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UFS team makes it to top four in CFA University Research Challenge

18 November 2020 | Story Dr Nitha Ramnath | Photo Supplied

CFA CHALLENGE_web read more — The UFS team, from the left: Monique Harcourt, Dawid Potgieter, Atalanta Watson, and Zoe Travers.

One of two teams from the University of the Free State (UFS) performed exceptionally well and made it to the top four in the extremely competitive local Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) University Challenge.

The CFA Society South Africa recently hosted the 12th annual local edition of the CFA Institute University Research Challenge. The research challenge is an annual global competition in equity research hosted by the CFA Institute, a global representative body for chartered financial analyst (CFA) charter holders. During the research challenge, teams from different universities locally and internationally compete on three levels – more than 1 000 universities compete annually.

"Taking part in the CFA challenge was a wonderful opportunity where we learnt new skills and gained industry-specific experience, which will be invaluable to us as we graduate and embark on our journey as professionals. We are proud to have represented Kovsies in the finals and this proved to us, once again, that hard work pays off, " said the UFS team.

Two teams of four were selected to represent the UFS during the 2020 challenge. Team selection was based on students’ performance during the first semester of their BCom Honours (specialisation in Financial Economics and Investment Management) in the Department of Economics and Finance. During the challenge, students assumed the role of a (sell-side) research analyst and had to write a concise report that covered various aspects related to the company’s business activities, structure, governance, finances, etc., which was presented via Zoom to a panel of judges from the CFA Society South Africa.

Dr Ivan van der Merwe, the team’s adviser from the Department of Economics and Finance, commented: “It was a pleasure to work with a team that showed so much dedication and was willing to go the extra mile. The experience they gained during this challenge will stand them in good stead and it was a real confidence builder for them to successfully complete a very stressful live presentation and subsequent question session. They made us proud and set the standard for aspiring Finance students at Kovsies.”

News Archive

Plant Pathology student represents UFS at Youth Ag-Summit in Australia

2015-07-24

Nicola Theron
Photo: Leonie Bolleurs

Nicola Theron, a third-year student in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of the Free State (UFS), will be attending the Youth Ag-Summit in Australia next month.

According to Prof Zakkie Pretorius, researcher in the Department of Plant Sciences, this is a great achievement for the university, given that Nicola is one of only four students from Africa chosen to attend the summit. The selection process was facilitated by Bayer Cropscience.

In her essay, Nicola focused on ‘In field rainwater harvesting’ (IRWH) and its application in informal settlements for the purpose of saving water, as well as of utilising available water to its full potential.

From 24 to 28 August 2015, she will gather with 99 other young leaders from across the world at the Youth Ag-Summit in Canberra, Australia, where they will be discussing their ideas on finding sustainable solutions for the growing global need towards safe and nutritious food.

Young people between the ages of 18 and 25 interested on a personal, professional, and academic level in agriculture, and food security, as well as environmental and social stewardship, were asked to present their ideas on the causes, consequences, and possible solutions for global food security, in an essay of 1500 words.

The judges received more than 2000 essays from 87 countries.

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