It’s been an eventful start to the New Year–and not just in the markets!

Toronto CFA Society welcomed its new executive director, Peter Jarvis, CFA, at a reception that included board members, programming chairs, past presidents, and Toronto CFA Society management office personnel. Peter, in addition to being a seasoned executive, is a past president of the society and is the current chair of the CFA Institute Annual Conference Program Committee. With strong ties to both Toronto CFA Society and CFA Institute, his passion for the organization is unsurpassed, and we could not have been more pleased with his new role at the society. We also welcomed Dorothy Wong, who joined us as our new event coordinator. In addition to her event responsibilities, Dorothy is handling the Awards portfolio and the Affinity program and is acting as liaison with the society’s accountants and the Audit Committee. Her past experience in project coordination and assisting clientele is invaluable to our Programming department.

A Continuing Education Committee was formed to assist in the society’s new programming initiatives. Welcome to all the new volunteers on this committee! As well, we had a great response for our Mentorship program, now in its second year.

We welcomed 175 new charterholders this year with almost 100 of them having attended the Charter Ceremony on 15 January with friends and family. The event was held at the Imperial Room at the Royal York Hotel, with Marg Franklin, CFA, a past president of the society and a member of the Board of Governors at CFA Institute giving the keynote speech.

Recognizing the difficulties our members face in the current economic turmoil, the society held an event entitled Developing Career Skills in Turbulent Times on 21 January. The event had well-recognized speakers address timely issues such as career transitions, recruiting trends, branding, communication, and networking skills. It also gave members the opportunity to network with human resources professionals, recruiting firms, and MBA schools at trade-show exhibition booths. The event was recognized by other societies and the Toronto society was asked to highlight the event at CFA Institute’s regional meeting in Philadelphia.

Thanks to our volunteers for all their efforts. If you have an interest in volunteering for Toronto CFA Society, please contact us. The Governance & Nominating Committee is beginning its search for new board members, as several volunteer directors will have served their final term this year. If you’re interested in getting more involved, let us know!