A word from the president

It is a tremendous pleasure and honour to be writing to you for the first time in my capacity as President of CFA Montréal. This appointment affords me a unique career opportunity: that of working closely with a community for which I have such deep and abiding respect.

I’m taking on these new responsibilities with a fresh burst of energy and passion, and I look forward to sharing my vision with you in the coming months as we outline the objectives our organization will strive to achieve.

During our first meeting in November, the drive and determination of our new Board of Directors was palpable. The new members of the Executive Committee are eager to get down to business in order to bring our Society’s ambitions to life. And our three strategic committees are busy ramping up their efforts to further strengthen our governance.

We have already kicked off the brainstorming process for the 2024–2027 strategic plan — an exercise we will be taking very seriously, given the significant and ongoing changes we are seeing across all industries. The decisions we make now are poised to have an enduring impact on the future of the profession.

In the years ahead, we will be called upon to hone our skills and adapt to a number of challenges that have already begun to appear in terms of artificial intelligence, sustainable investing and more. The growing force of tech-savvy investors that is Gen Z will also require us to rethink many of our strategies.

We are committed to working with CFA Institute as it broadens and deepens its services and to seek out innovative solutions that will have a positive influence on our members and on our sector as a whole. Needless to say, the hopes and concerns of the next generation will play a decisive role in our discussions.

We will also continue to stay on top of emerging trends in the Montreal financial ecosystem. As such, we will be taking advantage of the opportunity provided to us by the Association des femmes en finance du Québec (AFFQ) to make our collective views known on an issue that is high atop our priorities at CFA Montréal: increasing gender equality in the financial industry. You’ll soon be getting an invitation to take part in a wide-ranging consultation process on this topic spearheaded by the AFFQ, in cooperation with the Secrétariat à la condition féminine du Québec and the Université de Montréal. I hope you take a moment to share your invaluable insights.

I’m also curious to hear what you’ll have to say in February when we conduct our annual survey of members and candidates. CFA Montréal cannot grow and thrive without your input, so please be sure to let us know how and where we can do better. Thank you in advance for your ideas.

And one more thing: as this is the last newsletter of the year, I’d be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to wish you a happy and healthy holiday season and a wonderful 2024 ahead. All the best!

Sandy Poiré, CFA

President

CFA Montréal