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Reaching the national finals of the UBS Investment Banking Challenge has given a team of UWA Business School students the opportunity to work on a real-life mergers and acquisitions (M&A) case, meet UBS executives, and be invited to interview for internships at UBS.

Undergraduate students Dylan Jensen (Commerce), Julian Rebelo (Engineering/Commerce), Jeremy Tan (Law/Commerce) and Lucas Tan (Law/Commerce) won the UWA Campus Final, and were one of seven teams from across Australia to compete in the National Finals.

For Jeremy, the highlight of the competition was meeting Guy Fowler, UBS' Managing Director and Head of Investment Banking for Australasia.

‘I think I speak on behalf of the team when saying that it is hard to pick one single highlight of the competition - but rather that everyone gained a lot in different ways from the experience,' said Jeremy.

‘For me personally, the highlight must have been to meet Guy Fowler after the competition. He came down to give us a short address and announce the winners following our presentations and he also stayed around briefly to have a few drinks with all the competitors after that.'

Other highlights included: learning about the mergers and acquisitions process and different industries; spending a month working closely as a team; and presenting to and meeting some of the Perth and Sydney-based UBS bankers.

The final presentation in Sydney required the students to compete against university teams from across the country.

‘It was intimidating to say the least. We had to present in front of seven judges in the boardroom. We also got asked some difficult questions but I think we managed to pull through alright,' said Jeremy.

Taking part in the UBS Investment Banking Challenge, say the team, provided them with advantages in applying for internships.

‘I am planning to pursue a career in investment banking and will be interning with UBS in their Perth office this summer,' said Jeremy.

‘I would definitely recommend for anyone interested in pursuing a career in investment banking to take part in the competition next year. It is tough and challenging but it provides an excellent learning experience that no other competition will be able to provide.'

Fellow team member Dylan agreed. ‘I found that doing the UBS competition helped me when it came to banking interviews. It gave me a good insight into the process behind an M&A deal and my interviewers were keen to hear about my experiences in the competition,' he said.

‘I also would like to pursue a career in investment banking. I will be interning this summer with Deutsche Bank in their Melbourne office.'

The UBS Investment Banking Challenge took place in May 2012. Further information .

Media references

Catherine Vogel (UWA Business School) +618 6488 7340
Verity Chia (UWA Business School) +618 6488 1346