The Spanish final of the CFA Research Challenge 2023 was conducted on March 1st at the Madrid Stock Exchange, where one of the two EADA teams finished in third place. Ever since EADA started taking part in this Challenge, it has consistently placed among the top three at the Madrid finals.
Participants from top business and law schools compete every year in the CFA Research Challenge with the goal of creating a professional analyst report of a publicly listed company. The competition is hosted by the CFA Institute which represents the leading global association for investment management professionals. This year, fifteen teams from eleven different institutions competed for a spot in the Madrid final.
The company selected for this year’s edition was Telefónica, one of the biggest telecommunications companies worldwide by market value and customer base, with operations in Europe and Latin America.
The EADA CFA Research Challenge teams were hand-selected in October 2022, and from the end of October through February, they were working hard on the report.
EADA is very proud of its teams because both of them have been classified among the five finalist teams in Madrid. They have made and excellent and professional work introducing ESG aspects in the valuation method apply to target company Telefonica.
Jaume Bonet, Programme Director International Master in Finance
5 participants from the International Master in Finance made up the winning team for EADA: David Rios Gaviria (Colombia), Michael Khalid Ghutmi (USA), Nikolai Sinclair (Norway), Sanam Nemati (Germany), and Ghassan Alkheyr (Syria).
We got in touch with the participants and asked them to share their experience and feelings after this challenge.
Nikolai Sinclar told us that he felt motivated to perform on the biggest stage; taking their report to the next level and making EADA proud.
We also wanted to know what they learnt from the experience of participating in the CFA Research Challenge that they would take with them into their future careers, Ghassan had to say that participating in the CFA Research Challenge provided him with an opportunity to sharpen his financial analysis skills, including the ability to analyse financial statements, understand key financial metrics, and interpret financial data. Moreover, conducting such an extensive research on telefónica, gathering and analysing data from various sources, helped him develop valuable research skills, including how to identify reliable sources, gather data, and analyse information.
On the other hand, he has further developed his reporting skills as he had to deliver complex financial information in a smooth and efficient manner. On the interpersonal side, The CFA Research Challenge aided him in developing his teamwork and collaboration skills, including how to communicate effectively, delegate tasks, and work towards a common goal. Overall, all the skills and expertise he gained from the CFA Research Challenge will certainly be valuable assets to set him apart from other students stepping towards the professional world.
Last but not least, Michael Khalid Ghutmi told us that the advice he would give to future participants in the CFA Research Challenge based on his own experience was to take advantage of this experience and take in all the knowledge they can get. Work as a team in order to build a clear and concise report together efficiently and seek feedback to learn from experienced individuals and know what to work on.
According to Programme director, Jaume Bonet, the advantage of participating in the CFA Research Challenge is to learn how to work under time-pressure and in a very competitive environment. Team members have the opportunity to apply the soft-skills learned in our Residential Training campus in Collbató. It is an experience that will add value to their future professional career.
