A student team representing Loyola Marymount University won first prize at the Deloitte Foundation’s 2022 National Audit Innovation Campus Challenge, held at Deloitte University in West Lake, Texas.

The annual competition invites students and faculty members from across the country to test their audit skills in real-world scenarios. More than 60 university teams from across the country participated in the event, with 12 teams ultimately advancing to the final round.

This year’s teams were challenged with considering the role of the accounting profession in driving rigor and discipline with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting and how to provide better and more timely ESG information to the capital markets. Teams were given four weeks to respond and were supported by Deloitte professionals and a faculty advisor. Submissions were judged by a panel of Deloitte Audit and Assurance partners and managing directors.

The Loyola Marymount University team won for their submission of “Artemis,” an AI-powered platform that contains thousands of ESG reports and relevant data. The team consisted of Kate Cereghini, Aidan Fitzpatrick, Massimo Oedekoven Pomponi, Estelle Potdevin and Sam Sprute.

“Over the past few years, sustainability and climate-related information has risen to the top of many investor and regulator agendas,” said Tricia Montague, Audit & Assurance managing director, sustainability and ESG services at Deloitte, in a statement. “Disclosure of this information is rapidly moving from voluntary to mandatory, based on recent developments from global regulators. The accounting profession continues to play an important role in promoting trust and confidence in sustainability disclosures. … The creative problem solving displayed by all our participants during this year’s challenge is truly inspiring. It gives me great confidence that the next generation of auditors tasked with navigating the ever-changing business environment is up to the challenge.”

Deloitte

“This has been such a great experience and the students put in so much work. I’m so thrilled for these students because they are really seeing what life is like beyond the classroom,” said Anthony Menendez, professor of accounting at Loyola Marymount University and faculty advisor for the winning team, in a statement. “They can really see the potential for this profession. I think most students, especially early on in their college careers, don’t understand the vast opportunities in the accounting profession. Opportunities like this really give them a chance to see what the broader profession is all about. They can really show their innovative ideas, creativity and understand how important teamwork is to the profession.”

For more on the Audit Innovation Campus Challenge, head to Deloitte’s site here.