Being the Local Host of the CFA Institute Research Challenge (the Challenge), CFA Society Hong Kong would like to seek our members’ interests to serve as the industry mentors.
The Challenge is an annual initiative designed to promote best practices in equity research among the next generation of analysts. This is a competition between university-sponsored Teams that research a designated publicly traded company, prepare a Written Report on that selected company and then present their findings to a panel of Judges. There are four levels: Local, Sub-Regional, Regional and Global. Winners at the Local level advance to compete against Teams within their geographic region at the Sub Regional and Regional level. Winning Teams at the Regional level advance to compete at the Global level. One Team is designated the ultimate winning Team at the Global level. All participants are introduced to and held to the standard of the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct.
Each team consisting of 3-5 students (may consist of undergraduate and graduate students) will be assigned an industry mentor who mentors the team during the research process, reviews and critiques the team’s company analysis report. We are now looking for volunteers who are:
- Preferably sell-side analysts with 10 years of working experience (preferably CFA charterholders)
- With the enthusiasm to teach best practices and promote ethical decision making to the next generation of financial professionals
- Willing to attend the subject company’s presentation with the team(s) (approx. 2-2.5 hours)
- Willing to contribute 6-10 hours (not including the company presentation) to provide guidance to the team(s) to do their investment research report. The hours would include emails and phone calls.
- Volunteer industry mentors will be entitled to obtain 6-10 CPT credit hours (recognized by the Securities and Futures Commission and number of hours would depend on the number of teams assigned) at the end of the event.
Timeline
| Sep 2023 | Invitation to Hong Kong & Macau Universities |
| 19 Oct 2023 | Opening Ceremony |
| mid-Nov 2023 | Subject Listed Company Presentation |
| Nov 2023 – Jan 2024 | Students to work on the investment research reports |
| early Jan 2024 | Students to submit research reports for grading |
| 17 Feb 2024 | Report Presentation and Award Ceremony |
The success of the annual Research Challenge depends on our volunteers to contribute their time and expertise. We may have approx. 30 teams from different universities in Hong Kong and Macau will be participating in the Challenge, thus we are looking for 30 industry mentors.
If you are interested in being one of our volunteer industry mentors, please click HERE to provide us with some details about your professional experience on or before 9 October 2023 (Monday), more details about the event will be followed later.
CFA Institute Research Challenge – How does it work?
Local-level competitions are organized and judged by CFA Institute society members and volunteers who function as local hosts. CFA Society Hong Kong has been the local host since 2005.
The Society will work with universities in Hong Kong and Macau to assemble teams of three to five undergraduate and/or graduate students. Teams research and analyze a designated publicly-traded company; prepare a written report on the company that supports a buy, sell, or hold recommendation; receive advice and support from a faculty advisor and an industry mentor; and present and defend their findings to a panel of industry experts.
View the Official Rules
Benefits of Participation
Receive in-depth training in equity analysis, research report writing, and presentation skills
Receive hands-on mentoring
Develop your resume / CV
Network with industry professionals and peers from other universities, paving the way for career opportunities
Elevate your university’s reputation on a global scale
Contributions from Industry Professionals
By joining as a mentor, grader, or judge, you play a key role in promoting the highest standards of ethics, education, and professional excellence both for the students and, ultimately, for the Society. It provides an excellent opportunity to offer guidance, direction, suggestions, and feedback to student teams participating in the challenge.
Please stay tuned for further announcements.
Sponsorship Opportunity
Sponsors’ involvement is crucial for the success of the competition.
Please email us at info@cfahk.org or +852 2521 2543.