This month, we launch our annual Partnership Effectiveness Survey—a timely opportunity to tap into societies’ collective wisdom ahead of coming together later this year.
We also share more information about our Society Leadership Conference (SLC) theme and working design, the results of our recent Annual Meeting of Members, and thank our outgoing PCRs and Society Board members for their dedicated service and living our partnership.
LAUNCHING THIS YEAR'S PARTNERSHIP EFFECTIVENESS SURVEY
We are successful as a network because we work together to achieve our goals. By measuring the strength and effectiveness of our partnership, we can better understand where our strengths lie and where we have room to improve right now.
As we did last year, we welcome all society leaders and staff to share their perspectives. Both Society Executive Directors/CEOs and Board Presidents are strongly encouraged to participate. Please take no more than 10 minutes to share your voice using the survey link included in my 19 July Executive Update email before the survey closes on 31 August.
This input will inform the design of our time together in-person at the SLCs, as well as our priorities for next fiscal year. Thank you in advance for sharing your perspective.
EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN OUR PARTNERSHIP WITHIN THE LAST YEAR
Collecting data is always illuminating, as it allows for a deeper look into your perceptions of what’s working and what’s not. Since reporting our findings last October, we’ve focused our attention on addressing challenges in a number of ways.
Last year’s findings raised a few areas of opportunity:
- Communication with candidates about the CFA Program
- Organizational change within CFA Institute
- Transparency in decision-making and communications
- More purposeful collaboration, best practice sharing, and alignment
- More innovation and new ideas
- Greater access to tools and data
This was such valuable feedback for us and confirmed that much of what is under way through the Society Operating Model is addressing the most pressing challenges faced across the network. That said, based on what you told us, we took several steps to help resolve issues this past year, including:
- Hosting Computer-Based Testing (CBT) bootcamps with members of our Credentialing team, providing greater insight into candidate communications, pass rates, and timelines with affected societies.
- Increasing the frequency of communicating about organizational decisions and plans (e.g., May’s executive update, March’s strategy update, and the Content and Product Pipeline, among others).
- Highlighting societies’ innovative programming and lessons learned through the Society Awards Programme winners, success stories, regular sub-regional calls, and sharing more about how CFA Institute is innovating through our learning products.
- Onboarding the society network of users to the Salesforce Lightning experience, promoting the visibility of ESG Certificate candidate and certificate holder data to societies, and updating the navigability and content on Connexions.
We know there are always opportunities to improve. We are eager to get a sense of what is working well and where we need to focus efforts to have the most impact on our partnership this coming year. And we recognize there’s always room to get better.
2022 SOCIETY LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE THEME
The theme for this year’s conferences will be Sharing Our Present, Shaping Our Future. With two days together, we plan to first focus on our shared present: what it means to be together again, where there is clarity, where there’s uncertainty, and what societies are hearing, seeing, and doing locally that connects to broader patterns. The conversation would then shift to our future together and how societies are poised to shape it, accounting for regional and local nuance and relevance.
We’ll have topical breakouts, workshops, and networking sessions, so there will be ample opportunities for attendees to share best practices, network, and reconnect with the CFA Institute community. My team and I are so looking forward to seeing many of you again—and the first time ever in-person for some—and being together.
UPDATES FROM THE ANNUAL MEETING OF MEMBERS
Last week, we concluded proxy season by holding our Annual Meeting of Members. Every year, our members meet to vote on proposals, both live during the meeting and in advance. This year, 614 members participated in the meeting—many more joined than in previous years. A total of 26,334 votes were cast, which represents a turnout of just under 14% of members who are eligible to vote.
We did have some robust debate from a small number of societies and members in the run-up to the meeting, which allowed us to explain our rationale for some of the proposals in more detail. The added member interest this year was encouraging but shed light on the opportunity to increase our engagement of society leaders and members earlier in a process like this. We remain committed to the principles of trust and transparency.
The results: members approved all of the proposed amendments to our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, and elected the Board Chair, Vice Chair, and all the nominated Governors to the Board. For a more detailed breakdown of the vote tally by proposal, please visit our enterprise site.
I would like to take a moment to reiterate that none of the amendments to our Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws change the nature of our relationship or principles of partnership with societies. It is as important as ever for us to work together to shape how we will collectively improve member value and achieve our mission.
THANK YOU TO OUR OUTGOING SOCIETY LEADERS
As you may have seen, this month, we will say farewell to our outgoing PCRs, including PC Chair Aaron Brown, CFA. Collectively, these PCRs have served CFA Institute for an impressive 15+ years. The terms of dozens of Board members around the globe, with common June/July fiscal year-ends, also ended last month. On behalf of me and my team, we are so appreciative of your hard work, leadership, and commitment to our shared mission.
And to all the new leaders across many of our societies whose Board terms started on 1 July, thank you for your service and dedication. We look forward to seeing many of you later this year!
ETHICS AND RESEARCH, ADVOCACY, AND STANDARDS
Future of Work: The Future of Skills and Learning Report and Promotional Toolkit
Check out the latest report in our Future of Work in Investment Management series, the Future of Skills and Learning. The report addresses in-demand skills now and in the future, the most common career pathing in investment industry roles, the most important skills for career entry and growth, and more.
Learn more about the report, and access our promotional toolkit, here on Connexions.
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
What's New in Professional Learning
Explore the latest offerings to come out of our Professional Learning line, including those on such in-demand topics as decentralized finance, financial modeling, and performance evaluation. Interested to see what’s planned for the coming months? Check out our Content and Product Pipeline here on Connexions.
CREDENTIALING AND CANDIDATE SUPPORT
Updated Deferral Policy
Beginning with the August 2022 exam administration, candidates who do not qualify under our emergency deferral policy will have the option to purchase a voluntary deferral through our website. With this option, candidates can purchase a USD 399, no-questions-asked, one-time deferral that allows them to postpone their exam appointment for up to 12 months, depending on their exam level. This paid deferral option, therefore, replaces the option for candidates to defer and receive a reduced registration fee for a future exam. Learn more about this option on our website.
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