June 4, 2025 – Responsible stewardship of the natural environment is a core value at Marianopolis, and last week our students demonstrated that commitment at the second annual Lynx Global Biodiversity Pitch Competition.

The competition invites students to develop comprehensive stock pitches focused on companies whose growth is driven by efforts to address critical environmental challenges such as biodiversity loss, sustainability, and food and water security, which are core tenets of Lester Asset Management’s Lynx Global Biodiversity Fund.

The competition serves as the flagship event of the Marianopolis Investment Management Program (MIMP), a student-led initiative supported by Lester Asset Management, the Marianopolis Social Science and Commerce Faculty, and The Marianopolis Millennium Foundation.

Students presented their work to a jury of experienced industry professionals from the Marianopolis alumni community, including Stephen Takacsy ’77 (Lester Asset Management), W. Christopher Kovalchuk, MBA, CFA ’13 (Claret Asset Management), and Rani Alameddine, CFA, MBA ’02 (TD Securities). The judges were deeply impressed by the quality of the pitches and the students’ commitment to hands-on learning and ethical investing.

The winning team, composed of graduating student Alex Paliotti and first-year student Andrew Hounsell, impressed the jury with a standout performance. They earned top honors despite strong competition from teams led by graduating students William Carvalho Guertin, Robert Leon, and Philippe Peides, who were supported by first-year students Sebastian Filipescu, Bogdan Raru, and Thomas Zimbresteanu.

Congratulations to all participants on their outstanding performances, and thank you to Lester Asset Management and to every member of our community whose support made this second edition of the competition such a success.