AS WE MOVE CLOSER toward the end of 2017, to we must look back on all our achievements before we move ahead into 2018.

At CFA Society Toronto, we kicked off 2017 by welcoming 233 new charterholders at the Annual Charter Recognition event, and celebrating this momentous occasion with them, and their friends and family. In total, we welcomed 694 new members who successfully passed all three levels of the CFA program in 2016. The level of dedication to the investment profession through the time commitment, determination, and sacrifice required to successfully complete all three exams is something with which we’re all familiar.

This year has also been a very productive one at the Society. With your member support, we were able to gain recognition for Toronto’s CFA charterholders in both our local investment community and abroad for excellence in professional competency and high ethical standards. This has been made clear in 2017, as we’ve seen an increase in demand for local charterholders by the following:

EMPLOYERS: Recruiters from across Canada are seeking financial professionals to fill organizations’ talent needs. In fact, with more than 290 Career Centre job listings, the Society has been proven to be the resource to meet their specific requirements.

MEDIA: Our membership’s level of experience and expertise is being recognized. The Society has successfully filled more than 25 media requests and tracked more than 40 media mentions.

SPONSORS: Our corporate sponsors have all renewed their agreements with CFA Society Toronto as they continue to see the value in associating their brand with our local Society.

EVENTS & PROGRAMMING: Our volunteers have had one of the most successful years, producing high-calibre, engaging, and relevant user-generated content. We’ve sold out 43% of 70 events this past programming year.

Looking ahead, the Society’s Board of Directors has set new goals for the 2017/18 fiscal year. These goals are focused on how we can best meet the professional needs of our members and include the development of a new three-year strategic plan: establishing a more dominant position for the Society as a source of thought leadership and promoting partnerships with other professional organizations. Furthermore, in our upcoming board meetings, we’ll continue to discuss the establishment of CFA Societies Canada and Advisory Council, which we hope to constitute shortly.

With the support of our members and the commitment of our volunteer committees, CFA Society Toronto was able to reach new milestones and bring greater awareness and recognition for CFA charterholders. I’m excited to see what we’ll achieve in 2018.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I’d like to extend best wishes to you and your family during the holiday season.

If you’d like to share your thoughts or provide feedback, feel free to connect with me directly on Twitter @Pamela_Steer.