A Joint Study by ICEF Students and Alfa Bank: Myths Dispelled, Results Published, Job Offer in Hand
The project team had among its members 30 students of ICEF, selected carefully by our visiting lecturer Vladislav Kiryanov via dedicated chats and mailing lists of the newsletters covering financial disciplines—banking and investment management.
On the part of Alfa Bank Private Banking, the study was supervised by Grigory Morozov, Head of Investment Analysis and member of the ICEF class of 2022, and Leonid Epstein, Senior Investment Analyst. They got the study going right from they first met its team, having set the tasks and emphasized their vital nature for the bank. Unlike many similar studies that use simulated cases, this one was vested with a highly practical significance. What added to the zeal and motivation of the study team was also the meteoric rapid career of Grigory Morozov, who just three years ago was likewise a student of ICEF.
The study into the premium segment of Private Banking unfolded almost in real time. Within a timeline of three weeks—such, or a bit shorter, is the timeline needed for the officers in private banking to deal with similar, investor-related tasks—the students were to collect the market data, do indicator calculations, and formulate resultant analytical report. To that end, their supervisors provided a detailed account of how they do it in their bank and which parameters are to be considered first.
The results of this study, dedicated to debunking one of the most common myths about investing—that there’s always a risk of losing all your money in share investing—were published on Alfa Bank’s investment portal and Telegram channel Alfa_Investments. The students did a tremendous job collecting and analyzing the statistical data, with the Alfa Bank officers’ assisting them with structuring and interpretation.
Vladislav Kiryanov, lecturer at ICEF
Vladislav Kiryanov about the students’ contribution to this flash-speed study and what they learned while doing it:
“The team broke the task down into smaller parts. Everyone contributed based on their competence but they all worked as a single whole—real-life projects can never get done by one man only. The findings in each part were formulated individually, and in this sense, this study was like real-life exposure to the workplace duties. It’s been a full-cycle experience and, importantly, short timeframe. Also, it’s been a good way for the students to interact with experts from outside, take on responsibility, organize team collaboration and feedback.
One takeaway from this experience is that ideas sometimes get rejected but it’s better to come up with something out of the box than to come up with nothing. The hands-on nature of this study project has been of great importance for consolidating knowledge. It has been a great opportunity to find out whether this sector of the banking industry is right for you.”
Not only has this project proved a productive case and test of strength for its participants, it has given skills and experience to put on a resume. For some, it paved the way to final interview for the fast-track admission to the post of Alfa Bank junior portfolio manager, allowing to skip trainee positions and land a good starting salary.
A total of three students did the interview, of whom one, who is currently in his fourth year of study at ICEF and did remarkably well in the study, was offered the job. In this fast-paced, short-run project, his vast knowledge, analytical thinking and teamwork skills have yielded fruit.