Waterloo wins Battle for CA$H

Three first-year students from the School of Accounting and Finance took top prize in this year’s edition of “Battle for CA$H”, a competition hosted by the Institute for Chartered Accountants of Ontario (ICAO).

The competition, held in early January, provided an opportunity for aspiring Chartered Accountants to practice essential skills used by the profession, such as: communication, abstract thinking, leadership, and time-management.

To win, 41 teams from 21 different university programs were challenged to complete a skill-testing simulation that measured the participants’ ability to think on their feet and resolve problems. This year, Faizan Siddiqui, Onisifor Prisecaru and Roshin Mathew from the Accounting and Financial Management program represented the Waterloo team.
“It is easy to assume that making the highest returns makes you the best accountant in the industry,” explains Mathew’s. “But, it is important to remember that ethics, honesty and integrity also play a major role in your success.”

In addition to claiming the CA$H cup title, winners received $3000, plus a further $1,500 for their university accounting/business society, an unexpected feat according to Siddiqui. “I didn’t expect to win because we came here as a wild card, but we were determined to put ourselves out there,” explains Siddiqui. “If you strive for excellence, you will find success and that happened today.”