NUI Galway team wins 2015 CFA Society Research Challenge for second successive year

For the second successive year, a team of finance students from NUI Galway has won the CFA Society Ireland Research Challenge. NUI Galway emerged as victors after preparing a detailed research report on this year’s subject company, Kingspan Group, and then defending their report to a judging panel made up of CFA charter holders and senior figures from the investment industry.

NUI Galway beat off strong competition from four other teams, University College Cork, University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin and Queens University Belfast. The NUIG team will now go on to represent Ireland at the CFA Institute European final in Amsterdam in early April The winners were presented with their trophy by the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Simon Harris TD.

The CFA Institute Research Challenge is an annual educational initiative which promotes best practices in equity research among the next generation of analysts through hands-on mentoring and intensive training in company analysis and presentation skills.

CFA Society President Caitriona Macguinness congratulated the NUI Galway team on their victory in the 2015 challenge, stating that the standard of the reports prepared by all five teams was very high. “The judging panel had a very difficult job in deciding on a winner but eventually decided that NUI Galway’s report on Kingspan was exceptional and was a deserving winner.”

Kingspan Chief Financial Officer Geoff Doherty was also full of praise for the teams. “ We met all five teams and were thoroughly impressed with their analysis of Kingspan’s business and our prospects for growth within the global high performance insulation industry. The standard of presentation augurs well for the equity research industry and speaks volumes about the research talent emerging from third level institutions in Ireland”

Further information

Brendan McGrath

Media Relations Adviser

087-9370266

Editor’s Note – a jpg image of the presentation of the trophy is attached to this press release

Caption – A five-man team from NUI Galway has won the annual CFA Society Ireland Research Challenge. The NUIG team received their trophy from the Minister for State at the Department of Finance, Simon Harris TD. Pictured at the presentation are (from left) Minister of State Simon Harris TD, NUIG team members Adrian Bushell and Fergal Brennan and the President of CFA Society Ireland Caitriona Macguinness.