THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS SHIFTED MANY ASPECTS OF OUR LIFESTYLES, and our approach to ongoing education is no exception.

One of the few benefits of pandemic life has been the increased accessibility of virtual learning opportunities. Barriers like cost, timing, and location have been lessened, allowing more of us to partake in professional development courses, podcasts, workshops, and even gala events.

Throughout the pandemic, inclusivity and innovation have been a focus, working hand in hand to provide more opportunities for us.

Helen Keller pertinently said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” This issue of The Analyst aims to represent this spirit with a robust focus on the deep-seated connections between education and advocacy.

We provide comprehensive coverage of the 2021 Alpha Summit by CFA Institute and CFA Society Toronto’s Annual Spring Conference. The Spring Conference had the theme of opportunities and risks in a post-pandemic world. Other articles in this issue encourage us to prepare for the future of Bitcoin, embrace alternative data, and move beyond manual data collection into the world of Python-based web scraping.

This issue also looks at the historical role advocacy has played in shaping the finance profession and CFA designation, as well as the stewardship undertaken by the Canadian Advocacy Council to protect investors.

Our charterholder profile highlights the career of Hyewon Kong, CFA, an early advocate for sustainability in corporate and investment management, and celebrates her work in this sector for more than two decades. Kong discusses the evolution of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing, other industry trends shaping the future, and actions necessary to advance ESG investing within the finance industry.

Just in time for back to school, this hearty issue aims to inspire you on your own educational pursuits this autumn!