague on 26-27th April

Dubai – SP Jain School of Global Management Dubai won the the 2017 CFA Institute Research Challenge in the UAE, in a close competition hosted by CFA Society Emirates; the local UAE member society of CFA Institute. The competing teams had to produce a comprehensive equity research report on the financial performance of Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (du), which was then presented to a panel of investment industry experts, who selected the best presentation. The event took place on Friday 24th March at the Shangri-La Hotel in Dubai.

The winning team from SP Jain’s Dubai campus will represent the UAE at the EMEA Regional Final in Prague, Czech Republic on 26-27 April 2017, where they will compete against other top universities and business schools from around the world. The university which wins the EMEA Final will then compete in the Global Final in Prague on 28th April. This year’s competition featured seven teams from universities including: SP Jain School of Global Management Dubai, BITS Pilani Dubai Campus, Middlesex University Dubai, Heriot-Watt University Dubai and American University of Dubai.

Amer Khansaheb, CFA, President of CFA Society Emirates said: “We would like to congratulate SP Jain School of Global Management Dubai on winning the UAE’s 2017 CFA Institute Research Challenge. As aspiring finance professionals, this competition provides a fantastic platform for university students in the country to learn from leading industry experts and compete with peers from the world’s top business schools. Regardless of the outcome, all the participants would have thoroughly experienced various essential analytical and financial research skills, which would increase their professional aptitude when entering the job market.”

The CFA Institute Research Challenge, is an annual global competition that provides university students with hands-on mentoring and intensive training in financial analysis.

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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 over 136,200 members in 145 countries and territories, including 129,800 CFA charterholders, and 147 member societies. For more information, visit www.cfainstitute.org.

About CFA Society Emirates
The CFA Society Emirates Society is an association of local investment professionals consisting of portfolio managers, investment advisors, educators and other financial professionals.  With 600 members, CFA Society Emirates is the largest member society in the GCC region comprising over half of the total number of CFA charterholders in the Gulf. The society also represents a majority of the 4,773 candidates from the region who took the CFA exams in 2009.  With CFA membership in the GCC anticipated to double over the next decade, a significant share of this growth is expected to be in the UAE.

Media contacts
For and on behalf of CFA Institute in the GCC and Middle East
Vadia Rai @ FTI Consulting
T: +971 (0)4 4372110
Vadia.Rai@fticonsulting.com  

CFA Institute EMEA (London)
Nicole Haroutunian (Europe, Middle East, Africa)
T: + 44 (20) 75330 9551
Nicole.Haroutunian@cfainstitute.org

© Press Release 2017