A YEAR MARKED BY INNOVATION AND ENGAGEMENT
As the season winds down and the first year of my presidency draws to a close, I am more impressed than ever by how dynamic our community is and how much of an impact we continue to have on the world around us.
In addition to rolling out a revamped brand image, which has helped set the tone for this past year of growth, we have embarked upon several new adventures, including our very first series of podcasts. Chock-full of information to meet the changing needs of our members and candidates, these podcasts are a great way to address key issues in more depth and in a flexible way aligned with our members’ career aspirations.
One of the highlights of the year was undoubtedly the Innovation in Finance Forum in April, which brought together a panel of industry leaders to discuss emerging trends.
We also announced a partnership with JA Québec and a fundraiser supporting youth financial literacy education, which is set to take place on November 19. Through this initiative, CFA Montréal will be helping to make a real difference in young people’s lives and society as a whole.
And speaking of young people, during the year we and CFA Institute together awarded 30 scholarships to students enrolled in Montreal universities, where we have been even more proactive in our outreach efforts, delivering almost 50 presentations about the CFA Program. We also moved forward with a campaign on unconventional career paths in finance that shone the spotlight on the CFA designation in the Financial Post and Urbania.
This visibility has continued to grow, as is reflected in the higher number of journalists at our events, many of which have been sold out. We had 93 mentions in various media articles during the year, up significantly (50%) over last year.
With everything moving so quickly, our committees and our administrative team will have had a very busy 2024, especially with CFA Montréal’s 75th anniversary coming up in 2025.
Likewise, our Board of Directors has been hard at work on such initiatives as our 2024–2027 strategic plan, drafted after much thought and careful deliberation, which will serve as a roadmap for our organization in the years to come. We are eager to share our priorities for the future and our new program with you all.
We hope you are taking full advantage of the CFA Montréal network and our support to advance your career, as well as the many other enhancements recently made by CFA institute to help you fine-tune your skills in an increasingly complex and demanding industry.
Beyond being a strong and influential group of investment professionals, CFA Montréal is first and foremost a family, of which you are an important part. You are the engine that drives our organization, the energy that keeps us moving forward.
This is what I feel — along with immense pride — when we welcome our newest charterholders to the fold. Heartiest congratulations, incidentally, to all those who passed their CFA exams this year for this tremendous career milestone.
I would be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to express my undying gratitude to our volunteers, over a hundred strong, for their hard work and dedication, and to the partners whose generous support means the world to us.
My sincere thanks to all of you for your active engagement and valued contributions.
We look forward to kicking off a new year with you in September. And rest assured that we will be keeping a close eye on the geopolitical and economic twists and turns that we are bound to see in the months ahead.
Until then, I wish you a sun- and fun-filled summer.
Warmly,
Sandy Poiré, CFA
President, CFA Montréal
