Four Warrington students win first place, best 11 teams from across Florida in CFA Societies Ethics Challenge

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Four students from the University of Florida Warrington College of Business took home a first-place win at the CFA® Societies of Florida Ethics Challenge hosted February 7 at Florida A&M University’s School of Business & Industry in Tallahassee, Florida. The team came out on top after competing against teams from across Florida’s universities, including Bethune Cookman University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida A&M University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida Memorial University, Florida State University, Rollins College, Stetson University, the University of Central Florida and the University of North Florida.

The CFA® Societies of Florida Ethics Challenge embodies the mission of CFA Institute by promoting “the highest standards of ethics, education, and professional excellence.” The competition is designed to increase students’ awareness of the ethical dilemmas they may face as investment management professionals and to better prepare them for the workforce.

The Ethics Challenge touches on many CFA Institute Future of Finance areas of focus including: Transparency and Fairness, Regulation and Enforcement and Safeguarding the System. It also promotes ethical awareness and fosters a healthy financial environment.

The team members included Teresa “Tess” Dilan (BA Mathematics, BSBA Finance ’20), Kara Lefebvre (BSBA Finance ’20), Vikram Singh (BSBA Information Systems and Operations Management ’21) and Jake Orlick (BSAc ’21). The group was tasked with creating an ethical framework for a dually registered investment advising firm with questionable business practices. 

“Our solution was to combat situational influences that lead to ethical violations including open communication channels, revamp the onboarding process and train junior/senior employees,” Lefebvre said.

For their first-place efforts, the team received a trophy, $250 each and four copies of “Nicomachean Ethics” by Aristotle. They were also invited to a speaker panel by the Resource Consulting Group in Orlando.

The team was proud that their efforts led them to victory against other universities across the state.

“I think the win meant a lot to our team,” Orlick said. “It was the culmination of our hard work and focus. As a team, we complimented each other’s strengths and had a really enriching experience all around. The competition was an amazing opportunity to explore tangible, real-life ethical problems that affect people in that field and the clients they serve.”

Singh added, “The competition was tough, but we were tougher. The odds couldn’t have been more against us as we were in Tallahassee, our rival city, however we just went out there and made Gator Nation proud. A lot of my friends were asking me what we would do if we didn’t win… I guess we’ll never know!”

Lefebvre felt that preparation was her biggest asset in helping the team win.

“I think it really solidified my confidence that I’m ready to enter this field,” she said. “I felt like we had a great grasp of the business/financial aspects of the case, which gave us a leg up.”