SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (December 2, 2016) – The Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association, the global leader in alternative investment education, last night held its annual Leadership Awards event in Sydney, Australia to honor the exceptional commitment that individuals and companies have demonstrated in the pursuit of education and building knowledge in the alternative investment space.
Corporate Recognition Awards were presented to Willis Towers Watson and Hong Kong’s Ryan Communication. Professor Stephen Brown from the Monash Business School received CAIA’s Annual Award for Academic Excellence in Alternative Investment Research.
“Tonight we recognize and honor an extraordinary group of award winners, whose contributions have served to further advance the growth and understanding of the alternative investment industry over the past year,” said William Kelly, CEO of CAIA. “With Willis Towers Watson, Ryan Communication, and Professor Brown, we have identified three honorees whose work truly stands out for its rigor and creativity.”
2016 Annual Award for Academic Excellence in Alternative Investment Research Winner
The CAIA Annual Award for Academic Excellence in Alternative Investment Research is presented to an individual for their vision, commitment, and passion for academic achievement at the highest level in alternative investment education. This year the award was presented to Stephen Brown, Professor of Finance, Monash Business School and Emeritus Professor of Finance at NYU Stern School of Business. With achievements spanning more than 30 years, Professor Brown has contributed substantially to the understanding of financial markets, the behavior of security prices, performance evaluation of asset managers, and the importance of survivorship bias, and has contributed greatly to the body of research around hedge funds and the role and importance of operational due diligence in the hedge fund space. The impact of his work has been profound and has informed the CAIA curriculum.
"I am very pleased and honored that CAIA would consider me worthy of their 2016 Award for Excellence in Alternative Investment Research,” said Professor Brown. “In my research agenda and in my current role as Executive Editor at the Financial Analysts Journal, I have been highly motivated to seek out the practical value of ideas. This is what has led me to an interest in the alternative asset space where research, innovation and technology are key. This honor emphasizes the important role of education in this sector, and I commend the role of CAIA in this regard."
2016 Annual CAIA Corporate Recognition Award Winners
The Annual CAIA Corporate Recognition Award honors the exceptional commitment companies have demonstrated in the pursuit of education and building knowledge in the alternative investment space.
Willis Towers Watson is a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company that helps clients around the world turn risk into a path for growth. With roots dating to 1828, Willis Towers Watson has 39,000 employees in more than 120 countries. Willis Towers Watson was awarded the 2016 Annual CAIA Corporate Recognition Award for its commitment to empowering employees through education and training in the alternative investments space. Known for its thought leadership, Willis Towers Watson places a high value on the CAIA designation as a mark of distinction and pursues a forward-thinking approach to increasing the competence and knowledge of alternative investments.
“Willis Towers Watson is delighted to receive this year’s Corporate Recognition Award from CAIA,” said Dania Zinurova, Director of Manager Research - Australia, for Willis Towers Watson. “We see this as recognition of our global thought leadership in alternative investments and of our best-in-class service to our clients, which ultimately help them realise better outcomes from their investment portfolios. We believe alternative investing requires a wide-ranging combination of skills, expertise and knowledge and we achieve the right balance of this combination by continually educating our clients and employees globally in the alternative investing area.”
One of Asia’s most respected corporate communications consultancies, Ryan Communication, also received the 2016 Corporate Recognition Award for its leadership in providing access to cutting-edge alternative investment education. Ryan Communication has armed its team with the latest in educational tools and resources as a way to better understand and serve client needs by offering its employees the opportunity to participate in CAIA’s Fundamentals of Alternative Investments (FAI) program. The FAI program provides the Ryan Communication team with the knowledge base needed to deliver informed, tailored, and sophisticated solutions to a wide-reaching client base.
“We represent some of the world’s leading alternative investment firms, including private equity and hedge funds. The CAIA Fundamentals programme has been extremely valuable in improving our understanding of these industries and the issues impacting our clients,” said Damien Ryan, Managing Director of Ryan Communication. “Fundamentals has also driven considerable engagement, both with clients and colleagues, across our three offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai.”
2016 CAIA Scholarship Awards
CAIA also named winners of the newly-established Women in Alternatives Australia Scholarship program. The program provides opportunities for women in finance to expand their knowledge and expertise in alternatives through the CAIA Charter program. Scholarships were provided to Shyra Muthusamy, Investment Analyst – Infrastructure Funds, Aberdeen Asset Management and Alexandra McGuigan, Head of Client Relationships and Marketing, Tribeca Investment Partners. The Scholarships include a waiver of the costs of the full CAIA programme, as well as a complimentary access to an online preparation course, provided by UpperMark.
A third scholarship was provided to Chara Seow Fund Analyst, Logos Property, as part of CAIA’s international “Mind the Gap” campaign, which used advertising in the London Underground system and social media to raise awareness of the need to understand and gain practical knowledge of the differences between traditional and alternative investments.
Louise Walker, founder of Women in Alternatives Australia, noted that the scholarship selection committee was very impressed with all of the candidates. The winners stood out for their ambition to further their education and to be role models for other women considering a career in alternatives. “We are grateful to CAIA for providing this opportunity to support and encourage these women to advance their careers in alternatives,” Walker noted.
CAIA’s Educational Programs
The CAIA Association offers the only credential focused on the alternative investment space and has become the global benchmark for alternative investment education. The CAIA Charter, an educational designation uniquely designed for individuals specializing in institutional-quality alternative investments, is granted upon successful completion of two levels of qualifying exams combined with relevant professional experience and joining the Association Membership.
CAIA also offers the Fundamentals of Alternative Investments certificate program (”Fundamentals”), 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.
About the CAIA Association
The CAIA Association is the world leader in alternative investment education, offering the only education program 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 8,400 alternative investment professionals located in more than 90 countries.
To learn more about the CAIA Association, contact Deborah McLean +1 (413) 253-7373 or mail to: dmclean@caia.org or Jo Murphy +852 9722 5211. For more information on the CAIA Charter, please visit caia.org.
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