charterquest.co.za CFO Case Study Competition 2025 : CharterQuest Institute
Organization : The CharterQuest Institute.
Competition Name : CFO Case Study Competition 2025
Applicable For : Open to any young person
Competition Deadline : 31 March, 2025
Prize : ZAR 100,000
Website : https://www.charterquest.co.za/
CharterQuest CFO Case Study Competition
** The CFO (Chief Financial Officer) is an annual, open-entry, and global multi-stage business strategy and leadership-focused case study competition, organised by The CharterQuest Institute South Africa.
Related : The CharterQuest Institute CFO Case Study Competition 2017 : www.sanotify.com/5039.html
** It challenges university students around the world to prove they can compete at the highest level: by solving a set of complex and integrated finance, operation, strategic and ethical problems that beset a real-world global business in the emerging markets.
** The objective is to prepare the next generation of CFOs & Global Business Leaders by advocating a deeper incorporation of the Integrated Case Method into the curriculum; highlight the centrality of entrepreneurial and business acumen, teamwork, analytical, critical, creative as well as strategic thinking in honing their applied problem-solving skills in a multinational context.
The CFO Junior :
** First started in 2017 as a South African National High School Case Study Competition; it has from this 2025, developed into a Continental Challenge open to High Schools across Africa. As a cadet version of the main competition, it challenges teenage High School learners to prove their leadership potential by competing to solve a set of ‘common sense’ real-life business management problems -drawing from their knowledge of Accounting, Business Studies, Economics and Mathematics in their school curriculum.
Eligibility & Registration
The CFO
** This Competition is open to Anyone, Anywhere who aspires (herein referred to as ‘Aspirant’) to be a top CFO or Global Business Leader, subject to such person and ALL team members, being at the time of entry –
** Formally enrolled and actively pursuing, or awaiting graduation from a degree course or professional programme at the SAME recognised Higher Education Institution (HEI) –that is, school, faculty, college, university -anywhere in the world and willing to represent such institution; OR
** An entry-level professional employed anywhere in the world, holding a professional qualification (e.g. CIMA, CA ACCA, CFA) and willing to represent such employer in the competition; AND
** Not older than 25 years of age; nor a current student of CQ.
** Any Aspirant can independently register a 3 or 4 person team, inclusive of a Team Leader and appoint a Team Mentor who can be a lecturer or a senior student from the same HEI, or a company supervisor/manager/CFO where such team represents an Employer rather than an HEI.
The CFO Junior
** This is open to all who aspire (herein too referred to as ‘Aspirant’) to be a top CFO or Global Business Leader, subject to such persons being at the time of entry, a learner at a recognised High School in Africa and not older than 19 years;
** Such persons in 2.2.1 can only participate through the act of a School Teacher or Administrative Representative of such** High School, registering him or her as part of a Team of
** Such Teacher or other School Representative so appointed by the High School can elect to be the Team Mentor.
Communication
** All communication between the team and CQ will be in writing (email: thecfo AT charterquest.co.za) and handled by the Team Leader (or Mentor and/or School Representative–per 2.2.2 in the case of The CFO Junior), who will undertake to share all exchange with his/her team.
** To keep the communication lines efficient, each Aspirant undertakes to procure that no person other than their Team Leader or nominated school representative communicates with CQ.
** Specifically, parents, guardians and school principals or any other stakeholders with vested interest should not communicate directly with CQ but only through the team leader or registered school representative as this could be grounds for disqualification!
Competition Format & Stages
Stage 1
Preliminaries (Case analysis & Reporting)
** Over a 60 day period, the teams analyse the case study to produce and submit a Board report. A panel of examiners then announce a shortlist of The Top 20 Teams who are then invited to submit a 10 minutes video (and final power point presentation slides) from which the Top 5-10 will be announced.
** In addition to their 10 minutes video, the teams will submit a 1.25 minutes (75 seconds) 2-part Video: (1): Introducing their team, why they entered as well as the lessons learnt; and (2) Setting out their hopes and dreams, including how the competition has and could assist their future career.
** This also includes why the public should vote for their team in stage 2, in the event they are selected in the Top 5-10!
Stage 2
The People’S Choice : (Public Votes – Broadcast & Social Media)
** The videos of the Top 5-10 Teams so selected in stage 1 then go live on broadcast and social media over a 30-70 day period; for the public to have their say by voting for the best video. The Top 3 winners get 5%, 3% and 1% average weighted score to their credit!
Stage 3
Semi Finals : (Presentations)
** The Top 5-10 Teams arrive in Johannesburg, South Africa to deliver live, their 10 minutes presentation to, and take questions for a further 15 minutes from a Mock Board -comprised of a highly esteemed international panel of judges. The international panel of judges will then select the Top 3 Teams to compete at the finals the next day.
Stage 4
The Finals : (Extended case analysis & Presentations)
** The Top 3 teams are “locked up” and given an extended version of the case study which is analysed over 3 hours, followed by a further presentation to the Board (and audience) for 10 minutes.
** The judges will probe each team for a further 15 minutes on their analysis and recommended strategies and then decide the ultimate winner to receive The CharterQuest Future CFOs and Global Business Leaders 2025 Award!
Prize
Official Prize, Prize Transfer Or Substitution :
** Following consultations with our sponsors, all cash prizes have from this 2025 been converted to Achievement Award Certificates (Top 20, Top 6, Top 3 and Champion Certificates). Should cash prizes be reinstated, provisions 9.2, 9.3 and below will be applicable.
** The OFFICIAL CASH PRIZE shall be ZAR 100,000 (for The CFO) and ZAR 50,000 (for The CFO Junior) payable by cheque in the name of the Team, a team member or School/Institution so nominated by the Team through a signed affidavit.
** On the instruction of the Team (or School/Institute in the case of The CFO Junior), the prize can be transferred to any bank account of their choice, via EFT and subject to meeting the applicable money transfer regulations.
** All cash prizes are split such that 75% is attributable to the Team (equal split) and the balance 25% is attributable to the School/Institution/Employer (to be split equally with the Team Mentor if one was officially registered with CQ); as such, the actual payments or transfers will be split at the time of remittance.
** The Award does not include the Competition Trophy which will be for public display only and returnable to CQ, without duplicate, at the end of the competition.
** It is the expectation of CQ that the Team will work with the School/Institution/Employer and Team Mentor to nominate a common project e.g. supporting or starting an internal case study competition, donating books to the school or company library, starting a student leadership development scholarship fund; to be initiated with at least 40% of the total prize money and report back to CQ within 60 days of receiving the actual cash.
** No other prize (or any portion thereof) is transferable (or redeemable) for cash unless expressly provided for. And, any portion of the prize that is not used or claimed within 60 days is forfeited. No substitutions for prize except by CQ is allowed, in which case, a prize of equal or greater value will be substituted.
** ALL prize winners (cash, certificate or otherwise) must be available in person and/or in a complete team in order to receive their prize at the applicable award ceremony, otherwise CQ reserves the right to annul or grant such award to the next best team/individual.
2025 Key Dates & Timelines
| THE CFO & THE CFO JUNIOR 2025 SCHEDULE | DATES OPENING | CLOSING DATE | DAYS |
| Registrations on The CFO Portal | 1 November, 2017 | 31 March, 2025 | 150 |
| STAGE 1: PRELIMINARIES1.1 Release of Case Study Background | 1 December 2017 | 28 February | 90 |
| 1.2 Release of Case Scenarios/Teamwork/Reporting | 1 March | 30 April | 60 |
| 1.3 Evaluations + Top 20 Announcements | 2 May | 31 May | 30 |
| 1.4 Top 20 compile/submit power point slides, 10 minutes video presentation and public videos | 1 June | 30 June | 30 |
| 1.5 Evaluations + Top 6 Announcements | 1 July | 12 July | 12 |
| STAGE 2: PUBLIC VOTES | 13 July | 15 September | 65 |
| STAGE 3: SEMI FINALS(PRESENTATIONS) | 2 October | 2 October | 1 |
| STAGE 4: FINALS (EXTENDED CASE STUDY & PRESENTATIONS) | 3 October | 3 October | 1 |
| AWARD CEREMONY @ FINANCEINDABA AFRICA2025 (SANDTON
CONVENTION CENTER) |
4 October | 4 October | 1 |
| Opening of the JSE by the winning team and blowing of the Kudu Horn | 5 October | 5 October | 1 |
| University Outreach to unveil the winning team and guest presentation to inspire the students + Launch of the 2019 edition. | 5 October | 5 October | 1 |
Winning Criteria
Our panel of independent, highly esteemed and external markers and judges will inter-alia apply the following assessment criteria at all rounds of the competition :
** Finance & Technical
** Diversity & Business
** Ethics & People
** Presentation, Question & Answers
** Decisiveness & Leadership
** Innovation & Integration