Robert Jenkins, FSIP, Elected Chair of CFA Institute

Robert Jenkins, FSIP, has been elected the new chair of the Board of Governors of CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals that promotes the highest standards of ethics, education, and professional excellence. Effective Sept. 1, Jenkins succeeds Frederic P. Lebel, CFA, who will continue to serve on the Board as immediate past chair. The new lineup of the Board, the highest governing authority of CFA Institute, was elected by the membership at the Annual Meeting of Members in June.

In addition to Jenkins’ appointment, CFA Institute elected Heather Brilliant, CFA, as vice chair, Leah Bennett, CFA, as a first-term governor of the Board, and Yu Hua, CFA, and Lynn Stout as second-term governors. The Board has realized its target to reduce the number of members serving on the Board to a minimum of 10 governors and a maximum of 15 governors by 2018; and, with five of the 15 Board positions now filled by women, the Board has also achieved its goal to increase the number of women on the Board to a minimum of 30 percent by 2018.

“Robert brings an incomparable depth of experience in the investment industry to the Board, and is well-positioned to lead us as we work to increase professionalism across the industry,” said Paul Smith, CFA, president and CEO of CFA Institute. “And as the global standard setter for ethics and best practices in investment management, the chronic issue of gender disparity in the profession continues to be a top priority. We are pleased to achieve our goal for gender diversity on the Board with this election, although it’s just the beginning. We will continue to recruit highly qualified governors so that our Board represents a balance of diverse perspectives, opinions, and industry experience.“

Jenkins is a former banker, fund manager and policy maker. He is now a teacher, board director and public policy advocate. He ran trading rooms for Citigroup in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. He then moved to the “buy side” heading asset management firms at Credit Suisse, F&C Asset Management and Combinatorics Capital. He chaired the Investment Association, UK, served on the UK’s Takeover Panel and was a founding member of the Financial Policy Committee of the Bank of England. Since 2009, he has taught investment management at London Business School (LBS) where he is Adjunct Professor, Finance. Jenkins helped to establish the AQR Asset Management Institute at LBS and served as its first chair.

He has been a Senior Advisor to CVC Capital and a Senior Fellow at Better Markets. He is currently a member of the supervisory board of NN Group, Netherlands. Jenkins has been a member of the Board of Governors of the CFA Institute since 2013. He has served on the Compensation & Governance Committee and chaired both the Planning and Audit & Risk Committees. He attended university in the United States, France and Italy.

“As the leader in investment management, CFA Institute calls on investment professionals to provide more value to investors to win back their trust,” Jenkins said. “We are committed to putting clients at the center of everything we do as a profession, and as a result, contributing to the greater good of society. I am honored to serve as chair of CFA Institute during this critical time in the industry’s evolution.”

Brilliant is managing director, Americas, of First State Investments, and has served on the CFA Institute Board of Governors for four years. She has been a member of the External Relationship and Volunteer Involvement Committee, Governance Working Group, Planning Committee, and Society Partnership Advisory Council. She is also past chair of CFA Society Chicago. Brilliant is co-author of “Why Moats Matter: The Morningstar Approach to Stock Investing” (John Wiley & Sons, 2014), and holds a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and a master’s degree from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Bennett is chief operating officer of Westwood Trust, a division of Westwood Group, in Houston, Texas. She has served as the CFA Institute President’s Council representative for the South Central United States and Latin America and as president and director of CFA Society Houston. Bennett is a co-founder of the CFA Institute Women in Investment Management initiative and the CFA Institute Global Research Challenge of the Southwest. She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Texas A&M University.

The CFA Institute Board of Governors comprises a diverse group of 15 members who reside in the following seven countries: Australia, China, India, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and United States. Each governor is elected by the CFA Institute membership for a three-year term that runs from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31. The full slate of board members is:

• Robert Jenkins, FSIP, (United Kingdom), London Business School
• Heather Brilliant, CFA, (United States), First State Investments
• Leah Bennett, CFA, (United States), Westwood Trust
• Elizabeth Corley, FSIP, (United Kingdom), Allianz Global Investors
• Daniel Gamba, CFA, (United States), BlackRock, Inc.
• Yu Hua, CFA, (China), Morgan Stanley Huaxin Fund Management Company Ltd.
• Mark Lazberger, CFA, (Australia), Colonial First State Global Asset Management (CFSGAM)
• Frederic P. Lebel, CFA, (Switzerland), HFS Hedge Fund Selection S.A.
• Colin McLean, FSIP, (United Kingdom), SVM Asset Management Ltd.
• Diane Nordin, CFA, (United States), Wellington Management Co Llp. (retired)
• Sunil Singhania, CFA, (India), Reliance Capital
• Paul Smith, CFA, (Hong Kong), CFA Institute
• George Spentzos, CFA, FSIP, (United Kingdom), LNG Capital LLP
• Lynn Stout, (United States), Cornell Law School
• Zouheir Tamim El Jarkass, CFA, (United Arab Emirates), Mubadala Development Company