Griffith University has selected its representatives for the CFA Institute Research Challenge 2019.
Bachelor of Commerce student Tanner Noakes was selected to represent Griffith Business School at the national competition, from the team that won the internal challenge. The top four teams from the national will compete at the national finals to be held in Sydney in September,. Also gaining a coveted spot on the team are Alexander Bryne, Hamish Morton, Celena Music and Sanuri De Silva Wimalatunga.
The team was carefully selected as the result of a thorough observation of their performance in the internal challenge. Tanner’s team, comprising the Bachelor of Commerce student Samantha Carter and Bachelor of Business student Andy Nguyen, were the winners of the challenge on the day, with Tanner progressing to the next stage.
The CFA Institute Research Challenge is an annual global competition that provides university students with hands-on mentoring and intensive training in financial analysis and professional ethics. The competition sees students tested on their analytical, valuation, report writing, and presentation skills. They gain real-world experience as they assume the role of a research analyst.
Tanner says the unusual step of having the team feature only one finance student (himself) may have given them the edge to succeed. “Our team was the only one that contained students who weren’t in finance, and having that gave us some different and interesting views,” he says.
“These kinds of competitions are the best way to learn, hands down. The amount of progress you get in this short period of time is unlike any other experience.”
Fellow team member Samantha Carter agrees. “Participating in the numerous activities offered by Griffith Business School is something I would encourage all students to do,” she says. “Not only does it allow you to engage with these awesome opportunities while meeting new people, you also gain a sense of confidence that I have seen directly reflected in my studies and motivation.”
Andy, the third member of the team, says he was inspired to enter the competition by Griffith Business School alumnus Enoch Pun. “Having studied in Shanghai under Senior Lecturer John Fan, Enoch Pun and Tingxi Zhang [who has previously represented Griffith at the CFA Challenge national and regional finals] last year as part of the Work-Integrated Learning program, I was inspired to apply,” he says. “I saw the Challenge as a potential for both personal and academic growth.
“When we won, I didn’t believe it at first. It took me a few seconds to register, as the other competitors did so well!” Andy says. He explains that having access to these opportunities in addition to his degree will put him ahead when it comes time to being his career. “Having competitions like this allows me to apply what I have learnt into a real-world application, reinforcing what I’ve learnt. The Business School has great integration with other work environments, learning is just not in class and opportunities to learn outside the classroom are incredibly valuable. Additionally I’d say they benefit me much more personally as pathways after graduation, opening up a lot more doors for me.”
Tanner says it was Griffith University’s reputation that led him to enrol, a decision that has only been confirmed throughout his time studying. “I’ve long held the belief that Griffith is one of the best commerce universities in Australia,” he says. The community aspect of the Business School is better than anywhere else and the senior lecturers are fantastic. I am constantly surprised by the insane amount of personal time they give up to help students.”
“The opportunities at Griffith are endless,” Samantha explains. “When I was deciding where to study, Griffith University really ticked all the boxes. The wide range of co- and extracurricular activities you can be involved in is so beneficial.”
Tanner says he’s already busy studying for the CFA Institute Challenge national competition. “I’ve known people who’ve competed in 2016, 2017 and 2018 so I feel like I have three generations of my ‘ancestors’ cheering me on to do well. I have an insane amount of work to do in the next few months but I know it’s going to be a ton of fun as well.”
