A student team from the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) is all smiles as their victory marks the first Canadian team to win the prestigious CFA Institute Research Challenge, an annual competition that provides university students with hands-on mentoring and intensive training in financial analysis.
Kam Dhaliwal, Adnan Khan, Brent Small, Daniel Zhang, and Rudder Zhang went up against stiff competition over the course of the challenge. After advancing past the local and regional rounds, the team was sent to Chicago to compete against 106 teams from across the globe, beating out previous champions from Ateneo de Manila University, University of Georgia, and Politecnico di Milano to capture the championship title and a $10,000 prize.
Prior to the Challenge finals, the Waterloo team was assigned the Canadian Tire Corporation, which they spent countless hours researching and analyzing. Aside from learning everything they possibly could about their company, Adnan Khan says they did a lot of soul searching, too.
Throughout the competition, we learned about each other’s strengths and weaknesses, work styles, and personal and professional goals. This helped us all become more invested in the overall journey of the competition.
Aside from winning the competition, meeting and connecting with international teams was a major highlight, says Adnan.
From brushing up on my Hindi while chatting with the team from India to jamming out to Sean Paul with the Kenyans to planning my trip to Machu Picchu with the team from Peru, there was never a dull moment!
Brent Small agrees, and says that although the team faced a number of challenges over the course of the competition, the payoff was well worth it. He signs off with some great advice for undergraduate students looking to get involved a competition:
Pursue your passions, and take advantage of the enormous amount of opportunities the University offers. Clubs and competitions are a great way to differentiate yourself, and to demonstrate a genuine interest in whatever it is you “do”.
