Teens excel at business tournament
Budding business brains from a Blantyre school triumphed in a nationwide investment management competition.
The third- and fourth-year girls from Calderside Academy won the junior final of the Growing Future Assets contest, which challenged teams to research businesses with investment potential and pitch their choice to an expert industry panel.
Winning team members were invited to a celebration day in Edinburgh, where they saw behind the scenes of one of the participating mentor companies and collected their wellearned prize of £800 for their school plus vouchers for each of the participants.
Established four years ago by educational charity Future Asset to encourage girls to consider careers in finance, the competition sees pupils spend 10 weeks analysing their chosen company and preparing their pitch with the help of a volunteer coach.
Calderside’s team of Chloe Craigan, Sophie Roberts, Emma Mclean, Millie Clarkson, Mollie Longbottom and Anna Miller-mcmillan took on the role of investment managers and impressed with their “creative” presentation on international pet company Zoetis.
Working as the “Money Makers”, the group showcased their findings on their chosen company’s work, environmental and social impact, future growth and earning potential – supported by teacher Rebecca Burns and coached by associate fund manager Claire Jervis of WHEB Asset Management.
Claire said: “I feel so grateful to have had the opportunity to mentor the girls from Calderside Academy and I was really impressed with how they threw themselves into the competition.
“They were always full of great questions, fun ideas and a healthy dash of debate.
“The investment industry will be very lucky to have such bright and engaged young women join us in the future.”
Judges were full of praise for Calderside’s contribution at what was the competition’s first “live” final, which saw junior and senior teams give presentations after “immersing themselves in the intricacies of investment management [and] honing their skills to pitch investment strategies with sophistication and flair”.
Future Asset chief executive Helen Bradley added: “The Growing Future Assets investment competition a showcase of financial talent [and] a testament to the collaborative spirit of the business community; the support from competition coaches has been instrumental in shaping the future of these young minds.”