Charterholder Profiles Successful CFA charterholders from around the world share their professional and personal experiences. Rana Atallah, CFA Kuwait City, Kuwait CFA Kuwait Rana Atallah, CFA, is a portfolio manager in Kuwait. She is a founding member of CFA Kuwait and serves as chairperson of the Public Awareness Committee. She has been a CFA charterholder since 2006. Read more John DeMoss, CFA Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States CFA Society of East Tennessee Long before John DeMoss, CFA, opened the doors of his private wealth management firm in 2009, it was evident that he had the spirit of an entrepreneur. Read more Kerstin Dodel, CFA Munich, Germany German CFA Society Dr. Kerstin Dodel, CFA, is a financial consultant at a firm in Munich, Germany, and serves as the advocacy chair for the German CFA Society. She has been a CFA charterholder since 2007. Read more Coventry Edwards-Pitt, CFA Boston, Massachusetts, United States Boston Security Analysts Society As a senior client adviser, Coventry Edwards-Pitt needed the technical tools to confidently address the range of investment issues she faces. “The CFA charter helps me feel that I’m prepared for in-depth discussions with my clients.” Read more Olivia Engel, CFA Sydney, Australia CFA Society of Sydney “I never really envisioned that I would be in any sort of club because I’m not a ‘joiner’ by nature, but having the CFA charter has made me feel like I am part of a larger, global community,” says Olivia Engel, CFA. Read more Ana Cecilia Reyes Esparza, CFA Mexico City, Mexico CFA Society of Mexico It was a desire to gain the skillset needed to assess the big picture that convinced Esparza that the CFA designation was the right choice for her. Read more Daniel Gamba, CFA New York, New York, United States New York Society of Security Analysts For Daniel Gamba, CFA, becoming a Chartered Financial Analyst marked a crossroads in his career. Read more Jayesh Gandhi, CFA Mumbai, India Indian Association of Investment Professionals There is a shift occurring in the global economy, and in Mumbai, Jayesh Gandhi, CFA, has been preparing for it for almost two decades. Read more Peter Jakobus, CFA Frankfurt, Germany German CFA Society Peter Jakobus was attracted to the charter because it’s the same curriculum worldwide, and the body of knowledge itself is based on input from all over the globe. “It’s truly a passport to the international world of finance,” he says. Read more Pan Jiang, CFA Shanghai, China CFA China The Hong Kong Society of Financial Analysts Although Pan Jiang had just earned his MBA degree from the Yale School of Management in 1998, he was searching for something more. Read more Maria Kahane, CFA Paris, France French CFA Society — Association CFA France While some CFA Program candidates describe their time studying for the CFA exams as arduous, Maria Kahane begs to differ. In fact, one of her favorite parts of the day, she recalls, was her solitary study time. Read more Ashley Khoo, CFA Hong Kong The Hong Kong Society of Financial Analysts In September 2001, Ashley Khoo was living in New York City. In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, she made a decision: To take advantage of every opportunity because life is unpredictable. Read more Ken Luce, CFA Toronto, Ontario, Canada Toronto CFA Society Ken Luce, CFA, works for an asset manager in Toronto, Canada, and is a member of the Toronto CFA Society. He has been a CFA charterholder since 2006. Read more Nina de Martinis-Majstorovic, CFA Paris, France French CFA Society — Association CFA France When Nina de Martinis-Majstorovic, CFA, wanted to get more involved with her local community of charterholders in Paris, it wasn’t surprising that she chose the CFA Institute Research Challenge, a global competition of university finance students. Read more Saurav Mishra, CFA Mumbai, India Indian Association of Investment Professionals “The most interesting and challenging aspect of my work is the sheer randomness and unpredictability of the markets,” he says. “Every day is a new day, and you cannot predict what opportunities will present themselves or challenges that will come as you enter the office in the morning.” Read more Anna Nemeth, CFA Victoria, British Columbia, Canada CFA Victoria Anna Nemeth, CIM, CFA, lives in Victoria, B.C., and is a vice president and senior portfolio manager for a private investment firm. Anna is an active volunteer in the CFA Victoria Society, and she earned her charter in 2001. Read more Yoshiharu Okazaki, CFA Tokyo, Japan CFA Society of Japan The first Japanese charterholder to be nominated to the CFA Institute Board of Governors, Yoshi earned his CFA charter in 1981. Read more Zouheir Tamim-Jarkas, CFA Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates CFA Emirates As a finance and accounting professor at the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Zouheir Tamim-Jarkas had always admired the technical rigor of the CFA Program. Read more Peter Wilmshurst, CFA Melbourne, Australia CFA Society of Melbourne Success for global equity managers faced with ever-changing conditions is all about staying connected to the companies and industries they analyze and fast-moving global markets. For the right personality, it can be a stimulating passion - but it can also mean pretty difficult hours. Read more Bruce Wonil Lee, CFA Seoul, Korea, Rep. of (South) CFA Korea Society As a young investment professional working in South Korea, Bruce Wonil Lee, CFA, dreamed of building a career in global investment management. “I realized there were many things that I could learn from a global standard like the CFA Program.” Read more Vo-Sang Xuan Vinh, CFA Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam CFA Society of Thailand Vo-Sang Xuan Vinh, CFA, believes the role of highly trained financial professionals is especially critical as the global economy evolves. “There is a paradigm shift occurring, and this is very valuable for new emerging markets like Vietnam.” Read more Julie Yu, CFA Beijing, China CFA China Nothing is more important at this pivotal time than having the values and skills needed to ensure the creation of fair and efficient markets. This was certainly true for Julie Yu, CFA, in 2001, when she entered China’s asset management industry as its first mutual fund was launching. Read more profiles