After the three-month challenge, three teams from the ten competing groups running stood out in the current unprecedented market environment i.e. Enigma Société de Gestion (Paris Dauphine, Financia Business School, Mines Saint-Étienne), Ocean’s Five (HEC Paris), and Chartrading (ESG Finance).

During the entirely online final, our three diverse teams will present their innovative flexible ESG* portfolio management strategy to a jury of experts from Natixis Investment Managers :

• Estelle Castres, Co-Head of Western Europe Distribution
• Laura Devoucoux, Director – Investment Consultant Relations
• Laurent Giraudel, COO Natixis Investment Managers Solutions
• Olivier Houix, Chief Audit Executive Natixis Investment Managers
• Christophe Lanne, CEO Natixis Investment Managers International
• Claire Martinetto, CoHead of Natixis Investment Managers Solutions

Three round table events will also help strengthen ties with the students:

• “Asset management at Natixis Investment Managers”, led by Esty Dwek, Head of Global Market Strategy at Natixis Investment Managers Solutions;
• “ESG Investment: Status and Outlook”, led in English by Harald Walkate, Head of CSR & ESG at Natixis Investment Managers;
• “Business lines, career, culture: opportunities in finance”, led by our HR and recruitment team.

A huge thank you to our students for taking part and congratulations on their excellent work. All the best to our finalists for their presentations!

Visit our website after the final to find out which team won and to view the video recording of their presentations.

* ESG: environmental, social and governance criteria

In a nutshell

In November 2019, Natixis Investment Managers launched its first Graduate Challenge, an inter-university portfolio management challenge open to Master’s students from business schools, engineering schools or university. Each team must be gender diverse and made up of three to five students.

The challenge?

• Manage a virtual portfolio in live business conditions for three months;
• Take a conviction-driven approach;
• Deliver a sustainable investment solution that offers strong performances to serve clients’ interests.

A unique experience!

Right throughout the challenge, each team of students received support and advice from an individual mentor, either an expert from Natixis Investment Managers or from one of our investment affiliates i.e. Natixis Investment Managers Solutions, Seeyond, Ostrum AM, Mirova, Dorval AM, DNCA Investments, Ossiam and Thematics AM.

Key figures

• 40 teams applied
• 10 teams were selected, made up of
• 10 mentors, experts in investment management from Natixis IM and our affiliates
• 3 teams of finalists
• 1,300 orders executed (50% of which by the three finalist teams!)
• 1 winning team