The students from Master in Finance at the University of Vaasa got the second place in the regional CFA Research Challenge

The team of finalists consists of students from Master’s Degree Programme in Finance of the University of Vaasa – Tuomas Eskola, Erno Kajander and Mikko Valtanen.

The team members presented their analysis and buy/sell/hold recommendation on Neste Oyj to a panel of distinguished judges from the investment community.  The judges for the competition were Kati Eriksson (CFA, Executive Vice President, Asset Management, Aktia), Marie Karlsson (CIO, Head Of Nordic, Finnish and Swedish Equities at Nordea Asset Management) and Janne Lähdesmäki (Portfolio Manager, Schroders).

The presentation was the culmination of months of research, interviews with company management, competitors, and clients, as well as presentation training. All participating teams received hands-on mentoring, and intensive training in financial analysis and professional ethics delivered through the CFA Institute network, their faculty advisor, and a dedicated industry mentor. The academic advisor of the team from the University of Vaasa was Associate Professor Tatiana King.

–Our presentation went well and we got really good feedback on our Q&A section. University of Turku won the local challenge this year, but overall all of us left the building with good feelings. The level on which the competition was held was tough. Overall our team got really positive feedback. On a personal note this was a true learning experience, says Erno Kajander.

The winners of the local final competition this year is the team from the University of Turku that will advance to the EMEA regional semifinals.

More about CFA Institute Research Challenge can be found on www.cfainstitute.org/researchchallenge.

You can also get all information about CFA Institute Research Challenge from Tatiana King, Associate Professor, School of Accounting and Finance, University of Vaasa, E-mail: tatiana.king@uwasa.fi

Photo: Pekka Lähteenmäki