Business students to compete in CFA Challenge regional April 15

The University of Maine team that won the state’s Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute Research Challenge title in February will advance to the national competition April 15 as sub-regional champions competing with Canisius College and the University of Pittsburgh in the Eastern U.S. division. 

The CFA Institute Research Challenge is an annual global competition that offers students intensive training in financial analysis, hands-on mentoring and real-world experience as research analysts.

UMaine MBA students Robert Harvey and Daniel Thomas and Maine Business School undergraduate Nicole Pelletier are led by UMaine professor of finance Pankaj Agrrawal and industry advisor Michael C. Moore from Bigelow Investment Advisors. 

“The success with the CFA competition is a testament to our students, their hard work and their excellence,” says Faye Gilbert, executive dean of the Maine Business School and interim dean of the Graduate School of Business. “This step toward the national competition is also an indicator of the impact our faculty have on student learning. Dr. Agrrawal invests his time to provide these transformative learning experiences for students in finance and for that, I am grateful. It is also a compelling part of the Maine Business School model to welcome external advisors. We are grateful for the time invested by Michael Moore to work with these learners.”

UMaine’s students will compete against 14 other universities from across the U.S. in April, seeking a chance to compete as regional champions in the global finale against international teams from the Americas, Europe, Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. 

“The visibility that this brings to the University of Maine and our business school is now at a national and international level,” says Agrrawal, the team’s mentor. “I anticipate a bright future for Robert, Nicole and Daniel, and great success for our MBA and business programs. I am really very happy for the team and it continues to be a privilege to work with them.”