90 Years Forward

This year, CFA Society Toronto marked 90 years of service to Canada’s investment profession. It was an important milestone that provided us a chance to look back and also to ask what our members, our profession and the next generation will need from us.

That question sits at the heart of our member value promise: “Membership Empowers You to Thrive at Every Stage of Your
Career.”

Over the past year, we worked to make that promise tangible by strengthening member listening, expanding cohort-based programming and establishing a new Education Advisory Committee to keep professional learning relevant throughout members’ careers.

The results are encouraging. Overall member satisfaction reached 79 per cent, while the proportion of members who were “very satisfied” rose from 41 to 49 per cent. Our volunteer community also grew by approximately 14 per cent, from 292 to 332 members.

That matters because a strong professional community is not built for its members alone; it is built with them. Our responsibility extends beyond today’s membership. Rather than treating secondary school students, university students, CFA program candidates, Associate members and CFA charterholders as separate audiences, we are building an integrated pathway into the investment profession.

That pathway now spans career discovery and student work placements, faculty roundtables, CareerFest, Candidates Connect, enhanced Associate membership and the CFA charter-holder community. Participation from universities grew by 20 per cent, reaching 65 schools, and enhanced Associate membership welcomed more than 100 members in its first two months.

These are not isolated programs. Together, they help people discover the profession, navigate its early stages, find a lasting professional home and ultimately lead within it. Our anniversary celebrations brought that idea of community to life. We recognized more than 600 new CFA charterholders, while our PATH campaign featured their names forming the CFA Society Toronto icon as a visual reminder that our members quite literally make up our Society.

The campaign generated 45.7 million impressions in the heart of Canada’s financial centre, extending the CFA charterholder message beyond our immediate community. None of this happens in isolation. It reflects the leadership of our Board, the commitment of our volunteers and staff and the support of our partners and members.

We are proud of what CFA Society Toronto has built over its first 90 years. But an anniversary is not an endpoint; it is a foundation. Our focus now is building the community that will strengthen our profession, uphold trust and help the next generation thrive over the next 90.

Fred Pinto, CFA, ICD.D
CEO, CFA Society Toronto