Executive Committee

Mark Lazberger, CFA, has had a career in investment management with more than 35 years’ experience in global leadership roles working in Australia, Europe and Asia. He currently has non-executive director positions on Yarra Capital Management, Fisher Funds Management and Omnia Capital Partners. Until the end of 2018, Mark was the chief executive officer of Colonial First State Global Asset Management (CFSGAM) and First State Investments (now known as First Sentier Investors). In that role, Mr. Lazberger led the investment management firm which was a global specialist investment manager operating in 15 locations across the world, covering Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, North America, Australia, and New Zealand. Mr. Lazberger had responsibility for more than $180 billion in assets under management invested in listed equities, debt, infrastructure, and property. Prior to taking up that position in 2008, Mr. Lazberger served as President, International of State Street Global Advisors (SSGA). Before this, he was President and CEO of State Street Japan and a principal and regional managing director of SSGA’s businesses in Japan and Australia. He joined State Street in 1991. Mr. Lazberger has a bachelor of commerce degree from the University of Western Australia and served two terms on the Board of Governors of CFA Institute (2012-18). He is a director of the Children’s Cancer Institute, a member of the Future of Finance Advisory Council and served on the board of Sydney Theatre Company.

Margaret Franklin, CFA, leads CFA Institute and its more than 170,000 members worldwide in promoting the highest standards of education, ethics, and professional excellence in the investment profession. She assumed her role in September 2019 and has more than 25 years of investment and wealth management experience.

Before joining CFA Institute, Ms. Franklin led International Wealth Management for North America and was president of BNY Mellon Wealth Management, Advisory Services in Canada. She also served as a board member of BNY Mellon Trust Company (Cayman). Margaret joined BNY Mellon in 2016.

Prior to joining BNY Mellon, Ms. Franklin held multiple senior management positions, including president of Marret Private Wealth and COO of Marret Asset Management, a credit and hedge fund asset manager in Toronto. During that six-year tenure, she had direct oversight of all aspects of the private wealth business. Prior to joining Marret, Margaret was a partner with KJ Harrison & Partners.

Ms. Franklin began her career in the institutional business and has worked with pension plans, endowments, foundations, and government agencies at State Street Global Advisors, Mercer, and Barclays Global Investors.

She previously served as chair of CFA Institute Board of Governors and is a former president of the CFA Society Toronto Board. Ms. Franklin is a founding member of the CFA Institute Women in Investment Initiative, a past recipient of the Alfred C. Morley Distinguished Service Award in 2014, and a member of its Future of Finance Content Council.

Ms. Franklin earned a Bachelor of Administration in Economics from McMaster University in Ontario. She is a CFA charterholder and a member of the CFA Society Toronto.

Ms. Rothschild is an advisor to The TIFIN Group and a board member of the Financial Fitness Group. In her former role as president of Apex Fintech Solutions, she was responsible for the strategic planning, development, and overall growth of the company. She also directly oversaw internal and client-facing functions including sales, marketing, and product management.

Before joining Apex, Ms. Rothschild was Chief Product Officer and Co-Head of Global Markets at Morningstar, where she led a multi-million-dollar global portfolio of businesses including software, data, research and index solutions that served asset managers, wealth managers, and individual investors. In her 26-year career at the firm, she developed a focused advisor and wealth management segment strategy, launched the firm’s equity research business, drove content strategy for the firm’s individual investor website, and served as a securities analyst and editor.

Ms. Rothschild graduated with a bachelor of science degree from Northwestern University and holds a master’s degree in Russian and East European economics from Indiana University. She also sits on a small portfolio of private-company boards in the fintech and wealth-tech space.

Alex Birkin is currently the Managing Partner and Leader of the EY EMEIA Financial Services Consulting business. He leads the practice that delivers business, technology, and people consulting services to banks, insurance companies, and wealth and asset managers.

Alex was formerly the EY Global Wealth and Asset Management Consulting Leader and EMEIA Wealth and Asset Management Industry Leader. He was responsible for the services EY delivers to the wealth management, asset management, alternatives, and asset servicing sectors (WAM) in EMEIA and for the consulting services globally. Mr. Birkin is a member of the EY Global WAM Executive Committee, Global Consulting Extended Leadership Team, and EMEIA FSO Leadership Team. Mr. Birkin joined EY in 1997 as a graduate and became a partner after eight years in 2005. He has been advising the wealth and asset management industry for over 20 years. Mr. Birkin provides advice and consulting services to boards and executive management teams in the industry across a number of disciplines including strategy, business model transformation, digital transformation, technology, transaction integrations, growth strategies, cost reduction, regulatory driven business change and risk management. Mr. Birkin’s clients include global and boutique asset managers, private banks, wealth managers, alternative managers, and investor services firms based in EMEIA, the US, Asia, and Japan.

In addition to serving clients, Mr. Birkin has provided industry advice to the HM Treasury, investment trade associations, and regulators. He regularly publishes articles on industry trends, thought leadership on the next evolution of the industry, and is regularly asked to present at leading industry conferences in Europe, Middle East, Asia, and the US.