CISI Educational Trust awards total of £19K to high flying finance students

The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) is delighted to announce the 18 student winners of its 2016 Educational Trust Awards. The CISI Educational Trust Awards annually celebrate achievement amongst students studying CISI accredited courses around the UK, at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

Students were nominated by their university on the basis of excellence in an item of work or examination.  

In addition to their nomination, each winner was invited to submit an essay of 400 words for the opportunity to attend an interview with the Educational Trust and chance to achieve a further financial award based on interview performance, general knowledge test, and knowledge of the CISI. The essay title for 2016 was "Brexit – from a financial perspective is this a calamity or an opportunity?"

Following an intensive interview process, we are delighted to congratulate Comfort Aliu of Cass Business School and Alexander Sholarin of University of Westminster, top performing postgraduates who both received an additional £1,000 each and Emma Jackson of the University of Birmingham, top performing undergraduate, who received an additional award of £500.

On receipt of her award Comfort Aliu said "winning the CISI Educational Trust Award is an honour and I feel quite proud of myself. The interview day was a wonderful experience, and I enjoyed the spirited discussions with the trustees and my peers from other Universities. I hope to maintain a relationship with the Institute, and I know the award and experience as a whole will be an advantage as I begin a career in Finance."

Alexander Sholarin said ”I am immensely proud to be a recipient of the prestigious CISI Educational Trust Award. In today's fiercely competitive financial services industry, this award will stand me out from the crowd and provide the invaluable experience that would help me succeed in my chosen career pathway.”

Emma Jackson commented ”throughout the award process I have learnt a great deal about the industry and the careers it offers which has been extremely valuable. It has been a fantastic experience that has given me great confidence.”

Clare Gore Langton, Chartered FCSI(Hon), Chairman CISI Educational Trust, an investment director with over 25 years of experience of working with private client investment portfolios said ”Again the panel of trustees was suitably impressed by the quality of the essays submitted. The requirement for candidates to maintain a high level of general knowledge however continues to lose candidates valuable marks on the day. As a practitioner my advice would always be to read the papers and listen to the news, especially as you progress from study into a career, as the financial world does not exist in isolation.”

The following students, as CISI Educational Trust Award winners, each receive a financial award to support ambitions for a financial services career. Postgraduate winners receive £1,000 each and undergraduates £500 each.