IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE that my tenure as President of CFA Society Toronto is coming to an end as we move forward into summer and our fiscal 2014 year. It has been my distinct privilege to work with an extraordinary board, and I would like to thank everyone for their dedication to CFA Society Toronto.

I would also like to thank everyone who threw their hats in the ring as this year’s board of director nominees, and I encourage all members to exercise their member rights by voting their proxy, commencing 28 May.

In late March, we held a board strategy session where we focused on new sponsorship initiatives to enhance revenue and allow us to increase membership value and introduce exciting member benefits, such as the launch of CFA Society Toronto’s own Toastmaster’s Group.

As many of you may be aware, we will begin our search for a new CEO as Peter Jarvis transitions to retirement. Peter’s dedicated service to CFA Society Toronto will be a tough act to follow. We are thrilled that he is playing an integral part in the recruitment process for his successor.

This year, we continue to increase the range of our programming and speakers with the Annual Wealth and Pension Conference this spring. The 2013 Annual Pension Conference featured John Coates, author of The Hour between Dog and Wolf, who discussed the biology of risk taking and the hormonal basis for financial decision making. In June 2013, we will host Timothy Lane, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada, a fitting follow-up to December’s luncheon with Governor Mark Carney.

CFA Society Toronto continues to foster our strong relationship with CFA Institute by acting as host society for this year’s CFA Institute Research Challenge Americas Regional Finals, bringing together students from all across North and South America. Building our ties with the next generation of financial professionals allows us to boost the fundamentals of CFA Institute’s Future of Finance Project. The project supplies a Statement of Investor Rights and focuses on restoring trust within the financial industry. This is one of the many ways that we strive to enhance the CFA brand with stakeholders.

I have been honoured to serve as your President this year, and I look forward to continuing my role on the board as Past President this fall. As always, we value your feedback. If you have any suggestions or ideas to assist us, please do not hesitate to reach out to anyone at our Management Office or on our Board of Directors.