Students from Memorial University’s Faculty of Business Administration captured not one, but two, first-place finishes in Atlantic Canadian finance competitions this spring.

The victories mark major milestones for the university and underscore Memorial’s reputation in experiential learning.

A first, first-place finish

For the first time, Memorial University claimed top spot at the Atlantic regional of the CFA Institute Research Challenge.

The annual competition tasks students with acting as equity research analysts for a real-world company, requiring them to analyze financial data, build valuation models and deliver investment recommendations to a panel of industry professionals.

This year’s team of Travis Noel (Captain), Nangyal Rehman, Angela Gathita and Hailey Snow gained practical experience analyzing Restaurant Brands International — one of the largest quick-service restaurant companies in the world.

“They manage four iconic global brands: Tim Hortons, Burger King, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs,” said Mr. Noel. “Our research looked at their aggressive global expansion strategy and how they leverage their capital-light franchised model to drive consistent capital returns whilst not incurring heavy capital risks.”

The team’s work included interpreting and analyzing financial statements, building and defending valuation models, projecting future performance and presenting investment recommendations under pressure on whether a client should buy, hold or sell shares.

“Presenting our findings to a panel of industry professionals was invaluable,” Mr. Noel said. “They provided high-level insights that helped us refine our pitch, and the connections I made with experts in the field provided a meaningful boost to my professional network.”

He says the competition was the most impactful learning experience of his university career.

“Representing Memorial University in an international finance competition was a true honour, and taking home first place at the Atlantic Canada round was an unreal feeling. Success at this level really is a team effort. It wouldn’t have been possible without the constant support of the Faculty of Business Administration, alongside our dedicated mentors and alumni who invested so much time in our growth.”

Momentous mentorship

The team’s advisors were Memorial faculty member, Dr. Yang Xu, and industry mentor, Luke O’Brien, a senior portfolio manager and wealth advisor at RBC.

Dr. Xu teaches courses in investments and financial management and acts as a mentor and advisor to students in the competitions, helping them to prepare and polish their presentations.

She recently helped Memorial students become repeat champions at the prestigious Van Berkom competition, beating out top schools from across North America.

She’s also quick to credit Mr. O’Brien, an FBA alumnus who is also a mentor for The Fund at Memorial’s Faculty of Business Administration.

The Fund is Memorial University’s student-managed investment portfolio. It provides Memorial students with the opportunity to develop the tools necessary for a career in capital markets. Under the guidance and counsel of faculty and volunteer industry mentors, students work collaboratively to make real investment decisions with real money

First time competing, first time winning

Memorial students also competed in a similar event, Stock Pitch Atlantic, this spring.

It was Memorial’s first time competing, and they won the trophy and $2,000 prize.

Teammates Tiernan MacCharles, Lauren Quinlan, Kirk Edwards and Aedan Pitcher had to convincingly answer a high-stakes question: Why should someone invest in this company right now?

The company in question was Texas Pacific Land Corp., one of the largest landowners in Texas.

TPL manages over 880,000 surface acres with extensive oil and gas royalty interests.

They pitched their case to a panel of judges, then persuasively defended their recommendation.

The competition helps students hone skills like competent advising, public speaking and simplifying complex financial concepts for a professional audience — talents that are directly applicable to their future careers in the finance industry.

Funding to participate in the competitions is provided by the faculty’s Experiential Learning Program. Memorial is thankful to all of its supporters for their contributions to the team’s success.