Stuart Team Reaches Finals in McGill International Portfolio Challenge

For the second time in three years, a student team from Illinois Tech’s Stuart School of Business has reached the finals of the prestigious McGill International Portfolio Challenge (MIPC). This year’s team placed fourth, the best among teams from the United States and among the top 5 percent of all teams entered in the 2019 MIPC competition.

MIPC is the largest buy-side competition for university students in the world and awards a total of $50,000 in prizes. The Stuart team was selected as one of five teams that advanced to the finals from among 25 semifinalist teams representing universities from nine countries worldwide. HEC Montreal was awarded first place in the 2019 competition, followed by Australian National University, National University of Singapore, Illinois Tech, and Yale University. The semifinals and finals were held on November 8–9 in Montreal.

The Illinois Tech team members, all of whom are enrolled in Stuart’s Master of Science in Finance program, are Abdulroqeeb “Harry” Ariwoola, Richard Hill, Keenan Ibrahimbacha, and Li-Ting Tang. The team’s faculty adviser, Senior Lecturer of Finance Michael Rybak, also guided the Stuart team that finished second in the 2017 MIPC, the inaugural year of the contest. 

The contest is designed to have students apply portfolio management-related classroom knowledge to a complex, multifaceted, real-world case where the buy-side of finance has a critical role to play. The 2019 challenge centered on investments related to long-term environmental sustainability.

Along with the competition, the two-day gathering in Montreal gave students the chance to attend the MIPC forum and network with leading professionals and experts, as well as with students from around the world.

Photo: Stuart School of Business team members (from left) Li-Ting Tang, Keenan Ibrahimbacha, Richard Hill, and Abdulroqeeb (Harry) Ariwoola are in Montreal for the 2019 McGill International Portfolio Challenge.