All-female Sydney team triumphs against world’s most prestigious universities

Representing the University of Sydney in a global finance competition has been one of the most enriching experiences of my commerce degree. My team and I had the privilege of participating in the 'William and Mary Stock Pitch Challenge' in Virginia, where we competed against top universities including the University of Pennsylvania, UC Berkeley, Stanford and Cornell. Our recommendation to buy Nike’s shares placed second.

Over the last couple of months, I worked closely with my team which comprised of Alice Cao, Chloe Segal and Nola Xie. Based off our research and analysis, we identified what the market had under-estimated with respect to Nike’s stocks, and from this we formulated a buy recommendation. We were judged on our investment recommendation, valuation and presentation skills.

It was humbling to present to the judging panel comprised of industry leaders, many of whom were senior women leaders in the world’s most recognisable organisations. Our hard work was validated when one of the judges said "[I] asked the hardest questions I would ask professional managers and they nailed them."

Alice Cao, Nola Xie, Chloe Segal and Wendy Yang

This competition aided us in developing both technical and soft skills. This included improved proficiency of modelling, to developing a stronger understanding of the quantitative impact of a transformative supply chain strategy on Nike's different geographical segments.

Participating in the challenge has increased my awareness of opportunities for women pursuing finance as a career, enhanced my curiosity for global financial markets and allowed me to apply my technical knowledge derived from Business School courses (such as 'Valuations' and 'Mergers and Acquisitions') in a practical setting.

What differentiated this stock pitch challenge was the Leadership Summit component of the event. We participated in workshops regarding 'Women Helping Women' and 'The Key to Networking Success,' panelled by senior women leaders in investment banking, fund management, management consulting and law. Mentors were drawn from firms including JP Morgan, UBS, IBM, Blackrock, CFA and Morgan Stanley. Particularly as we are at the initial stages of our finance careers, it was very helpful to hear about the personal and professional experiences of senior women leader, as well as tips and advice they picked up along the way.

This challenge has enriched my university experience. It was so inspiring to be surrounded by supportive and competent women in the form of other participants, academic and industry mentors and the judging panel. Experiencing college life in America, meeting local students, and travelling more generally just made the experience even more memorable.

I would recommend this challenge to any student who wants to see what they can achieve when they compete against the best in the world.

Written by Wendy Yang