Weatherhead School students take first in Cleveland business competition; advance to regionals

Weatherhead awardFirst-year Weatherhead School of Management Master of Science in Management-Finance students Snow Chen, Nick Dayton, Adil Hader and Naiwen Zhang along with first-year MBA student Sergio De Ilzarbe placed first in the CFA Institute Research Challenge in Cleveland.

The challenge provides students the opportunity to gain real-world experience as research analysts and are tested on their ability to value a stock, write an initiation-of-coverage report and present their recommendations.

Since October 2013, the Weatherhead School team analyzed Westlake-based Nordson Corp. The team compiled a detailed equity research report on the company to then present their analysis and investment thesis to a panel of professional judges.

The team worked closely with faculty adviser Scott Fine and Warren Coleman, a portfolio manager at Fifth Third Bank and Weatherhead School Executive MBA alum. Coleman and Fine have partnered as faculty and industry coaches for Weatherhead School students for the past five years.

Learn more about the CFA Research Challenge online.