GAIN Investment Challenge

This spring term witnessed the collaboration of two teams of Lower Sixth Business and Economics pupils participating in the annual GAIN Investment Challenge.

The program aims to address the under-representation of women in financial markets, striving to inspire and empower the next generation of female investment professionals.

Over a span of six weeks, they engaged in a series of events designed to instruct them in crafting a stock pitch for a business. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that this initiative was entirely spearheaded by the students themselves, involving the coordination of meetings, securing venues, and working collectively to formulate a thorough and polished stock pitch for Ocado and Marks and Spencer. Moreover, the group received guidance from an industry expert who provided invaluable support throughout the process, serving as a critical sounding board for their ideas.

“From taking part in the GAIN investment challenge, I have had the opportunity to broaden my skills within leading and working in a team. This project gave me a new insight into the process of analysing a company and making investment decisions. I enjoyed exploring the area of investment and have learnt many valuable lessons from it. I am grateful to the GAIN organisation for making this experience possible and their work promoting young women to discover the career of investing.”
-Zara G

“The ‘GAIN Investment’ challenge gave me a valuable insight into what it would be like to work within the financial industry. My team and I were given the challenge of deciding whether to buy or sell Ocado shares, in which we had to listen to zoom presentations and research the company, in order to develop a final report which had to contain a SWOT analysis, (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats), a financial analysis and eventually an evaluation. Alongside this, we also had to create a short video explaining what we had chosen to do and why. I thoroughly enjoyed this experience and working as part of a team, as it gave me the opportunity to network with different people and learn more about the different sectors of the financial world.”
-Alisha F