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This marks my final message as Chair of the Board, as my term comes to a close at the upcoming Annual General Meeting on November 12. Our incoming Chair, Heather Cooke, is an absolute dynamo—blessed with wisdom, vast domain knowledge of our profession, warmth, emotional intelligence, and a relentless spirit of volunteerism and service. She will be a fabulous Chair, leading with vision and integrity in building on what our current board and our predecessors, upon whose shoulders we stand, have helped build.
Reflecting upon my time as Chair, I’m most proud of the validation our Society has received for success in upholding our mission. In my inaugural Chair’s Message, I said I’d like to look back on my term and see our members strongly identifying with our Society as a professional support system and a vibrant peer-to-peer community, rather than just an association that collects dues.
Space constrains me from recounting all the truly touching anecdotes you’ve shared with me that attest to this. These range from newcomers to Canada finding “their people” and rebooting their careers in Toronto, to mid-career professionals leveraging the Society network for support in career transitions, to new and aspiring charterholders seeking professional guidance from more experienced members. Data are the plural of anecdotes, though, and I am pleased to share that our 2025 membership survey reveals that 7 out of 10 of you are “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with your membership—a marked improvement from prior surveys. By way of external validation, in 2024, CFA Institute recognized CFA Society Toronto, among just five other Societies of the 160 globally, as an “Outstanding Society Award Winner.”
Already the world’s largest Society, over the past two years, we’ve grown in membership and, more importantly, in impact—with members, candidates, universities, large employers, other professional associations, and regulators, both on a standalone basis and amplified in partnership with CFA Societies Canada and CFA Institute. We have strengthened our governance and broadened the expertise and collective skills of our board purposefully through the recruitment of new directors. Our Society is more resilient than ever as a result.
Many of you have asked: “Why do you volunteer with the Society?” My answer is twofold:
1. The work is its own reward. I have a tremendous amount of appreciation for this organization, which has been instrumental to my career journey in different ways over nearly three decades.
2. The work is symbiotic to my professional role. Working inside the boardroom, overseeing strategy, governance, and leadership as a director affords me a better perspective on evaluating strategy, governance, and leadership from the outside, which I am certain has made me a better investor.
It has been my great privilege and pleasure to serve in this capacity, and I look forward to many more years of continued success for the Society and for all of us, as members.
Warm regards,
Brian Madden, CFA, CFP
CIO, First Avenue Investment Counsel
Chair, Board of Directors
CFA Society Toronto
