Illinois Institute of Technology wins CFA Institute Research Challenge Local Level Competition

CHICAGO - Feb. 26, 2021 - PRLog -- The Illinois Institute of Technology Stuart School of Business team was selected as the winner of the CFA Institute Research Challenge Local Level, hosted virtually by CFA Society Chicago on February 26, 2021. The Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) team had the highest overall score, defeating eight other teams from local universities.

The IIT team will advance to compete in the CFA Institute Americas Regional Semifinals being held April 15-16, 2021. The winner of the regional semifinal will then compete in the regional final on April 21, 2021, with the regional final winner moving on to compete for the global title on April 22, 2021. This year's regional and final competitions will be held virtually.

IIT team members Umer K. Baloch, Benjamin Barber, M Dilum Meegoda, Edward Paros, and Mohamed Shamel worked with IIT faculty advisor Michael Rybak, CFA, and industry mentor Steve Schwartz, CFA, on their winning project.

This year's competition kicked off on October 2, 2020, where TransUnion, a global information and insights company based in Chicago, IL, was announced as the feature company. Teams submitted a written report on the company that supported a buy, sell, or hold recommendation, before presenting their findings in front of a panel of industry experts.

A CFA charterholder and CFA Society Chicago member mentored each participating team, and all participants were introduced and held to the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct. The teams' research and conclusions were based on interactions with senior executives at Transunion, investment thesis and risks analysis, financial modeling, valuation, comparable benchmarking and scenario creation. The IIT team winners along with the second and third place teams received various prizes sponsored by CFA Society Chicago.

CFA Society Chicago

Founded in 1925, CFA Society Chicago is part of the worldwide network of CFA Institute member societies that lead the investment profession globally by promoting the highest standards of ethics, education and professional excellence for the ultimate benefit of society. CFA Society Chicago represents the interests of more than 4,400 investment professionals in Chicago through advocacy, education, events, and professional development. CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals, sets the standard for professional excellence and credentials and is a champion of ethical behavior in investment markets and a respected source of knowledge in the global financial community. There are more than 167,000 CFA charterholders worldwide in 164 markets. For more information visit www.cfachicago.org and www.cfainstitute.org.