CFA Institute Reaches Milestone As Women Elected to Board Leadership Positions

Heather Brilliant, CFA, has been elected the new chair and Diane C. Nordin, CFA, the vice chair of the Board of Governors of CFA Institute, the global association of investment management professionals. The election marks a significant milestone in the organization’s history with women elected to the top two leadership positions on the Board, the highest governing authority of CFA Institute. In total, five of the 15 Board positions (30%) for fiscal year 2019 will be filled by women – a goal CFA Institute set in 2016 and realized ahead of schedule in 2017.

Brilliant will assume the chair on Sept. 1, 2018, succeeding Robert Jenkins, FSIP, who will continue on the Board, which is staffed by volunteers. 

“Heather’s depth of experience in the investment management industry and her passion for the mission of CFA Institute are a powerful combination,” said Paul Smith, CFA, president and CEO of CFA Institute. “Building a better world for investors involves challenging industry norms and closing the gender gap, as well as raising standards in our profession. That sounds like a tall order but with Heather at the helm of our board, supported by Diane Nordin as vice chair and the rest of the Board, I am confident that we will continue to make meaningful progress.”

In addition, CFA Institute elected Alex Birkin; Robert Bruner, DBA; Dan Fasciano, CFA; Punita Kumar-Sinha, PhD, CFA; and, Geoffrey Ng, CFA, as first-term governors of the Board, and Daniel Gamba, CFA, and Zouheir Tamim El Jarkass, CFA, as second-term governors. The new Board lineup was elected by the membership at the Annual Meeting of Members on 11 May.

Brilliant is managing director, Americas, of First State Investments where she is responsible for expanding First State’s market presence across the Americas. She was previously CEO of Morningstar Australasia, and was global director of equity and corporate credit research for seven years prior. Before joining Morningstar, Brilliant spent several years as an equity research analyst for boutique investment firms. Brilliant is co-author of “Why Moats Matter: The Morningstar Approach to Stock Investing” (John Wiley & Sons, 2014), a book on sustainable competitive advantage analysis. She has served on the CFA Institute Board of Governors for five years, and is a member of the CEO Search Committee, Compensation Committee, and Executive Committee. Brilliant holds a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and a master’s degree from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

“I am honored to serve as chair of the Board and am proud of the organization’s dedication to building our industry on a foundation of ethics and integrity,” Brilliant said. “Investment management faces many headwinds: business models are changing; client demographics are shifting and products are increasingly commoditized. As chair, my goal is to ensure CFA Institute and our members are ready for the challenges they face and are equipped to take advantage of the opportunities they bring.”

Diane Nordin brings more than 35 years of experience in the investment industry to her position as vice chair. She is a director of Fannie Mae, where she serves as chair of the Compensation Committee and member of the Audit Committee. Recently, she was named to the Principal Financial Group Board, and is also on the Board of Antares, a spinout of GE Capital. Nordin is a former partner of Wellington Management Company LLP, where she held numerous global leadership positions, including director of fixed income, director of global relationship management, and director of fixed income product management. She has served on the CFA Institute Board for two years and is chair of the Audit and Risk Committee and CEO Search Committee. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College.

The 2019 CFA Institute Board of Governors will comprise a diverse group of 15 members who reside in seven countries, namely: Australia, China, India, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States. The CFA Institute membership elects officers for a one-year term and governors for a three-year term that runs from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31. The full list of Board members for the new term is:

•     Heather Brilliant, CFA, (United States), First State Investments
•     Diane Nordin, CFA, (United States), Wellington Management Company LLP       (retired)
•     Leah Bennett, CFA, (United States), Westwood Trust
•     Alex Birkin (United Kingdom), EY
•     Robert Bruner, DBA, (United States), University of Virginia
•     Dan Fasciano, CFA, (United States), BNY Mellon
•     Daniel Gamba, CFA, (United States), BlackRock Inc.
•     Yu Hua, CFA, (China), Morgan Stanley Huaxin Management Company Ltd.
•     Robert Jenkins, FSIP, (United Kingdom), London Business School
•     Punita Kumar-Sinha, PhD, CFA, (India/United States), Pacific Paradigm Advisors       LLC
•     Geoffrey Ng, CFA, (Malaysia), Fortress Capital Asset Management
•     Sunil Singhania, CFA, (India), Abakkus Asset Managers LLP
•     Paul Smith, CFA, (United States), CFA Institute
•     Zouheir Tamim El Jarkass, CFA, (United Arab Emirates), Mubadala Development       Company
•     Maria Wilton, CFA, (Australia)