AS WE LAUNCH INTO the first issue of The Analyst of 2014, the most important order of business is to welcome Sue Lemon to her new role as CEO of CFA Society Toronto. After a comprehensive recruitment process, with many highly qualified candidates considered, the search committee presented their selection for CEO to the Board of Directors, who unanimously agreed. Sue’s experience and capabilities align very nicely with the key strategies that have been identified for CFA Society Toronto. She is a natural fit for the leadership role at CFA Society Toronto at this time, and we look forward to working with her.

While we remain committed to excellence in our programming, we are making particular efforts to develop a better understanding of our membership needs and to reach out to employers and other stakeholders to ensure that we meet their expectations as well. A key initiative for us will be partnering with CFA Institute in their Future of Finance messaging. This CFA Institute–led campaign aims to improve the reputation and value proposition of those employed in the financial industry.

This past January, CFA Society Toronto’s 6th Annual Professional Development Day was the first of a series of Toronto Society–run events to celebrate Future of Finance. At this event, CFA Institute led a session to provide membership with tools and structure to motivate and empower a world of finance committed to fairness, improved understanding, and personal integrity. Future of Finance–themed events will continue locally with a focus on key stakeholders in an effort to showcase membership expertise in a way that will both help the investment industry and also exhibit our role in building an ethical financial community.

It is with great pride that we welcomed over 575 new charterholders in the Toronto area in 2013. These new graduates will be setting a high standard for all of us to follow as they embark on the next stage of their careers. Many of the new charterholders joined us at the Charter Recognition Event this past January where we celebrated this important milestone.

It is important to us that CFA Society Toronto continues to evolve to meet your needs as members. With that in mind, I urge you to participate in some of our upcoming events, comment and post discussions on our LinkedIn Members Only Group, and continue your commitment to professional development and education. As we spring forward into conference season, there are many exciting new and returning events to meet your needs. I also encourage you to consider nominating candidates when we make our call for nominations in the coming month.

Finally, I thank you for your trust in allowing me to serve my term as President. It’s hard to believe that the term is halfway through.