Charter Felicitation Ceremony, Bangalore

Charter Felicitation Ceremony, Bangalore

December 16^th, 2012

The culmination of efforts towards a final outcome always presents an exciting picture. This euphoria was visible among participants of the Charter felicitation ceremony. The Bangalore Chapter of the Indian Association of Investment Professionals (IAIP) hosted its first regional graduation ceremony for the CFA Level III pass outs on Dec 16, 2012. While Deepak Mundra, CFA, active volunteer of IAIP gave the flavour of IAIP & its activities, the Guest Speaker Sandeep Sabharwal, Head Investment Research Group at Fidelity Management & Research India, Bangalore gave good insights into various phases in career, do’s & don’ts and importance of ethics in the profession. The final event of the day was the handing out of the Ethics Code to all the passing graduates. The smile on the recipients was surely a moment to be cherished and inspiring for candidates. The ceremony ended with congratulations all around and wishes for everyone.

Deepak Mundra, a volunteer at the Bangalore Chapter, spoke about the IAIP and its activities in India. He also presented information on events organized by the IAIP in the past across the nation, resources available and various volunteering opportunities with the IAIP.  Deepak also informed participants about upcoming events at the Bangalore Chapter.

After studying and gaining knowledge from a comprehensive curriculum and rigorous examination process, these graduates are now eligible for the most coveted degree in finance. But like any other graduate, these graduates also had few questions/doubts about their career goals, development and managing career aspirations. They all found an able and experienced mentor in Sandeep Sabharwal, CFA whose frank & enriching talk provided them the much needed guidance.

Sandeep spoke about his inspiration to do CFA and importance of the CFA for professionals across industries and geographies. He also encouraged everyone present to hang the certificate somewhere in their office or residence for everyone to see. He explained that this certificate not only signifies one’s efforts but also a constant reminder and inspiration to apply knowledge gained , follow ethical standards in professional and personal life. He mentioned various ways to engage with the CFA society including but not limited to annual conference in Mumbai, or APAC region or  events organized by the Bangalore Chapter. He also spoke about various volunteering opportunities, Jobline and Career Centre over the CFA institute’s website.

After explaining the general market conditions and opportunities in the market, Sandeep outlined strategies to enter into the job market. He spoke about Do’s and Dont’s while approaching for any job. He explained the relevance of stability in one company, way to approach a person through online professional media, maintaining excellent professional media profile, being ready for technical test, relevance of sending the resume through referral. According to him, there is a very little possibility that a referral will be turned down. He emphasized the importance of attending workshops and conferences which gives one the perspective on career and overall industry.

Extending his discussion further towards career advice, Sandeep emphasized on three phases of professional career viz. Individual Contributor, People Leader and Business Leader. He mentioned that technical degrees prepare us for Individual Contributor role. As per his opinion, single most important factor in this stage is 100% dedicated focus on improving domain while maintaining excellent relations with peers and colleagues. Moving on to People Leadership, he explained that a person is successful in this phase only if s/he has genuine interest in serving other people and if one has real intention to benefit the team. If that is not the case then according to him, one’s tenure will be full of conflicts. He mentioned that the single most important factor for third and final phase of one’s professional career is having a Owner Mindset. This phase requires a person to have 3 essential traits: ability to manage very large team, business P&L responsibility and many touch points both within and outside the organization.

At the end of his session, he emphasized the importance of ethics in professional life. He mentioned that ethics are good from societal trust and moral point of view and there are long term economic payoffs as well.

Contributed by: Uday Dhoot and Deepak Mundra, CFA