University Engagement

As I reflect on the financial year 2023 that has just passed, it is evident that this period marked a significant step towards normalcy to activities pre-2020. We witnessed a gradual resurgence of students on campuses and a return of international students in Australia. Throughout this time, the CFA Society Melbourne maintained its steadfast commitment to the University Engagement strategy, which revolves around enhancing our connections with universities and students across Victoria, South Australia, and Tasmania.

Our approach revolves around cultivating relationships with our university partners, professors, and academics, with a primary goal of fostering collaboration and dialogue on key industry topics. We aim to bridge the gap between academia and the industry, recognizing the importance of both in shaping the future of finance. Crucially, we have shifted our focus towards students, recognizing them as the future of our profession. We remain dedicated to offering guidance on educational and career pathways while promoting ethical standards, equity research, and presentation skills.  

Over the last financial year, the University Engagement team at the CFA Society of Melbourne has organised numerous events, which have brought our strategy to life:-

CFA Institute Asia Pacific Research Exchange (ARX): Building on the success of Part 1 of the Modern Slavery Webinar Series, which centred on the Legal and Regulatory Landscape, Peter Ngigi, CFA (ARX Chair volunteer) and Nga Pham, CFA (Monash University Chair volunteer) worked together to launched Part 2 of this series. This second instalment focused on "Tackling Modern Slavery through Investment Management", which was put together in collaboration with Monash University and the Responsible Investment Association Australasia. These webinars have been curated as a valuable collection of educational resources and are readily available for review on the Institute's website.

Research Challenge: Our flagship university event achieved resounding success this year, attracting over 10 university teams.  In the lead-up to the Research Challenge Finals, the Research Challenge sub-committee organised events such as an educational session on equity research, which was delivered by Nevill Gluyas, our valued supporter from Jarden; and also target company presentations and Capital IQ System Training for students.  The Finals Evening, hosted by KPMG, saw the University of Melbourne emerge as victors, with commendation to Monash and the University of Tasmania for their impressive performance.  A special mention to the Research Challenge sub-committee led by James Boyle, CFA, with Andre Roberts, CFA, Laukik Parulkar, CFA, and Paul Chua, CFA for their amazing efforts.  We are also very pleased to have recently appointed a new volunteer, James Douglas, CFA, to the sub-committee.  Finally, we would like to thank our judges and graders for their contributions: Amber Sunil, CFA, Boon Leong Ong, CFA, Joshua Nappa, CFA, Preeti Rathi, CFA, Rangika Iddamalogoda, Rudy Soobaroyen, CFA, Jasper Lavin, Kelleney Kong, CFA and Sergio Bonnici. 

Investment Voices:  Our Investment Voices newsletter, which is tailored for students in the early stages of their career journeys, offers insights into the investment industry and future career paths. We have published a total of 27 articles to date, with special mention to three of our University Engagement volunteers, Andre Roberts (Research Challenge Advisor volunteer) and Mike Aked (RMIT Chair volunteer), who were featured in articles discussing careers and skills in quantitative investing, and Nga Pham, CFA (Monash University Chair volunteer) who conducted the interviews.  We have seen an increase in subscription over the year which would enable us to connect with students directly about our CFA offerings.

National Student CFA Event:  Once again, the CFA Institute and three societies across Australia have come together to promote the CFA brand and curriculum to Australian students through a national webinar. The webinar garnered significant attendance, with students showing keen interest in program changes and career prospects. Winnie Wong, CFA, (Melbourne society board member / University Engagement Chair) Frank Li, CFA (Sydney society University Engagement Chair) and Ian Chu, CFA (Perth society board member / University Engagement Chair) participated in a panel discussion, sharing insights on how the CFA program has enriched their careers.

RMIT:  In collaboration with RMIT and with the support of the CFA Institute, we proudly launched the inaugural RMIT & CFASM Finance Professional Network. This platform aims to connect academic staff, RMIT students, alumni, and industry practitioners for knowledge sharing, networking events, and professional development. This innovative initiative was noted as a global-first and serves as a blueprint for alternative university-CFA Society collaborations. We celebrated this collaboration with a launch event in the first quarter of 2023, followed by co-organized events, including the RMIT Trading Competition, RMIT Open Day, and RMIT Debate Competition.  We thank Mike Aked (RMIT Chair volunteer) for his commitment and dedication to making this collaboration a success. 

University of Melbourne:  We take pride in our continued sponsorship of the University of Melbourne's Business Case Competition, an initiative spearheaded by Jack Wang, CFA (Melbourne University Chair volunteer). This event has consistently proven successful, providing an opportunity for the Society’s volunteers to engage directly with students. Notably, Master's level students have shown increased interest in the CFA program, reflecting our dedication to nurturing future finance professionals. Paula Allen represented the Society as a judge during the final round of the MBS competition.

Deakin University:  The hosting of the 2nd Deakin Stock Pitch Competition underscored our commitment to fostering student interest in equity research and stock pitching. This competition, which was originated by the Society, serves as a gateway to the Research Challenge, promoting awareness of the CFA brand.  We had judges from our network including Peter Ngigi, CFA, James Boyle, CFA and Sergio Bonnici, and the competition was moderated by Professor Ruipeng Lui from Deakin University.  We would like to congratulate the student winners: Fionn Guina, Hoa My Huy, and Bhavya Bagaria.

Monash University:  We continued our collaboration with Monash University by supporting the Financial Markets and Corporate Governance Conference through industry keynote and panellists appointments since 2021. In the next financial year, the conference will be held in Malaysia, and we have facilitated connections between the conference organisers, the CFA Society of Malaysia, and ARX to further support this valuable industry-academic partnership.

In the financial year ahead, the team will continue to deliver academic and student-oriented initiatives which will increase our engagement with universities.  Finally, I would like to recognise that the success of our University Engagement strategy is a testament to the dedication of our University Engagement team, who have invested countless hours in designing and executing these initiatives for the betterment of our Society and members. On behalf of the Melbourne Board, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the University Engagement team and also our members who have generously volunteered their time and expertise at the events we have hosted.

University Engagement Spotlight