Dear members of the Atlanta Society of Finance and Investment Professionals,
As I step into my new role as president of the Society for the year 2018-2019, it is only natural that I have been contemplating how the organization can bring the most value to our members.
Last year was very successful and we held many interesting events. Under the leadership of Aradhana Kejriwal, ASFIP put a lot of effort into Diversity initiatives. This year, we will continue working in that direction by repeating last year’s very successful function, “Women Networking in Finance”, which we held last March.
Likewise, our Board of Trustees will continue sponsoring several other initiatives and events that have become traditional for us, including the Investment Research Challenge, the Forecasting Event, and the Future of Finance conference. As usual, we will also have events that will cover important topics in finance, and our Programs Committee is working hard to invite the most interesting speakers.
As always, the Society will offer networking opportunities where members can come together and forge bonds with other finance professionals. When I moved to Atlanta 10 years ago, I did not know many people, and joining ASFIP made it easy for me to get to know a wide variety of influential professionals in the Atlanta’s finance community. This was invaluable to me, and I am committed to ensuring that the Society continues, above all else, to be an inviting and comfortable place for our members to build both professional connections and genuine friendships.
Finally, we will have a new theme for our events this year. We would like to launch a new initiative on Soft Skills. Such skills have always been crucial to advancing, or even surviving, in this industry, and yet for decades, their development has largely been taken for granted. Many accepted the cliché that, “either you were born with them, or you were not.” And so, most of the educational initiatives in organizations such as our own focused their efforts on developing and maintaining technical skills. The truth is that, just as with technical skills, soft skills require attention and effort to improve, and we would like to offer our members the opportunity and encouragement to do just that.
We are currently working on the soft skills program and will likely offer events in public speaking, meditation, improv and other skills that could be very helpful. Requests and suggestions in this area from our members are welcome, so please do reach out to our Programs Committee and let us know what you feel would be the most helpful to you.
In conclusion, I would like to underline how excited I am to work with our team of the ASFIP leaders. As volunteers, we all are passionate about the Society and I look forward to a year of growth and success for all of us.
Sincerely,
Natalia Jones, CFA
President 2018-2019
Diversity and Inclusion is an important strategic imperative for our society as well as many of our members. This conference is a great opportunity to get access to meaningful new content and learn from diverse industry leaders about their own experiences to advance their careers. #DiversityInclusion2018
This was brought to us by, Miles A. Zachary, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor of Management | Harbert College of Business. As part of our University Outreach efforts, we agreed to share it with ASFIP members. Your participation is voluntary.
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