Third place at Forsyth Barr High School Stock Pitch Competition

Year 12 students Cyril Chen (Mansfield House), Michael Lu (Mansfield), Henry Luo (Mansfield), and Derek Liang (Upham) represented Macleans College at the Forsyth Barr High School Stock Pitch Competition.

Run by the University of Auckland Investment Club (UAIC), the competition consisted of a preliminary round on Saturday 4 August. Teams were required to critically analyse and pitch a NZX stock under immense time pressure to senior executives of the UAIC.

This year, teams were required to pitch Turners Automotive Group, a New Zealand-based company specialising in automotive retail with businesses in insurance, financing, and credit management. Executives commended their comprehensive presentation and top Q&A answers. Only the top five teams were considered for the final round, with Macleans College making the cut.

The finals round took place on Tuesday 13 August at the Forsyth Barr Head Office in Auckland CBD. Here, teams presented a 10 minute pitch to a panel of industry professionals, followed by a 10 minute Q&A session. Competition was stiff, with formidable teams from schools such as Diocesan School for Girls and from as far away as Dunedin - as well as a tough Q&A session from the judges.

The preparation work undertaken by the Macleans College team prior to the finals propelled them to a compelling presentation, thoroughly impressing the judges, however it was not quite enough to place first.

As a result, Team Macleans College placed third in the competition - an impressive achievement. Aside from the result, the team gained valuable knowledge and insight through networking with professionals and the experience as a whole.

A special thank you to Ms Monsen for helping to organise the logistics of this event.