Canadian Margaret Franklin, CFA, to Chair CFA Institute Board of Governors

BOSTON, May 18 /CNW/ - Margaret Franklin, CFA, has been elected chair of the Board of Governors of CFA Institute, the global association for investment professionals that administers the CFA program worldwide and advocates for high standards of practice within the global investment industry. CFA Institute members concluded their vote for the 2010-2011 CFA Institute Board of Governors members on May 16, 2010 as part of CFA Institute Annual Conference in Boston. Franklin will begin her one-year term on September 1, 2010.

Franklin, CFA, is the President & CEO of Kinsale Private Wealth. Based in Toronto, she has almost 20 years of financial industry experience in investment management with both institutional and private clients. She worked with global institutions including Barclays Global Investors, State Street Global Advisors and Mercer before moving to the private client business. Franklin was a partner in a boutique private client firm for eight years before Kinsale Private Wealth. She is the past chair of the audit and risk committee of the CFA Institute Board of Governors, and has also headed its external relations, and volunteer involvement, and planning committees. She is a past president of the Toronto CFA Society and received the CFA designation in 1997.

Franklin will head a 17-member Board of Governors composed of investment professionals from eight countries: Canada, China, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States. She succeeds Tom Welch, CFA, managing director and regional manager of the institutional client service team at Wells Capital Management in Minneapolis, MN, United States. Each year the CFA Institute membership votes at its annual meeting to elect new Board members.

Welch will continue to serve on the Board as immediate past chair, and Dan Meader, CFA, founder and managing partner of Trinity Advisory Group in Southlake, TX United States, will act as vice chair.

"Now, more than ever, investors, governments and regulators are seeking the highest educational, ethical and professional standards from investment professionals," said Franklin. "With a commitment to fairness and integrity, CFA Institute is poised to lead the industry in its efforts to regain investor confidence and trust. As a Canadian, I bring the unique perspective of having observed a global financial crisis from a country whose capital markets and financial institutions proved comparatively sound. There is a great deal that industry participants around the world can learn from this Canadian experience."

Franklin added that, "in the past year, 200,000 people who aspire to be the best in our field showed their commitment to our mission by participating in the CFA Program. They join more than 87,000 CFA charterholders in 132 countries who adhere to our mission and values every day. This is a powerful statement about the future of our profession. CFA Institute, under the leadership of CEO John Rogers, CFA, will play a key role in strengthening the foundation of the financial services industry. On behalf of the Board of Governors, I thank our members for entrusting this organization's governance to us."

"Having worked with Margaret on a number of CFA Institute initiatives over the years, I know first-hand that the Board of Governors will be led by an investment professional committed to promoting full disclosure, accountability, and integrity in financial markets," said Janine Guenther, CFA, Presidents' Council Representative for the Canadian CFA Institute member societies. "Margaret is a credit to our industry and CFA Institute."

"I am honored to work with Margaret and the other members of the Board of Governors as we continue the tradition of using strong, thoughtful governance to manage our global organization," said John Rogers, CFA, president and CEO of CFA Institute. "As our members and CFA candidates continue to recover from events of the past two years, CFA Institute is in a strong position to solidify its leadership role and fulfill its mission - to lead the investment profession globally by setting the highest standards of ethics, education, and professional excellence."

CFA Institute

CFA Institute is the global association for the investment profession. It administers the CFA and CIPM curriculum and exam programs worldwide; publishes research; conducts professional development programs; and sets voluntary, ethics-based professional and performance-reporting standards for the investment industry. CFA Institute has nearly 100,000 members, who include the world's 85,000 CFA charterholders, in 134 countries and territories, as well as 136 affiliated professional societies in 57 countries and territories.

A photo of Ms. Franklin is available upon request.

For further information: Media Contact, Kathy Valentine, [phone], [email protected]