BI secures national victory in CFA Institute Research Challenge

The contest is an annual global event that provides university students with hands-on mentoring and intensive training in financial analysis.

The national final challenged teams to present rigorous financial analyses to a panel of high-level industry judges in February. As part of this global tournament students must act as professional analysts: research a publicly listed company, draft an 'initiation-of-coverage' report, and defend their investment case before a jury of experts.

This year’s subject company was Grieg Seafood ASA. The winning BI Norwegian Business School team, which has been working on the project since October, consisted of Master’s students Alberto Seidel Noche, Magnus Bergslid, Jørgen Nielsen Hornnes, Rron Pavataj, and Jakub Marek Mlodzinski.

"Winning against such strong competitors was incredibly rewarding, especially given the complexity of a company like Grieg amid its restructurings. We spent countless hours digging into the valuation and debating our investment thesis. It’s been a great opportunity to apply our studies to a real-world case, and we’ve built strong bonds as a team along the way," says team members Alberto Seidel Noche and Magnus Bergslid. 

The team was supported by industry mentor Mazen Younes of Connectum Capital Management AS. Janis Berzins, Associate Professor in the Finance Department, served as the team’s faculty advisor, providing academic leadership and oversight throughout the challenge.

"I would like to congratulate our talented students on this impressive achievement. This victory is a brilliant example of how we integrate high-level academic theory with practical, real-world challenges. It also reflects the high quality of our finance curriculum and the dedicated mentorship provided by our faculty," says Bendik Samuelsen Meling, Provost Education at BI. 

A tradition of excellence

The victory underscores the strength of BI’s finance department and its ability to bridge the gap between academic theory and market practice. According to Berzins, the selection process is integrated into the school’s curriculum.

"The competition team is selected from our elective course, where students develop a full investment report and presentation under real-world constraints," says Berzins. 

BI has secured the national victory for ten years in a row. The school has advanced to the global final on four occasions, including a global championship win in 2021.

"While each year stands on its own merits, it is encouraging to see sustained excellence in our students over time," Berzins added.

Local winners move on to the Sub-Regional round this March. Teams that progress through the Regionals will then head to Hong Kong for the Global Final on May 12.