My First 100 Days…
As a result of destiny or maybe irony, my 100th day as the CEO of CAIA was not spent in Amherst, Boston, or anywhere else in the United States. In fact this milestone was reached almost 4,000 miles away in Zurich, which was my first stop on a nine-city European tour that spanned 11 days; brought me to five of our Chapters; and introduced me to hundreds of CAIA members for whom I work. The trip was excellent, and I have never felt more proud about our brand, our opportunities, our members, and my colleagues.
CAIA had a strategy to go very wide in its first dozen years, which brought the Charter to more than 80 different countries. The results are simply remarkable and provide for a future that can be built around a deeper dive. The spadework has already been done for an institutional approach to the marketplace that also embraces our Academic and Association partners, as well as regulators and the media. Not only is this what they want, it also is a better model for us to raise the questions and provide the solutions around excellence in alternative investment education.
This theme played out in a very consistent and elegant way throughout my travels, and the resultant opportunities are impressive. Our Members are not shy, and our discussions were interactive and transparent. Our vision is aligned, and the opportunity is clear. We have a strong pool of Level 2 candidates, plus an excellent opportunity to bring lapsed members and a number of candidates that stalled between L1 and L2 back into the fold. There is a stronger future with larger numbers, and our interests are very much in sync. CAIA HQ will continue to provide targeted content and budgetary support where we can to supplement the dedicated efforts that I saw so clearly on the ground.
This trip was only a start. I have a lot of territory to cover in the Americas, APAC and other parts of EMEA. The Chapters will be obvious stops, but I remain keenly aware of how widespread our membership is. I have heard from many of you from the Cayman Islands to Australia, from Sofia to British Columbia and so many other points in between. ALL of you are our Members, and this geography means we will have to work even harder to connect and establish a consistent dialogue and a valued membership proposition. Technology can only get us part of the way there, but I promise to put sustained effort and focus behind this.
Finally, my colleagues at the CAIA Association remain an integral part of who we are and represent the first line of defense of our brand every day that we go into the marketplace. This trip brought a reunion with Jo Murphy, Managing Director of Business Development for EMEA and APAC, and my first live interaction with Laura Merlini, Director of Business Development in EMEA, and I feel so proud to be associated with them. They, and the rest of the CAIA team, are valued and important partners to me and hopefully to all of our members as well.
I am certainly looking forward to a very bright future and hope to continue to meet and engage with all of you in the next 100 days and beyond.
