Ritika Dokania

Hazaribagh, April 20: A Giridih girl teamed up with two batchmates from a premier B-School to win an international stock pitch competition last month, outwitting contestants from across Asia in judging skittish market situations.

Ritika Dokania, 27, daughter of a noted Giridih physician, with Riddhi Daftary and Aditi Sharma completed an all-girl team representing Mumbai-based SP Jain Institute of Management and Research at the 3rd NUS Asian Stock Pitch Competition held in Singapore on March 7-9.

After returning to her Barmasia residence in Giridih, a jubilant Ritika told The Telegraph that the prestigious meet gave them a platform to compete with the best MBA students in Asia and showcase equity research and stock-picking skills in front of a panel of distinguished judges from the investment industry.

“Anyone familiar with investments knows that it is very tough to do justice to equity research in a matter of hours. But we managed to prepare a stock pitch on companies within a stipulated time.”

The competition began on March 8. Ten semi-finalists were given 10 hours to research, value and recommend stock options to three firms. A gruelling final round awaited four teams including Indian School of Business Hyderabad, National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Ritika’s latest feat follows an excellent academic and professional track record.

Born and brought up in Giridih, Ritika matriculated from Carmel School scoring 93 per cent marks. She completed intermediate studies from the premier Delhi cradle DPS RK Puram in 2003, also clearing the IIT-JEE examination.

After graduation, Ritika landed a job in Bank of America, Mumbai, working for three years (2007 to 2010) in the investment banking division.

She credited her father S.K. Dokania and mother Usha — who run the Shri Vishwanath Nursing Home — for her success, claiming they were a constant source of inspiration and support.

Ritika has bagged a job in the fund management section of the Aditya Birla Group.

She may have a nose for the crests and troughs of the financial market, but her heart lies in entrepreneurship. “My desire is to give back to our society, especially my hometown Giridih and Jharkhand, by promoting education for underprivileged girls,” she said.