CAIA’s Fundamentals of Alternative Investments Certificate Program incorporated into IOB’s Certified Investment Fund Director (CIFD) Curriculum
AMHERST, MASS. and DUBLIN, IRELAND (June 23, 2015) – The Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association, a global leader in alternative investment education, and Ireland’s Institute of Banking (IOB), which works to enhance investment fund governance standards and awards the professional designation of Certified Investment Fund Director, today announced a strategic partnership to improve the education of investment fund directors. The partnership will enable participants in the IOB’s Certified Investment Fund Director (CIFD) Programme access to CAIA’s Fundamentals of Alternative Investments Certificate Program (FAI), a 20-hour online course, designed to provide a foundation in the core concepts in alternative investing.
“The Institute of Banking is delighted to partner with the CAIA Association to develop governance best practices in the investment fund sector,” said Dr Margaret Cullen, Director of Executive Education at The Institute of Banking. “Alternative funds currently representing $10 trillion in assets under management globally, while liquid alternatives are projected to triple by 2017. Adding CAIA’s FAI Program will enhance our core module on Portfolio Management, while adding a further dimension to the CIFD Programme itself.”
The CIFD Programme, launched in Dublin in February 2013, is designed around rigorous academic research and extensive input from the industry. It explores the role of the fund board in the context of the unique set of relationships within the investment fund governance framework and the part that each of the key parties must play in practice.
“The CIFD Programme is unique and globally relevant and puts the interest and expectations of the shareholder out front, where it needs to be,” said William (Bill) Kelly, CEO of the CAIA Association. “CAIA is proud to have our Fundamentals program included in the CIFD offerings, and we applaud the work the IOB is doing to educate fund board directors.” Participants who enroll in the CIFD Program will automatically be enrolled in the FAI Program.
CAIA’s FAI program is a self-paced, introductory-level course that explains core concepts of alternative investments, such as portfolio construction, risk management and due diligence across investment products that include hedge funds, private equity and real estate, among others. Introduced in 2014, FAI fills a critical knowledge gap in fund governance by providing a foundational understanding of alternative investments.
“The rapid transformation of the alternative investment industry has heightened the importance of having transparent and effective governance frameworks that place investor protection at their core,” said Cullen. “The CIFD Programme promotes such a framework and is the first professional designation of its kind for directors operating in the investment fund space.”
The CIFD programme is currently enrolling its fifth cohort, with the program to be offered in Zurich from September to November 2015. Participants who successfully complete the CIFD Programme are awarded the professional designation of Certified Investment Fund Director by the Institute.
About the CAIA Association
The CAIA Association is the world leader in alternative investment education, offering the only education pro¬gram uniquely designed for individuals specializing in institutional-quality alternative investments. The Association is best known for the CAIA Charter, an internationally recognized credential granted upon successful completion of a rigorous two-level exam series, combined with relevant work experience. Earning the CAIA Charter is the gateway to becoming a Member of the CAIA Association, a global network of more than 7,700 alternative investment professionals located in more than 80 countries. CAIA also offers the Fundamentals of Alternative Investments Certificate Program (FAI), an introductory-level online course, designed to provide a foundation in the core concepts in alternative investing. This program represents a natural extension of CAIA’s mission to provide solutions to specific market needs for alternative investment education. To learn more about the CAIA Association, contact Deborah McLean (413) 253-7373 or dmclean@caia.org. For more information on the CAIA Charter, please visit caia.org.
About the Institute of Banking
The Institute of Banking is the largest professional institute in Ireland. We are a community of 33,000 members who work in banking and in both international and local financial services in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Professional development of our members through education is at the heart of what we do. We are a not-for-profit organisation. The Institute provides university-level financial services education programmes and related services. These enable our members to achieve and sustain their professional qualifications and continuing professional development – essential to meet investor, customer and regulatory expectations. More than 8,000 of our members are currently studying with us.
For additional information on the Certified Investment Fund Director (CIFD) Programme, please contact Margaret Cullen at margaret.cullen@iob.ie.
