Law Student Wins International Investing Competition 2022

Nigel Cledwyn Motinius, a University of West England law student, recently won an international investing competition. He advises other law students not to feel pressured to be good at something immediately and to take advantage of opportunities to build their skills outside the classroom.

 

Motinius, originally from Mauritius, transferred to UWE for his final year of law studies. Since arriving in the UK, he has been making the most of his time abroad by meeting new people and participating in global competitions and challenges.

 

His latest achievement came this month when he won first prize in the Global Stock Pitch Competition, organised by the CFA Institute. The competition challenged participants to select and present a stock investment idea to outperform the overall market.

 

Motinius’s winning idea was to invest in the shares of French utility company Veolia. He believes the company is well-positioned to benefit from the global trend towards sustainability and moving away from fossil fuels.

 

In an interview with the law student website The Legal Cheek, Motinius said that he had been interested in investing for several years and had previously taken part in local competitions in Mauritius. However, he didn’t start taking it seriously until he arrived in the UK and began attending events organised by the CFA Society of the UK.

 

“I think it’s important for law students to supplement their learning with extracurricular activities that allow them to develop skills that will be useful in their future careers,” he said.

 

Motinius added that law students shouldn’t feel pressured to be good at something immediately and should take advantage of opportunities to learn new things.

 

“I would encourage law students to get involved in activities outside their studies and explore new interests. There is no need to feel pressure to be good at something immediately. It is more important to enjoy the process of learning and discovery.”

 

Additionally, to prepare for the competition, Motinius read many reports on governments, organisations, and NGOs to familiarise himself with the requirements for sustainable investment. He also spent time self-teaching and learning lessons from previous years to be confident enough to join an investing competition.

 

Even though he didn’t win the competition, the experience was still valuable for Motinius. He plans to continue investing and hopes to take part in more contests in the future. Read the full interview here.

 

Although the law can be demanding, taking advantage of present opportunities is important. Law students should explore their interests and participate in extracurricular activities to develop a well-rounded skillset. Not just law students but students from all programmes. The IPGCE programme was designed to expand the skill set of those who intend to engage with future education, to teach and inspire the new generation.