As the old saying goes, lightning doesn’t strike twice – unless you’re the team from Barna Management School. For the second consecutive year, the Dominican Republic-based MBA program claimed victory at the International MBA Stock Picking Competition hosted by Ivey’s Ben Graham Centre for Value Investing.
The annual event draws top MBA students from around the world, all vying for a share of $14,000 in prize money. In the first stage, teams are tasked with analyzing a publicly traded firm and submitting a detailed valuation report. The top three submissions – judged by a panel of seasoned investment professionals – earn a coveted spot in the final round, where teams present their recommendations in person to a live panel in Toronto.
This year’s finalists included teams from the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University, Ivey Business School, and the returning champions from Barna Management School. Their challenge: analyze HanesBrands Inc., a well-known American clothing manufacturer, and deliver a compelling buy-or-don’t-buy recommendation grounded in deep analysis and industry insight.
When the dust settled, Barna once again emerged on top. Ivey claimed second place, while Queen’s rounded out the top three. For Barna’s team – Massiel Hahn Ceara, Mirtha Perez Sena, and Angel Cortina – the win was the result of candid debate and a willingness to challenge one another in pursuit of the best possible outcome.
“We spent a lot of time preparing, not only for the presentation, but for the competition itself,” said Cortina. “Reading a lot of books on different industries, on competitive advantages, on how to evaluate businesses – not just the financial part of the valuation. We are very happy because we worked really hard to get here.”
Perez Sena emphasized the importance of strong communication and openness throughout their preparation:
“Of course, we discussed a lot to get to the final decision, and we had that capacity of listening to what each other had to say.”
And while their discussions were occasionally spirited, the team’s unity was never in doubt.
“We had a blast, we wanted to kill each other sometimes,” joked Hahn Ceara. “But when we came to an agreement – even though we didn’t agree 100 per cent of the time – we went all-in with the decision.”
The final round was judged by an esteemed group of global value investors: David Kessler of Robotti & Company Advisors, Trevor Scott from Tidefall Capital Management Inc., Norm Rothery of StingyInvestor.com, Kim Shannon of Sionna Investment Managers and Achilleas Taxildaris of Bristol Gate Capital Partners.
As Barna celebrates another well-earned victory, their back-to-back success proves that when it comes to global investing competitions, this Caribbean school is a force to be reckoned with.
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