The CFA Society of the UK (CFA UK) is delighted to announce the winners of its 2021 Journalism Awards.
During this past year of change we recognise that the role of the press has been increasingly important in keeping us informed, connected and allowing us to reflect on important issues. This year saw an unprecedented 89 submissions to our annual Journalism Awards – demonstrating the commitment the media makes to our profession. Alongside awarding against our core industry issues of value, transparency, inclusion and diversity and ESG, we introduced an award of Investing and COVID-19 to bring to the fore the additional demands that the pandemic has imposed on the profession and how the media has responded.
Will Goodhart, Chief Executive of CFA UK said: “We believe that celebrating investment journalism is a positive way to demonstrate how the industry has coped with recent change. Despite having to adjust to evolving working practices and increasingly challenging demands, the investment media has continued to remind the profession to continue to serve end clients well through value and transparency. The pandemic has also increased interest and action in ESG investing – good journalism in this area provides the basis to ensure products and standards are delivering on the sustainable promises made to investors.”
The Journalism Awards highlight contributions to the advancement of investor education through journalism. Launched in 2012, we celebrate articles through an independent judging process that highlight ethical and professional standards in the UK investment sector.
Algy Hall of Investors Chronicle won CFA UK Journalist of the Year for his article Tame your brain which examines what investors do to overcome behavioural mistakes and identifies seven ways to beat the biases the can ruin investment returns.
Silvia Amaro of CNBC International won CFA UK Broadcast Journalist of the Year for her report How to fix rising inequality during Covid-19, where she interviews Mo Bourdeaux, a private chef based in London. The piece looks at rising poverty levels due to the coronavirus pandemic and what steps governments can take to promote economic equality.
Alan Livsey, CFA, of Financial Times Lex won the category ESG, Climate and Sustainable Investing for his article The $900bn cost of stranded energy assets. The article investigates how climate targets may force energy groups to leave huge reserves of coal, oil and gas in the ground.
Margaryta Kirakosian of Citywire Selector won the Inclusion and Diversity category for their article Turning the tables: why asset managers fail to keep talented women, that brought together insights from asset managers and experts to find out what companies can do better to keep their female fund managers from leaving. Highly commended for this category went to Rosie Carr of Investors Chronicle for her article Seven financial traps we should be warning our daughters about.
Mary McDougall of Investors Chronicle won the category Value and Transparency for her article The trading game. The article looks at the recent development of a rush of millennials using zero commission trading apps that blurs the lines between gaming and investing.
Carlo Svaluto Moreolo of Investments & Pensions Europe (IPE) won the Investing and COVID-19 category for his article Manager selection in a pandemic, that looks at the extra demands brought on by COVID-19 with external asset manager selection and how investors are adapting.
The Financial Times won the new category Most Valued Publication, reflecting the votes from the CFA UK membership highlight the publication that they turn to most regularly and whose content they value the most for investment news.
The awards were determined by reviews of multiple, anonymised submissions from leading national and investment publications. The CFA UK Journalism Awards judging panel consisted of volunteers from the CFA UK membership.
The judging panel for this year’s Journalism Awards were:
- Alexander Hirsch, CFA
- Christopher Ware, CFA
- Edward Caplin, ASIP
- Marisa Virseda, CFA
- Nicholas Hyett, CFA
Journalism Award judge, Alexander Hirsch, CFA, Portfolio Manager, said: “At a time when the investment management industry and society as a whole experience major transitions, it was exciting and encouraging to see so many high-quality pieces that address the various issues. I applaud the authors, both of the winning pieces and the other submissions, for the dedication with which they explored the various topics and helped educate their readers."
Christopher Ware, CFA, Director at Conygar Investment Company, said: “The quality of the submissions was outstanding and it was a pleasure to read well researched and thoughtful pieces on the asset management industry and the unprecedented changes that are occurring within it."
Edward Caplin, ASIP, Consultant at Positive Change UK, said: “We have seen that the standard of journalism has held up well despite the surreal year we have been living through. Within a strong field of entrants, the winning entries stood out as being particularly well thought through in approaching topical issues with clear and well researched articles and in sustaining the reader's interest.”
Marisa Virseda, CFA, experienced investment professional, said: “It has been a real pleasure to be part of the CFA UK Journalism Awards judging panel. The articles and publications submitted highlight the meaningful contribution the media plays in the investment profession and the judging panel had some difficult decisions to make due to the number of fantastic entries we read. Congratulations to the winners!"
Nicholas Hyett, CFA, Equity Research Lead at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “Helping the general public to understand what’s going on with their money and in the wider market is never more important than at a time of crisis. This year’s winners did just that, dealing with issues ranging from psychological bias to navigating the energy transition in a way that isn’t only informative but also entertaining and engaging.”
The winners of this year’s Journalism Awards were announced via social media on 22 June 2021. Join in and congratulate the winners using #CFAUKJournalismAwards2021.
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Notes to editors:
For further information about the results or to request an interview, please contact Ogilvy: CFASocietyUK@ogilvy.com
About CFA UK
Part of the worldwide network of member societies of CFA Institute, CFA UK represents the interests of 11,000 investment professionals in the UK.