CFA Society Toronto announces election of new board members

TORONTO, June 25, 2015 /CNW/ - CFA Society Toronto is happy to announce Anish Chopra, FCPA, FCA, CBV, CFA has been appointed Board Chair following Tuesday's election meeting.  In addition, CFA Society Toronto welcomes four new members to the Board of Directors, Alain Bergeron, M.Sc., CFA, Vadim Gracie, FCSI, CFA, Pamela Steer, CPA, CA, CFA and Marcus Turner, CFA.

"On behalf of the Board of Directors, volunteers and management office I would like to welcome our new board members.  In the coming year we will be implementing a new strategic plan that will focus on improving member services and enhancing brand awareness of the CFA designation for CFA Society Toronto members." said incoming Chair Anish Chopra, FCPA, FCA, CBV, CFA.

Past Chair Chris Polson, CPA, CMA, CBV, CFA said, "In over six years of volunteerism with CFA Society Toronto there are many people that I have had the pleasure of working alongside and learning from.  I would particularly like to express my gratitude to our departing board members - Sara Alvarado, Josephine Marks, Ron Schwarz, Andrew Turnbull and Markus Tyler - for their support, mentorship and inspiration during my term as Board Chair."

CFA Society Toronto recognizes all of our volunteers who have finished their terms on the Board of Directors and continue to bring their dedication and enthusiasm for the designation into both their professional and volunteer lives.

Alain Bergeron, M.Sc., CFA – Member at Large
Alain Bergeron is Senior Vice President, Investment Management and Head of Asset Allocation at Mackenzie Investments.  Previously he served as vice-president and head of Global Tactical Asset Allocation at CPP Investment Board, traded derivatives at TD Securities, and taught undergraduate courses at HEC Montréal.  Alain is a recipient of the HEC 2009 Relève d' Excellence award which recognizes leadership excellence under 35. Alain holds a BBA and M.Sc. both from HEC Montréal. He holds the Chartered Market Technician and is a Chartered Financial Analyst. He is on the Rotman Financial Services Advisory Board, the University of Waterloo Master of Quantitative Finance Advisory Board, has served as a committee member with The Toronto Financial Services Alliance and was a founding director of artsScene.

Vadim Gracie, FCSI, FRM, CFA - Member Services
Vadim Gracie is a Director, Investment Risk Management at OMERS. Previously he was a Principal in Risk Management and Principal in Asset Mix and Capital Markets Research at OMERS Capital Markets. Before joining OMERS in 2007 he was a senior manager at Scotiabank. Vadim has over 20 years of experience in financial industry.   Vadim became Vice Chair of CFA Society Toronto's Derivatives & Risk Management Committee in 2011 and Chair of the Risk Management and Alternative Investments Committee in 2013. He is also a past volunteer on the Membership Committee.  Vadim attained his Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 2002 and became a Fellow of Canadian Securities Institute in 2007.

Pamela Steer, CPA, CA, CFA – Secretary/Treasurer
Pamela Steer is CFO for the WSIB.  Pamela has over 15 years of senior management experience.  Her most recent role before joining the WSIB was as Chief Operating Officer of Wonga Canada.  Prior to Wonga, she was CFO at Fusenet, and vice president of Finance at Redknee Solutions Inc. Pamela is also active in the not-for-profit space, where she is currently Secretary/Treasurer and Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee for the Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors in addition to her role on the Finance Committee of CFA Society Toronto.  Pamela has a Master of Accounting degree, is accredited as a Chartered Accountant (CPA, CA) and a Chartered Financial Analyst.  She recently completed the Rotman International Centre for Pension Management's Board Effectiveness Program and the Rotman Institute of Corporate Directors NFP Governance Essentials Program.

Marcus Turner, CFA – Programming
Marcus Turner has over 20 years of progressively senior experience in capital markets.  Most recently he was a Senior Consultant in the Toronto investment consulting group at Towers Watson.  He consults on a wide variety of asset issues including asset allocation strategy, manager structure issues such as currency management, the use of alternative investments and building the right combination of managers.

Marcus has a BA in economics and actuarial science from the University of Toronto, is a member of the Global Association of Risk Professionals and a CFA charterholder.  Marcus is the Chair of the Portfolio Management Committee at CFA Society Toronto and provides frequent industry commentary on issues such as infrastructure in pension portfolios and managing extreme risks in a portfolio. 

About CFA Society Toronto
CFA Society Toronto supports the professional and business development of more than 8,500 CFA charterholders in Toronto, making it the second largest CFA Society in the world. It provides members with a local perspective on a global designation, including: educational programs, sponsored events, job postings, quarterly newsletters, a comprehensive affinity program and networking opportunities. A not-for-profit organization, CFA Society Toronto is affiliated with CFA Institute, the global body that administers the Chartered Financial Analyst curriculum and sets voluntary, ethics-based performance-reporting standards for the investment industry. CFA Society Toronto's members are leaders in ethics in the financial community. For more information, please refer to www.cfatoronto.ca.

SOURCE CFA Society Toronto

Media contact: Sara Pacella, Manager, External Communications & Media, CFA Society Toronto, Tel: [phone] X 235, [email protected]