The University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School attracted top business school students and investment professionals from around the United States and as far away as London for the 7th annual
Alpha Challenge Nov. 17-18, 2011.
In the investment management competition, MBA student teams from 16 top business schools demonstrated their skills to high-profile investment professionals who judged the competition. Students simulated the kind of work (under the kind of pressure) they would do for the firms. Each team:
- received a defined set of stocks
- proposed a pair trade (one long and one short recommendation)
- presented its strategy and answered judges’ questions in a 25-minute session
The judges – hedge fund managers, institutional portfolio managers and equity research analysts –represent firms where students hope to work. The competition provided a concrete way to evaluate prospective employees. And they saw top talent from 16 schools—in action at a single location.
The Alpha Challenge, is the ultimate job interview, said Chad Cross (MBA 2012), an organizer. “Judges can evaluate what the students could do for their companies. They ask tough questions and students must defend their strategy and show they can think on their feet.”
MBA teams competed in the premier MBA stock pitch event presented by Fidelity Investments. Winners included:
- Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business won first place and $5,000.
- New York University’s Stern School of Business won second place and $3,000.
- The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania won third place and $1,000.
Teams from top business schools also competing were:
- Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business
- Cornell University, Johnson School of Management
- Dartmouth College, Tuck School of Business
- London Business School
- MIT Sloan School of Management
- Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management
- Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth
- University of California Berkeley, Haas School of Business
- University of Chicago, Booth School of Business
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School
- University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business
- University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business
- Yale School of Management
The leading investment professionals who served as judges included:
- Dan Alfred, Opus Investment Management
- Mike Balkin, William Blair
- Matt Born, Fidelity Investments
- Perry Boyle, SAC Capital
- Karl Brewer, William Blair
- Ryan Burgess, T. Rowe Price
- Nathan Byrd, Altrius Capital
- Clint Carlson, Carlson Capital
- David Fording, William Blair
- Jack Fraser, Seamark Capital
- Rich Graziadei, TIAA-CREF
- Dennis Greenway, Belltower Advisors
- Cameron Hight, Alpha Theory
- Jim Jones, William Blair
- Peter Keane, Keane Capital Management
- Kevin Nicholson, Belltower Advisors
- Bill Monroe, Federated Investors
- Xan Moore, Carlson Capital
- David Rowlett, T. Rowe Price
- Will Snellings, Ospraie Management
Sponsors of the event included Fidelity Investments, Carlson Capital, SAC Capital, T. Rowe Price, CFA Institute, William Blair, FactSet and BB&T.
For more information, visit
www.alphachallenge.com or email .