CFA Sri Lanka welcomes new charterholders

The local member society of CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals that sets the highest standards of ethics, education and professional excellence, announced that 20 local investment professionals have earned the prestigious CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) designation.

“This year we add yet another seven passed finalists and 20 charterholders to the growing roster of CFAs that have begun to grace every nook and corner of the capital market industry, and I dare say even the wider corporate sectors of our country. I would like to congratulate all of the charter recipients and passed finalists in having reached the culmination of a rigorous program of study over three years. I would also like to remind you that the rewards of what you have achieved today will only manifest in the manner with which you translate this achievement into professional and even selfless conduct,” said CFA Society Sri Lanka President Sanjay Kulatunga. He urged the new Charter recipients and passed finalist to help lead the industry by always putting investor interests first, and to actively participate in society activities towards enhancing knowledge and promoting ethical behaviour.

Tata Sons Director Ramabadran Gopalakrishnan inspired the new charterholders and the audience with his oration by showing how sports teaches us important life lessons, such as realising personal potential and achieving work-life balance. He started his oration instilling the importance of ethics by sharing a real life story, and moved on to show how extraordinary human accomplishments have questioned the relationship between fact and opinion. “As you strive in your career for accomplishment, recognition and advancement, remember that there is no better yardstick than what you have set in your own mind. It is important for folks like you and me to take pride from our accomplishments rather than to expend mental energy to be one up on our peer.”

He kept the audience enthralled when he questioned the part played by luck in life. Do you need to be lucky to get what you want or is your destiny in your hands? “You need a stroke of luck to get what you want. Sure, you have to do your very best but there is no assurance of success, whatever your definition of success may be. The absence of the luck factor can deny you the rewards that you seek through your hard work and persistence. If that happens, just move on with your life. You would be wise to remember that the two opposites co-exist.”

He ended his oration by reiterating the fact that ‘obligation’ is more important than ‘entitlement’. He went on to share how he has learnt critical management lessons through mistakes and errors in judgment, and the importance of being a good subordinate in order to be an even better boss. “When your consciousness and focus in any relationship is driven by what the other person owes you rather than what you owe that person, then that is asymmetry. Such unbalanced expectations merit some thought because the asymmetry is the cause of strife and disappointment. It is extremely important for any good subordinate to think about the boss’s needs as much as he or she would like the boss to think of his or her need.” I’m sure the many managers among the audience were nodding their agreement, and thrilled to hear this from an esteemed speaker.

To earn the CFA charter, candidates must sequentially pass three six-hour exams that are widely considered to be the most rigorous in the investment profession. The CFA curriculum includes ethical and professional standards; financial reporting and analysis; corporate finance; economics; quantitative methods; equity, fixed income, alternative investments; derivatives; portfolio management; and wealth planning. Currently, more than 120,000 investment professionals in 149 nations and territories hold the CFA charter.

CFA Society Sri Lanka is the local member society of CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals that sets the standard for professional excellence and credentials. The organisation is a champion for ethical behaviour in investment markets and a respected source of knowledge in the global financial community. The end goal: to create an environment where investors’ interests come first, markets function at their best, and economies grow.