CFA Bahrain 2008 Quiz has thrilling finale

In an exciting final, the Khaleeji Commercial Bank team lifted the CFA Cup after beating their nearest rivals SICO Investment Bank. The winning team included Mr. Sylvan Verghese, Mr. Ramnath Narayanan and Mr. Tawfeeq Rahma.

Participation in the quiz was open to all banks and other financial institutions in Bahrain. Each institution was allowed to nominate a team of three members. From a field of twenty teams, the six best teams were selected for the final based on a preliminary selection round. Besides Khaleeji Commercial and SICO, the other finalists were Arcapita Bank, BNP Paribas, Investcorp Bank and Bahraini Saudi Bank.

The event was sponsored by Arcapita Bank and iShares as Platinum Sponsors, and Ernst & Young as Gold Sponsor. Other prize sponsors included Dadabhai Travels, Damas Jewellery, Jet Airways, Intercol and Samsung Electronics.

It was a 'quiz with a twist' that featured multiple rounds of questions and conundrums mostly from the world of business, besides questions on a wide range of general knowledge. The use of highly creative graphics and a challenge to the teams to use effective team strategies made the event scintillating and enjoyable for all. The quiz master was Mrs. Sowmya Ramkumar.

The winning team was presented with the CFA Cup by representatives of the main sponsors - Mr. Abdul Kader from Arcapita Bank, Mr. Robert Broadwell from iShares, and Mr. Tariq Sadiq, Managing Partner of Ernst & Young, together with CFA Bahrain President Mr. Austin Sequeira. The event was also attended by Mr. R. Raghunathan, First Secretary, Embassy of India.

CFA Bahrain, officially known as The Bahrain Investment Professionals Society, was established in June 2006, and is affiliated to the CFA Institute in the USA. The CFA Institute is a global professional organisation that awards the CFA designation, and leads the investment industry by setting the highest standards of ethics and professional excellence and vigorously advocating fair and transparent capital markets. The CFA designation has become known as the gold standard of professional credentials within the global investment community. Around the world, employers and investors recognise the CFA designation as the definitive standard for measuring competence and integrity in the fields of portfolio management and investment analysis.

Membership in the Bahrain CFA Society is open to all CFA charter-holders as regular members, and CFA candidates who can be admitted as associate members. The Society currently has 103 members. There are nearly 500 candidates pursuing the CFA program in Bahrain.

The elected governing board of the Society includes Mr. Austin Sequeira (President), Mrs. Lamees Al-Baharna (Vice President), Mr. Palani Alagappan (Treasurer), Mr. Essa Maseeh, Mrs. Sowmya Ramkumar and Mr. Asad Saeed Khan. The organization of the CFA Quiz 2008 was coordinated by the Program Chair Mr. Hamad Ali, Mr. Asad Saeed Khan and Ms. Souha Sawan.