Our Volunteers in Action: Getting to Know Our Programming and Events Committee with Nissrine Marouk, CFA

Every year, CFA Montréal hosts a couple dozen events to help members and CFA candidates fine-tune their skills and advance their careers. As the chair of the Programming and Events Committee, Nissrine Marouk, CFA, becomes very passionate when she talks about her involvement in these encounters and how they bring the community together.

Read on to learn more about her experience, why she decided to volunteer and the role members play in her committee.

 

Tell us a little more about CFA Montréal’s Programming and Events Committee.

The Programming and Events Committee puts on a number of events throughout the year for members, candidates and financial professionals. They range from high-profile events for larger audiences to more specialized career development activities and seminars of a technical nature.

Our goal is to respond in a structured way to continuing education and professional development needs, all while providing access to the most compelling forums and discussions. Every year, the season wraps up with our much-anticipated Forecast Dinner in June, where leading experts share their thoughts about where economic outlooks and global financial markets are headed.

Teaming up with other CFA Montréal committees, including the ESG and Fintech Committees, helps us zero in on the latest trends and specific angles of interest. We pride ourselves on our flexible approach, which lets us adapt to emerging developments on the news front. For example, a webinar on the war in Ukraine was added to the program a few weeks ago. We thought having an expert in to explain the situation and its potential impacts through a financial lens would be a good idea.

What prompted you to volunteer with the Programming and Events Committee?

I am a proud Lebanese woman who travelled all the way to Canada to pursue my studies in finance. I’ve always been very interested in getting my CFA designation, the most widely respected qualification in our profession. When I did and I became a member of CFA Montréal, I wanted to do more to get involved. Joining the Programming and Events Committee gave me the opportunity to make full use of my diverse knowledge and experience.

How would you describe the role your committee plays in the professional development of CFA charterholders?

The members of the Programming and Events Committee are guided by two overarching priorities as they consider ideas for upcoming events.

The first is to deliver a diversified lineup of activities that help our members fine-tune key competencies so they can get ahead in the financial world. We often survey our membership to get a better idea of what people are looking for in this regard. We also draw inspiration from the CFA Institute Competency Framework, which helps us plan around the skills and aptitudes essential to today’s investment professionals and the role they are called upon to play. This helps ensure that the topics we are targeting are relevant to the CFA Montréal community. The second priority is about creating opportunities to meet and network.

What is one of the initiatives you are particularly proud of?

I am very proud that our committee members were able to turn on a dime when COVID-19 hit and come up with an all-virtual lineup of events. The switch took a lot of adaptability, since our core focus has always been on in-person events. My teammates showed incredible agility in converting our program to a webinar format as of April 2020. We stepped up in response to the crisis and have managed to put together a selection of some 40 online events and training sessions over the past two years, many of which have featured world-class speakers.

What would you say to anyone who would like to join the Programming and Events Committee?

Basically, we welcome financial professionals from any background, since our goal is to build a highly diversified program that appeals to members and candidates across our organization. That is why it is important for us that the committee be made up of charterholders working in a variety of roles from a wide range of institutions representing different asset categories.

Personally, I get a lot out of what my fellow committee members bring to the table. I see it every day. They are incredibly motivated and come up with the best event ideas! I always leave each meeting duly impressed.

 

Interested in getting involved with a dynamic, forward-looking association? There are lots of ways you can contribute to CFA Montréal. Be sure to let us know how you’d like to make a difference by filling out this form: https://www.cfamontreal.org/en/get-involved.