By John L. Bowman, CEO, CAIA Association
Change brings opportunity, and with the arrival of CAIA’s new CEO, this moment marks the beginning of a transformative era for our Association and the broader investments industry. In a letter to CAIA Members below, CEO, John L. Bowman reflects on the path ahead—offering a vision for how CAIA will continue to empower its Members, celebrate innovation that redefines industry standards, and embrace the future of alternative investments. Whether you’re a long-time Member or just discovering CAIA, this message serves as both an invitation and a roadmap. It’s a call to action for everyone passionate about driving progress in a dynamic industry demanding forward-thinking leaders.
A Letter to the CAIA Community
As I begin my journey as CEO of CAIA Association, I find myself incessantly juggling two emotions: grateful and yet resolute. My gratefulness stems from the overwhelming support and good wishes from all of you, the global family of CAIA charterholders, during this leadership transition. The outpouring of pride in the CAIA brand and the subsequent confidence you articulated for our future has been uplifting. Thank you again.
Your pride and my gratefulness are reflected in our organizational dynamism, as we’ve just completed a record-breaking year of revenue and anticipate another in 2025. More importantly, the broad diversity of our revenue safeguards us from uncertainty and sets the stage for long-term success. And our reputation in the industry is unmistakable, positioning us for expanding impact. In short, the velocity and health of CAIA Association has never been more formidable.
However, with leadership comes the responsibility to balance today’s momentum with tomorrow’s challenges, demanding a resolute focus to prepare for what’s next. While innovation has always been a hallmark of the capital markets, the pace of disruption today is unsurpassed. The great convergence of conventional and “alternative” asset classes is well underway. Asset owners, asset managers, intermediaries and educational bodies that still exist in only one lane are finding themselves marginalized or perhaps obsolete as those lanes blur or disappear completely. The 70+ year MPT epoch embodied by hyper-bucketed, benchmark-fragmented, liquidity-obsessed industry apparatus is facing an unavoidable reckoning and the entire ecosystem is now racing towards supporting diversified long-term portfolio solutions. Further, the coming of age of the wealth management client, now representing greater than half of global investable assets, has catalyzed an arms race in assembling new product offerings and distribution channels.
For nearly a quarter century, CAIA Association’s ethos has been to press the industry forward; to build awareness and transparency for formative strategies, modern capital allocation techniques, and evolving trends while remaining vigilant in protecting the interests of the investor. In short, we’ve always existed to equip the investment professional to see what’s around the corner; what’s coming next. Hence, our brand promise, Next is Here. What comes next comes first at CAIA.
But exemplifying “next” requires vigilance and courage. Despite our very positive momentum, we must continue, as Jeff Bezos once said, to invent and wander; neither resting in the past nor evolving simply for evolution’s sake. This requires continuously fortifying the existing model while simultaneously building durability through purposeful innovation. As such, I’m kicking off a strategic planning process called Vision 2035 to chart the course of the next decade.
In order to ensure we have the wisdom of our stakeholders represented within our future strategy, this dialogue will include a combination of facilitated C-suite leadership roundtables in major global financial centers coupled with a CAIA Membership survey. The diverse ideas and feedback gathered will play a key role in shaping our final plan, which I will guide in partnership with our Leadership Team and Board of Directors. Thank you in advance for your thoughtful contribution to this process. You’ll be hearing more about a member survey very soon.
I can’t wait to share the eventual pillars of Vision 2035 in the coming months that will undoubtedly include bold investment in formative geographies, modernized educational delivery, unique convening experiences, and flexible models of affiliating with our organization and work. But I want to leave you with one promise that will always remain the lead of any CAIA Association strategy: our Members. We are building the most energized community of investment professionals around the world. “Building” is intentionally active as it’s continuous and perpetual. Henry Ford had it right when he exhorted that “when the people wake up to the fact that they are not being served, the end is near.” We will be unyielding in ensuring this doesn’t happen.
At CAIA, Membership is both about you – your ambitions, your growth, and your voice and we—the collective power of each of us dedicated to a purpose beyond ourselves. It’s much more than a credential—it’s a platform of affinity, opportunities, and resources that amplify your visibility and influence in the industry. We aim to foster real connections through local Chapter events, seminal industry gatherings, practical thought leadership, and mentorship to ensure you have a community that genuinely supports your journey and makes you proud. As such, we aim to mobilize a global network of passionate advocates and heralds that are bursting with enthusiasm for our collective and are overflowing with delight for the benefits that come with their connection with CAIA.
But your Membership is just the beginning—now we ask for your active involvement to bring our shared vision to reality. A fulfilled and engaged global membership is the secret sauce for industry influence and a more principled profession. And industry influence and mission success begets more relevance and credibility back to our community. It is a virtuous circle that we certainly must lead, but at its core, is a team effort. I’m eager to discuss this topic and learn from you during my 2025 travels.
Together, starting today, we will build the most sought-after fellowship in the industry. See you out there!
Next is Here.
About the Contributor
John L. Bowman, CFA was appointed CEO for the CAIA Association in January 2025. He has devoted over 25 years to the asset management industry to recover the narrative of the value that the investment profession brings to society. He is a staunch public advocate for market integrity, long-termism, investor outcomes, diversity, human dignity and educational standards, as necessary ingredients to building a sustainable and healthy profession. John previously served as Managing Director for the Americas for CFA Institute, a region comprised of 40+ countries from Canada, the U.S., Central America, South America and the Caribbean. Before that, John was a portfolio manager for non-US equity strategies at both Boston Company and SSgA for several years. John is a prolific, speaker, writer and commentator, frequently keynoting industry conferences and appearing in investment and business publications such as the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Pension and Investments, Financial Advisor, The Independent, Wealthmanagement.com and CNBC. Bowman earned a BS in Business Administration from Mary Washington College and is a CFA charterholder.
Learn more about CAIA Association and how to become part of a professional network that is shaping the future of investing, by visiting https://caia.org/