Charter Award and Felicitation Ceremony, Kolkata

Contributed by: Babita Agarwal

IAIP organized CFA Charter award and felicitation ceremony for June 2013 level-III pass outs in Kolkata, on November 24th,  2013. It was a proud moment for the society to felicitate successful candidates for their hard work, perseverance and sacrifices.

The event started with an introductory speech by Vinay Bagri, East Zone Coordinator, IAIP.  He informed the audience regarding various steps initiated by the society to actively create awareness about the CFA program in India.  He also stressed upon the importance of adhering to ethical standards and various initiatives taken by the society to promote ethical standards amongst the growing  community of CFA charter holders & candidates in India. In his speech, he discussed about the current employment scenario in Indian markets and mentioned about steps taken by IAIP to bridge the gap between level III passouts & Industry.  He outlined various steps to increase visibility of  CFA program in India.

There was a speaker session on “Be Positive” by Sunil Singhania CFA, Head Equity Investment, Reliance Mutual Fund. During his address, he reiterated his belief about the strong fundamentals of the Indian Economy and hence advised everyone to remain positive on Indian Stock market. In spite of all the macroeconomic conditions, he advised the audience to remain optimistic on the India Growth Story.  He shared some interesting facts about saturation in the Indian equity market. He shared some facts on how the stake of foreign investors is slowly approaching the ceiling set by the various government and other regulatory agencies. He concluded his speech by wishing every one best of luck for future.

Paul Smith, CFA, Managing Director, CFA institute then addressed the participants with his views  on CFA ethical standards and code of conduct. He focused the importance of being ethical and abiding by the code of conduct of the society. He narrated the role of CFAs in promoting the ethical practices and regaining the trust for the entire investment professionals’ fraternity. In this context, a short video on the Future of  Finance was played. Future of Finance is a unique initiative taken by CFA institute to bring transparency among the finance professionals.

Both Sunil and Paul, congratulated the members and distributed the certificates to successful candidates. Some of the awardees shared their experiences while pursuing the CFA program. This was followed by a networking lunch.